Scammer Steals $71M in WBTC and Returns Partial Funds

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As a seasoned crypto investor, I’ve seen my fair share of scams in the blockchain world. But this recent incident, as reported by PeckShieldAlert on May 9, 2024, was particularly alarming. The tactic used by the scammer, where they bombarded the victim with multiple transactions to steal WBTC, is a known deceptive strategy.

In the public ledger of the Etherscan blockchain, this method was revealed, displaying a misleading approach used by the swindler. By flooding the hapless target with numerous transactions, the con artist successfully orchestrated a heist.

A malicious actor managed to siphon approximately $71 million in wETH (Wrapped Ethereum) from the victim through a poisoning attack. Subsequently, they transferred 51 Ether and included a message with the transaction.— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) May 9, 2024

Scammer Requests Telegram Contact

After the theft of my Ethereum tokens, I was taken aback when the scammer reached out to me directly through an Ethereum transaction, asking for my Telegram details. Surprisingly, they transferred back 51 ETH, equivalent to approximately $151,600, to my wallet.

The thief returned a fraction of the stolen money, equivalent to 4.2%, and asked for more contact, assuring a call the following day.

The adversary was demanded by the victim to return 90% of the stolen funds, with the justification that WBTC is traceable and laundering such a large amount would be a challenging task. The deadline for complying with this demand was set at 10:00 am UTC on May 6, 2024.

Amidst the turmoil, Wrapped Bitcoin held a value of approximately $62,365.45, experiencing a moderate increase over the past 24 hours. The crypto sphere remains captivated by this unusual interaction between a swindler and their mark.

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2024-05-09 23:48