In a scenario reminiscent of the clever exploits of high-stakes heists, a well-known whale recently found themselves on the wrong side of one of the biggest crypto phishing scams of recent times. The investor, identified by the address ‘0x13e382’, suffered a massive loss of $24.23 million, with the hacker making off with a substantial sum of Ethereum in liquid staking, including both rETH and stETH. This catastrophic event has shaken the crypto community, highlighting the ever-present threats lurking in the digital currency landscape.
Diving into the Scam: Tracking the Fraudulent Transactions
Unwittingly playing into the hands of the hacker, the whale approved ‘increaseAllowance’ transactions, essentially granting them access to a treasure trove of staked assets worth millions. These assets, initially held in the addresses ‘0x693b72’ and ‘0x4c10a4’, have since been partially funneled to the Fixed Float exchange, with the remaining amount scattered in three distinct addresses, marking a complex journey of deceit and manipulation.
Unveiling the Victim: A Prominent Figure in the Crypto Space
While maintaining anonymity, the victim has been identified as a significant liquidity provider with an extensive footprint in the crypto arena. Their involvement spans various protocols, including Aave, 1inch, and Curve, in addition to a notable liquidity provision on Uniswap V3. This seasoned investor, who initiated transactions as early as June 2017 from Bitfinex, has unfortunately become the poster child for the rise of phishing scams in the crypto sector.
