After stealing $71 million worth of Wrapped Bitcoin in a poisoning attack on May 3, the scammer behind the scheme reached out to the victim and offered to return some of the stolen funds. The scammer requested the victim’s Telegram communication and then sent 51 ETH, equivalent to approximately $151,600.
The interaction was revealed via on-chain data from blockchain tracking platform Etherscan and was first highlighted by crypto researcher ZachXBT. The communication took place via input data message (IDM), a decentralized form of communication on the Ethereum blockchain.
This development followed the victim’s request on May 5 for the majority of the funds to be returned. The scammer’s 51 ETH cents account for 4.2% of the requested amount.
In an IDM, the victim emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stated that there would be no turning back, and warned the fraudster of possible tracking efforts. Despite the severity of the threat, the victim acknowledged the fraudster’s right to keep 10% of the funds and requested the remaining 90% be returned within a 24-hour period ending at 10:00 UTC on May 6, 2024.
The poisoning attack, which occurred on May 3, involved the transfer of 1,155 WBTC, valued at $71 million at the time, to a malicious actor. In a poisoning attack, the scammer bombards the victim with blockchain transactions, hoping to trick the victim into sending the money to the scammer’s address instead of the intended recipient. This scam often involves creating fake addresses that are very similar to the victim’s, increasing the likelihood of false transmissions.
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