⚡ ZachXBT Exposes $243 Million Crypto Heist
posted 19 Sept 2024
Blockchain researcher ZachXBT revealed details of a $243 million fraud operation. This led to the arrest of several suspects and the freezing of funds' portion. The victim was a lone creditor from the Genesis platform, and the main culprits were Greavys (Malone Iam), Wiz (Veer Chetal), and Box (Jeandiel Serrano).
On August 19, 2024, the group executed the scam using social engineering tactics. They initially hacked accounts by pretending to be Google support and later Gemini exchange employees, enabling them to reset 2FA and transfer the funds to their own wallets. Furthermore, the victim’s private keys were compromised through the use of the AnyDesk remote access tool.
ZachXBT posted a video showing the criminals' reaction as they acquired $238 million. The stolen assets were divided among the group and funneled through more than fifteen crypto exchanges, eventually converted into BTC, ETH, LTC, and XMR. Wiz claimed the largest share, laundering it via eXch and Thorswap.
Initial Asset Transfer Diagram. Source: ZachXBT's X Account
One of the perpetrators, Greavys, boasted about the stolen money on messaging platforms and spent over $250,000 on luxury items like cars and parties. Authorities were able to track and arrest him using open-source data, including the geolocation of photos shared by his friends at the events.
Box and Wiz also splurged on cars, jewelry, and designer clothing with the stolen money. Later, Jeandiel Serrano was identified and arrested after his ex-girlfriend leaked photos of him online. At this point, authorities have identified all cryptocurrency addresses associated with the stolen funds.
ZachXBT noted that law enforcement and platforms have frozen over $9 million so far, with more expected to be recovered as the investigation unfolds. The sleuth pledged to keep the public updated and has even offered to mint a free NFT commemorating the investigation for users to claim.
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