A Bitcoin investor has lost around $91 million in one transaction after being tricked by scammers posing as support staff from a trading platform and a hardware wallet company.
ZachXBT, a blockchain investigator, shared in an August 21 post on X that the scammers persuaded the victim to hand over access details, which led to the transfer of 783 BTC
On August 19 at 11:06 AM UTC, the stolen Bitcoin went to a crypto address with no history, identified as bc1qyxyk. A day later, the crypto started moving through Wasabi Wallet, a privacy tool that mixes coins to make them harder to track.
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The technique that enabled this loss was not technical hacking but social engineering. Criminals used deception and pressure to convince the target to reveal sensitive details like passwords or recovery phrases.
ZachXBT suggested that every unexpected message or call is a “scam by default” after being asked how to protect against such scams. This attitude can help prevent rushed decisions that give attackers an opening.
He also stressed that, although the culprits remain unknown, the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking team often linked to crypto crimes, was not responsible in this case.
ZachXBT also stated that the theft took place exactly one year after the $243 million Genesis creditor hack. While the two cases are not connected, the timing was striking.
On August 20, North Wales Police reported that a Bitcoin holder lost about $2.8 million. How? Read the full story.
