Ice-cold cyber theft: The chilling tale of a Million-dollar Crypto scam
Within the thrilling realm of cryptocurrency and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), emerges a chilling tale of deception and theft. One particular cyber-predator, exposed by on-chain investigator ZachXBT, has reportedly pilfered over a million dollars in crypto and NFTs.
The deceptive doppelgänger
The perpetrator, alias ‘Soup’ or ‘Dan,’ wielded a powerful weapon of deception, masquerading as Luke Hamilton, a reputed employee of the crypto media outlet Decrypt. The elaborate ruse enticed the unsuspecting victims from various crypto projects like Orbiter Finance and Pika Protocol into a fabricated Decrypt Discord server.
Soup’s bait was an enticing but fraudulent application and interview process, which cunningly urged the victims to submit their Know Your Customer (KYC) information. Soup’s ultimate goal, however, was not a faceless collection of personal data but the coveted Discord tokens. These alphanumeric strings, akin to digital keys, provide full access to servers the user owns or is part of, serving as the gateway to Soup’s nefarious activities.
Digital heists and disturbing profits
Soup’s campaign of cyber terror peaked on May 30, 2023, when he infiltrated the Pika Protocol Discord server, siphoning off a staggering $220,000 in crypto. Soup brazenly confessed to pocketing a cool 15% of the illicit gains. But the insatiable scammer didn’t stop there. The next day, Soup turned his hungry gaze to Orbiter Finance, looting a whopping $760,000 and admitting to raking in 30% of the ill-gotten funds.
The thief didn’t just bury the loot. In an ironic twist, Soup splurged on exclusive five-figure items on Roblox, displaying a flamboyant digital lifestyle funded by the tears of his victims. Additionally, Soup and his partner in crime, Faint, deceived an innocent party with a counterfeit Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC NFT #21080), stealing the authentic version from the victim. Even the highly sought-after Cryptopunk #6983 fell into Soup’s sticky digital hands.
Unraveling the web
ZachXBT‘s relentless pursuit led to the exposure of another scammer, ‘Blue,’ whose association with Soup was revealed through an ENS address mishap. Former YouTuber-turned-NFT scammer, Blue, himself linked to the notorious ‘Monkey Drainer,’ had allegedly stolen over $24 million in digital assets.
A frigid tale of impunity
Despite causing significant financial harm and upheaval, Soup displayed little remorse, a chilling reflection of the impunity with which these scammers operate. ZachXBT’s exposure of Soup’s icy exploits serves as a reminder of the dark underbelly of the digital realm, where the thrill of the chase and the cold reality of theft intertwine in a story of deceit, theft, and tasteless expenditures.
