In one of the most recent events, a cryptocurrency whale fell victim to a phishing scam, losing a staggering $24 million in assets.
The compromised assets included 4,851 rETH (valued at approximately $8.58 million) and 9,579 stETH (worth around $15.63 million). The incident serves as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities that even seasoned investors can face in the rapidly evolving world of digital assets.
The Attack Mechanics
According to a report by MetaSleuth, the attack occurred on the Ethereum network on September 6, 2023, at 17:31:35 (UTC). The attacker utilized two accounts with identifiers “Fake_Phishing186944” and “Fake_Phishing186943” to execute the scam. The phishing type was categorized as a “Suspicious Fund Transfer.”
The attack was likely orchestrated through social engineering tactics, such as enticing the victim to click on a fraudulent link to claim rewards or AirDrop tokens. The stETH tokens were transferred from the victim’s account to the attacker-controlled account. Given that the attacker’s account had been involved in several previous phishing incidents, it’s believed that the victim was deceived into signing the approval transaction.
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Show more +The stolen funds were estimated to be worth $15,647,644.38 at the time of the report. The tokens were transferred from the victim’s account, identified as “0x13e38,” to the attacker’s account, “0x693b7.”
This incident underscores the importance of vigilance and due diligence in the crypto space. Even experienced investors can fall prey to sophisticated scams. Always double-check links, be skeptical of unsolicited offers, and never share your private keys or sign transactions without thorough verification.
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