In a recent incident that has sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency community, a hacker stole $71 million worth of Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) from a victim through a scam but unexpectedly returned a significant portion of it in Ethereum (ETH). The incident took place on May 3 when the victim mistakenly sent his funds to a fake address that looked like a legitimate wallet.
The attack unfolded when the victim transferred 0.05 ETH to an address that appeared to be secure. The observant hacker replicated the transaction to an address under his control, cleverly using similar characters at the beginning and end of the address to deceive the victim. After the initial transfer, the hacker managed to steal 1,155 WBTC, which was swiftly transferred to different wallets and converted into Wrapped Ether (WETH).
In a surprising turn of events, the victim received a refund from the scammer, as confirmed by Lookonchain, a Twitter account dedicated to blockchain analysis. So far, the refunded amount totals 4,676 ETH, equivalent to $14.2 million.
The motive behind this unexpected refund remains unknown. Speculation within the community suggests that it could be related to tax evasion strategies or an attempt to improve the scammer’s image after the theft, but nothing has been confirmed.
Joe Green, the head of the rapid response team at CertiK, a blockchain security company, provided a detailed statement about the scam. He emphasized the importance of verifying all details before conducting any transactions, using this incident as a critical reminder for cryptocurrency users.
Debates have arisen within the community, with some users suggesting that the victim and the hacker may be the same person. However, this theory lacks solid evidence at present.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article, including those of the author and individuals mentioned, are solely for informational purposes and should not be considered as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. Investing or trading cryptocurrencies carries a risk of financial loss.
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