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Hacker Returns $19.3 Million To Drained US Government Crypto Wallet (decrypt.co)

(Friday October 25, 2024 @05:20PM (msmash) from the stranger-things dept.)


A government-controlled wallet that had been drained of $20 million on Thursday [1]received most of its funds back Friday, adding another layer of mystery to transactions flagged by blockchain analysts as likely being connected to a high-profile theft. From a report:

> The pseudonymous blockchain sleuth ZachXBT had said in a tweet Thursday that the transfers resembled the playbook of a bad actor. Engaging with several decentralized finance protocols, the wallet had also tapped so-called instant exchanges after funds were moved across a series of transfers that "looked nefarious." About $19.3 million worth of funds had been returned to the wallet early Friday, per on-chain data collected by Arkham Intelligence, including Ethereum and the stablecoin USDC. Still, ZachXBT said in his Telegram community that funds transferred to exchanges had not yet been returned.



[1] https://decrypt.co/288296/hacker-returns-millions-drained-us-government-crypto-wallet



Don't poke a sleeping bear. (Score:2)

by Gravis Zero ( 934156 )

You know someone's intimidating when a thief returns stolen goods without ever being told to do so.

Re: (Score:2)

by unrtst ( 777550 )

The full article seems to say that the funds were then taken back out of the government controlled wallet.

* Thursday: gov wallet drained of $20mil

* Early Friday: $19.3mil returned to gov wallet

* "As of this writing", gov wallet missing $1.2mil compared to loss

* An hour after the government-controlled wallet received funds back, the funds started flowing to a wallet with an address beginning “0x0Ca.”

* ... $6.1mil Ethereum

* ... $11.6mil aUSDC

* ... $7,190 USDC

* "That left the wallet in a condition

Re: Don't poke a sleeping bear. (Score:1)

by Ilove_Noname ( 8919879 )

Call me crazy but this seems more like the government needing to hide the originating wallet of some crypto they may be using to purchase information/entrapp hackets with.

Especially with the whole recently top secrets documents got leaked and we are trying to find out from where situation that is currently happening..

This is nothing more then a gut instinct so take it with a grain of salt.

Re: (Score:1)

by Anonymous Coward

> That left the wallet ...containing just over $130 of a Trump-themed meme coin

LoL. Not even thieves want that shit.

It's not like they won't go after him anyway... (Score:2)

by dark.nebulae ( 3950923 )

If you steal something and later put it back, you're still guilty of theft.

The consequences might not be as bad, but there will still be some.

Re: (Score:2)

by unrtst ( 777550 )

> If you steal something and later put it back ...

... and then take it yet again, you're surely guilty of theft. Check the article - they seem to say money was taken back out.

That said, the DOJ seized the money to begin with, so it's stolen turtles all the way down, lol.

Government-controlled wallet :o (Score:2)

by Mirnotoriety ( 10462951 )

How was this government-controlled wallet drained of $20 million?

Who drained this government-controlled wallet?

If a wallet can be drained of $20 million then it ain't by definition controlled.

hacker has a sense of humor (Score:1)

by mfinn999 ( 206117 )

Yoink, Ok I'll put it back

psych!

Yoink!

Wait, what? (Score:2)

by Misagon ( 1135 )

Why did the US government have a crypto wallet?

Had it been seized from a criminal, or ... ?

What other legitimate reason could there be?

so exchanges made easy money? (Score:2)

by kiviQr ( 3443687 )

I was told to flow the money!

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