X User Loses $24 million in a Violent Crypto Attack
An X user with the username "Sillytuna" has reportedly lost $24 million in Aave Ethereum USDC (aEthUSDC) in an attack that involved a combination of violence, sexual assault, weapons, and threats to life.
"Bruised, held off while I could, but can't do that much with axes over your hands and feet," Sillytuna wrote. The user further stated that he was, at this point, done with crypto. In his words, "And now... definitely out of crypto ****ers."
While the matter has already been reported to law enforcement, no official statement has been issued by the authorities. However, the X user has announced a 10% bounty for whoever helps recover the stolen funds.
How the Crypto Community Reacted
Shortly after the news went viral, the crypto community reacted with mixed feelings, with many commiserating with the user over their loss. Some also raised awareness about the deplorable state of security in the United Kingdom. Apparently, the victim is a UK resident.
Amid the sympathy from the global crypto community, some, however, doubted the authenticity of the victim's story.
According to YokaiCapital, an X user, the victim had not posted anything about crypto before. He also alleges that the victim's account appears to have been bought recently.
"He will probably shill the coin at some point or say that he will take donations from the coin," YokaiCapital went on to write.
However, the victim has denied allegations that he intentionally wanted to trend and claims the stolen funds were long-term holdings.
How the Attackers Moved the Stolen Funds
Tracking the stolen funds, blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence said that the attackers moved the funds across Layer 2 networks, Bitcoin, and Monero, obviously to evade trail.
Roughly $20 million of the stolen funds were stored in two Ethereum addresses as DAI, a stablecoin on the Ethereum network, while $2.48 million was bridged to USDC on Arbitrum.
Arkham reported that the attackers sent $2.47 million to Hyperliquid through 19 separate Wagyu accounts, which were used to convert the funds to Monero (XMR).
The attackers also bridged $1.1 million to the Bitcoin blockchain using LiFi, noting that 0.5 BTC was deposited into a mixing service, Arkham added.