Whale theft of $282 million tracked: hackers have conducted cross-chain money laundering, with $63 million transferred to address 0xF73

DAOplomacy · 2026-01-19T02:34:56+00:00

On January 10th, a whale lost $282 million due to social engineering scams, and the cryptocurrency was drained. The hacker quickly transferred $63 million and laundered the money, demonstrating their technical skills and liquidity understanding. This incident serves as a reminder for holders to strengthen security awareness and guard against social engineering attacks.

DAOplomacy

2026-01-19 02:34:56

Abstract generation in progress

【Blockchain Rhythm】Something happened again. A big fish has been looted.

Let’s go back to the night of January 10th. A whale was compromised through social engineering on a hardware wallet, resulting in a direct loss of $282 million. This amount included Litecoin (LTC) and Bitcoin (BTC), in other words, it was wiped out.

Now the situation is even more serious. According to on-chain data monitoring, the hacker has already transferred part of this huge sum—about $63 million—via a cross-chain bridge to an address starting with 0xF73. They then proceeded to launder the money.

What is the key here? The hacker did not hold the coins and wait, but immediately performed cross-chain operations. This shows they understand technology and liquidity, knowing how to break down and reassemble these assets to increase the difficulty of tracking. For holders with weak security awareness, this is a warning—no matter how many coins you have, a social engineering attack can make them all disappear.

LTC-6,71%

BTC-2,18%

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MerkleDreamer

· 5h ago

Social engineering can wipe out billions of coins; hardware wallets are not impenetrable either. This is the real horror. --- It's another case of cross-chain money laundering. Hackers have become linking experts, making tracking extremely difficult. --- 2.82 billion gone. I can't imagine how rich one must be to stay so calm... Maybe they just can't stay calm at all. --- Hard wallets being compromised by social engineering? This shows that no matter how strong the technology is, the human factor is the most vulnerable. Multiple precautions are still necessary. --- $63 million transferred to 0xF73. Betting a dollar that this money can't be recovered in the end. Hackers are too professional. --- Just reading this news makes me realize that having money doesn't necessarily mean being safe; it might even make you a bigger target. --- Cross-chain transfers disperse funds in just one second. This is the most ruthless method of money laundering, and it's almost impossible to track.

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LiquidityWizard

· 10h ago

Social engineering attacks are really top-notch; even hardware wallets can be tricked and broken... What is this guy thinking? --- 282 million gone overnight, my damn head is buzzing --- This set of cross-chain money laundering tricks is so slick, hackers really have skills --- And you still dare to call yourself a big spender? Can't even do basic security well --- Alarm bells, alarm bells, how many times have I said it, but some people still fall for it --- Holding more coins actually increases the risk, truly incredible

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SybilAttackVictim

· 10h ago

Oh my god, this hacker is so professional. A single social engineering attack directly extracted the hardware wallet key... I don't even dare to click on random links anymore. Cross-chain money laundering is really ruthless. $63 million was transferred and disappeared without a trace, making tracking extremely difficult. It makes my heart race. It feels like there's no safe place in the crypto world. No matter how rich a whale is, they can't escape a social engineering call? That's the most outrageous. Cleared out 282 million. Bro, this time it's really blood in the water.

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IntrovertMetaverse

· 10h ago

Social engineering can wipe out billions with just one phone call, truly incredible. I only have a few thousand yuan, so what do I need to worry about?

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RektButAlive

· 10h ago

Social engineering this move is really clever, 282 million just gone... Hardware wallets aren't even safe Hackers' techniques are too professional, 63 million almost instantly laundered across chains, leaving no chance for tracking No matter how much crypto you have, you can't prevent a carefully planned scam, this is really heartbreaking Another whale has been emptied, it feels like these incidents are happening more and more frequently Cross-chain bridge laundering is their slick move, it looks like it's time to upgrade the defenses

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VirtualRichDream

· 10h ago

A social engineering scam wiped out 280 million, this hacker team is really quite terrifyingly professional. --- Hardware wallets can't even prevent social engineering? I think multiple backup options are still necessary; don't put all your eggs in one basket. --- Cross-chain money laundering so fast? It seems these people are indeed organized and premeditated, not just a spur-of-the-moment thing. --- Another big account emptied. It feels like no matter how high your security awareness is now, it's useless if you encounter a professional team. --- $63 million was just transferred out like that. Why didn't the exchanges or wallet service providers have risk control measures? --- After such incidents, I don't even dare to keep my coins anywhere anymore. It's really exhausting. --- I heard this guy was phished. No matter how rich you are, one phone call and a lie can still fool you. --- What does it mean that hackers understand cross-chain operations? This is no longer small-scale theft; it's organized and disciplined. --- $280 million just gone like that. Bitcoin is indeed a high-risk asset; the risk lies with the people, not the coin. --- Next time such news comes out, I'm more concerned about whether that $63 million can be recovered and how likely it is.

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