Renowned crypto detective ZachXBT has shared the details of a $243 million cryptocurrency theft. It has led to multiple arrests and the freezing of millions in stolen funds.
1/ An investigation into how Greavys (Malone Iam), Wiz (Veer Chetal), and Box (Jeandiel Serrano) stole $243M from a single person last month in a highly sophisticated social engineering attack and my efforts which have helped lead to multiple arrests and millions frozen. pic.twitter.com/dcY1e9xsPd
— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) September 19, 2024
The heist, which targeted a single Genesis creditor on August 19, 2024, involved a complex social engineering attack orchestrated by three main perpetrators: Greavys (Malone Iam), Wiz (Veer Chetal), and Box (Jeandiel Serrano).
ZachXBT’s analysis and pursuit of the truth have once again demonstrated the power of blockchain forensics in combating crypto crime. His investigation traced the stolen funds across multiple exchanges and cryptocurrencies and also provided crucial evidence that led to the arrests of Box and Greavys in Miami and Los Angeles, respectively.
ZachXBT’s Key Findings
Through a combination of blockchain analysis, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), and collaboration with security firms, ZachXBT pieced together the puzzle of this massive crypto heist.
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His findings reveal a sophisticated operation that exploited vulnerabilities in both technology and human psychology:
The attack began with the perpetrators posing as Google Support and Gemini exchange representatives. They then compromised the victim’s personal accounts and manipulated two-factor authentication.
Wiz (Veer Chetal) received a major portion of the stolen funds, with $34.5 million tracked to a single Ethereum address. ZachXBT uncovered Wiz’s identity through a crucial screen-sharing mistake and audio recordings.
Greavys (Malone Iam) was identified through his lavish spending habits, including purchasing multiple luxury cars and hosting extravagant club nights. ZachXBT traced $3.5 million of stolen funds to an Ethereum address linked to Greavys.
Box (Jeandiel Serrano), who posed as a Gemini representative during the attack, was connected to $18 million in stolen funds. ZachXBT’s investigation revealed a cluster of Ethereum addresses tied to both Box and Wiz, showing transactions of over $41 million to luxury goods brokers.
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The stolen funds were quickly dispersed across more than 15 exchanges and swapped between various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Monero.
ZachXBT’s collaboration with blockchain analysis firms and exchange security teams resulted in the freezing of over $9 million, with $500,000 already returned to the victim.