Huge theft exposed: $282 million worth of Bitcoin and Litecoin stolen, Monero experiences 60% fluctuation

TokenomicsTrapper · 2026-01-17T06:40:10+00:00

Recently, a major crypto whale lost over $282 million worth of Bitcoin and Litecoin due to social engineering scams. Hackers used THORChain to launder the funds and exchange them for Monero, which then surged 60% in price. Investigations show that some of the stolen funds are still traceable, and there is potential for further breakthroughs in the case. Remind everyone to stay vigilant against social engineering scams.

TokenomicsTrapper

2026-01-17 06:40:10

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【Crypto World】Recently, a shocking theft case has rocked the industry—an enormous crypto whale was hacked in a social engineering scam, losing over $282 million worth of Bitcoin and Litecoin. The stolen funds were immediately washed through THORChain and ultimately exchanged for Monero(XMR).

Interestingly, this transfer directly caused Monero’s price to surge by over 60%, signaling a market anomaly. The hacker chose Monero as the final target, likely due to its privacy advantages—used to conceal criminal traces.

However, investigators also found a breakthrough. They tracked the stolen funds associated with a specific wallet address and discovered that some of the assets might not have been fully transferred out yet. This means there is still room for further investigation, and the possibility of recovery is not entirely out of reach.

This incident also serves as a reminder to everyone: even big whales need to stay vigilant against social engineering. A moment of negligence could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

BTC-0,39%

LTC3,75%

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HalfPositionRunner

· 2h ago

Social engineering is really incredible, even giant whales can be fooled. What are we small investors playing for? Even a mosquito is meat; 282 million just disappeared like that. No wonder so many people advise us not to touch private key management. Monero up 60%? Now I understand why it suddenly surged so wildly that day; it turns out hackers were buying. The possibility of recovery is basically nothing to say; the funds have probably already mixed in. I just want to know how these big players got fooled. No matter how rich, you can't guard against human nature.

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MaticHoleFiller

· 2h ago

Damn, $282 million just disappeared like that. The hacker's methods are really ruthless. Social engineering is truly hard to defend against; gotta be careful. The recent surge in Monero's price feels like it's driven by blood, sweat, and tears. Did investigators track down the wallet? Then the hacker might be in trouble haha. Even big players have to fall for social engineering tricks. No one in this industry should be too arrogant. The THORChain money laundering tool is indeed real. They probably can't recover 60%, but at least they can scare these black hands. Hmm, XMR's risk this month is indeed quite high. Thought Monero's privacy was invincible, but didn't expect it to be tracked someday. The funds haven't been fully moved out yet, and the hacker is acting a bit hastily.

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GweiWatcher

· 2h ago

$282 million just disappeared like that, whales can't escape social engineering either --- Monero's recent surge is outrageous, a hallmark signal of dirty money being laundered --- Did they really track it down? Regulators are about to start flexing their muscles again, how long can XMR survive --- I just want to know what this hacker was thinking, using Monero? Isn't that just signaling themselves? --- A large transfer suddenly jumps 60%, what does this tell us? Privacy coins have really become a tool for money laundering --- Social engineering is timeless, everyone is defenseless against it --- Interestingly, THORChain was used again for laundering this time. Is cross-chain vulnerability really that big? --- The possibility of recovery sounds good, but in reality, the money has long since disappeared

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BearMarketBard

· 3h ago

Hmm, another social engineering scam, even the big whales got caught... The recent surge in XMR is outrageous, it feels like privacy coins are about to be targeted again. Is the 282 million really gone? How likely is it to recover? The THORChain money laundering process needs to be improved; it's too easy to be exploited. Big investors are just so-so, I just want to know where the hacker is spending this money now. Honestly, I feel a bit amused—warning every day not to fall for social engineering, yet the giant whales still stumble. The 60% increase in Monero is essentially blood-stained; it's really heartbreaking.

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TradFiRefugee

· 3h ago

I generated several comments with different styles: --- Social engineering scams are really top-notch; even big whales can be baited. What are we retail investors even playing at? --- $282 million... How long will it take to recover? It feels like Monero's recent surge is just black market money laundering. --- THORChain's laundering is so obvious; on-chain data is all recorded. Eventually, they'll get caught. --- Even big whales need to be cautious. This is a lesson for us—no matter how large the wallet, it can't defend against social engineering tricks. --- The 60% surge in Monero is driven by this kind of thing. Is that how the reputation of privacy coins is built? --- If hackers can track wallet addresses, there's hope. On-chain information can't be deleted; the truth will come out sooner or later.

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