- Robbers physically attacked a crypto influencer to coerce wallet access.
- The thieves used address poisoning to steal crypto, attempting to obfuscate funds.
- Physical assault is an uncommon dimension in cryptocurrency theft.
A crypto influencer has lost roughly $24 million in aEthUSDC to violent physical attackers who used weapons and threats to coerce access to his crypto wallet. In his latest post on X, Sillytuna described the traumatic event, highlighting an uncommon and dangerous dimension in crypto theft, while noting that he would permanently leave crypto.
Sillytuna Calls for Support
Sillytuna called on trackers within the crypto community to help identify the funds’ flow, hoping for a potential retrieval. Blockchain analysis platforms tracing the funds confirmed a case of sophisticated address poisoning. Therefore, the thieves not only stole Sillytuna’s funds but also used an “address poisoning scam” model to move the digital assets.
In the meantime, on-chain analysis reveals that the robbers liquidated the funds to ETH and converted $20.6 million to DAI across two wallets. They also obfuscated parts of the stolen funds to Arbitrum, Hyperliquid, Bitcoin, and Monero through bridges, with approximately $20 million remaining traceable.
Related Article: Wallet Poisoning and Phishing Scams Drain Millions in Crypto
Escalating Risks for Large-Scale Crypto Holders
While most crypto-related security issues are cyber-based, Sillytuna’s latest experience underscores escalating real-world risks of self-custody for high-value crypto holdings. Crypto community members reacting to the incident are calling for enhanced security and increased collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
The Growing Trend of Wallet Poisoning
In the meantime, blockchain security firms PeckShied and PaiDun have already flagged the incident, confirming that the attackers orchestrated a poisoning campaign before draining Sillytuna’s funds. It highlights how this phishing strategy is becoming more common, with studies showing that attackers have launched more than 270 million address poisoning attempts on Ethereum and BNB Chain. Roughly 6,600 successful thefts have been recorded, totalling about $83.8 million.
In December 2025, hackers using the “wallet address poisoning” phishing technique stole around $50 million from a crypto trader. It was the highlight of a pattern that dominated the 2024-2025 crypto security ecosystem, with scammers targeting high-value wallets belonging to DeFi users, traders, and crypto whales.
Related Article: Hoskinson Blames Account-Based Blockchains for $50M Address Poisoning Scam
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Source: https://coinedition.com/crypto-thieves-combine-physical-assault-and-wallet-poisoning-to-steal-24-million/
