Thieves drain millions in Bitcoin from a crypto scammer using hardware wallets
Image: BeInCryptoA crypto scammer lost $4,800,000 in BTC when thieves drained Ledger hardware wallets. The stolen funds originally came from a task scam that tricked victims into depositing their own money. Chainalysis traced the funds as part of a wider hardware wallet theft involving tampered devices sold through a regional reseller. Ledger warned users who bought devices from the affected reseller to move their funds.
Key points
- A scammer lost approximately $4,800,000 in BTC when thieves emptied three Ledger addresses.
- The scammer initially acquired the funds through a task scam involving fake sales and reviews.
- Organized criminals tampered with hardware wallets by installing concealed components to capture recovery phrases.
- Affected hardware wallets were sold through a reseller operating in Southeast Asia.
Why it matters
Hardware wallet tampering highlights security risks tied to device supply chains and authorized resellers. Users must verify the integrity of physical custody tools to prevent unauthorized wallet drains.
What's unclear
The exact total financial loss varies between estimates near $90 million and figures over $100 million across multiple reports.
Price context · BTC
At publication
$81,647.00
Now
$75,920.00
Change since
−7.01%
7 days
Sources · 3 publishers
Bitcoinist
Tier 2
Crypto Scammer Loses $4.8 Million In Stolen Bitcoin To Another Group Of Thieves
The Daily Hodl
Tier 2
Scammer Loses $4,800,000 in Bitcoin as Thieves Drain Ledger Wallets Holding ‘Task Scam’ Proceeds
Coverage timeline
- First reported by BeInCrypto
- Also reported by Bitcoinist
- CryptoVideos brief published
- Brief updated
How this page is checked. AI drafted this brief from selected independent reports. Automated checks compare numbers, source coverage and topic terms, but may miss errors. Publication and evidence refreshes run automatically. Read the linked reports for context. Report an error
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