FBI seizes over $100k worth NFTs from scammer after ZachXBT probe

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Key Takeaways

  • The seized NFTs, which include renowned collections BoredApeYachtClub #9658 , Doodle #3114, have a combined value of $104,856.20.
  • The FBIโ€™s action comes as a result of an investigation conducted by crypto sleuth ZachXBT.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized NFTs worth over $100K from a phishing scammer known as Horror (HZ) or Chase Senecal. The FBIโ€™s action comes as a result of an investigation conducted by crypto sleuth ZachXBT.

The seized NFTs, which include renowned collections BoredApeYachtClub #9658, Doodle #3114, have a combined value of $104,856.20. FBI, in its official statement, stated that the scammer Senecaโ€™s property, which included an Audemars Piguet (AP) Royal Oak Watch worth $41,000, was seized for federal forfeiture for violation of federal law.

Commenting on the development, ZackXBT tweeted, โ€œI look forward to hopefully seeing more phishing scammers suffer a similar fate in the future for harming so many people in this space,โ€  In September 2022, ZachXBT posted a long Twitter thread detailing HZโ€™s scam.

In the thread, ZachXBT pointed out that HZโ€™s Audemars Piguet watch was paid with stolen crypto.

To confirm his doubts, the crypto sleuth contacted the seller and found out the watch was purchased by HZ using stolen funds.

The sleuth added that the address used by the scammer to pay for the watch was directly funded by multiple addresses linked to NFT phishing attacks. The payment was said to have been made on the blockchain via the use of a USD Coin.

โ€œThe address HZ used to pay the watch seller $47.5k was DIRECTLY funded by multiple addresses used to scam people with hacked Twitter accounts such as @deekaymotion, @Zeneca_33, @ezu_xyz, [and] @JRNYclub,โ€ the crypto sleuthโ€™s tweet read

This is not the first Zachโ€™s research has helped federal authorities catch scammers. Last year, French authorities used research from ZachXBT to charge five people on suspicion of stealing $2.5 million worth of nonfungible tokens via phishing scams.

In September, the on-chain analyst revealed that Cameron Redmans is suspected of hacking numerous NFT Twitter accounts and Discord servers over the past few months. ZachXBT added that Redman was the same person who was convicted of a SIM swap scam in February 2020.

Redman is accused of stealing $27 million in Bitcoin Cash and $17 million in Bitcoin. According to Zach, Redman sold Twitter panel access to scammers, including HZ and Popbob, which enabled them to hack various NFT Twitter accounts and scam people.

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Saniya Raahath
Saniya Raahath

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