Record-breaking: User Loses $282 Million in Crypto to Social Engineering Attack

Massive Crypto Heist Unveiled

On the night of January 10, 2026, a cryptocurrency holder fell victim to a sophisticated social engineering attack. After unintentionally revealing their hardware wallet's recovery phrase, the attacker gained complete control over the wallet and quickly moved the funds across multiple blockchain networks to obscure the trail.

Unprecedented Theft Amount

According to blockchain investigator ZachXBT, the stolen assets included 2.05 million Litecoin (LTC) worth $153 million and 1,459 Bitcoin (BTC) valued at $139 million. This makes it the largest known crypto theft via social engineering in industry history.

Money Tracing Challenges

Immediately after the theft, the attacker converted the stolen funds into Monero (XMR) through multiple instant exchange platforms. This action even caused a short-term spike in XMR prices. Due to XMR's high level of anonymity, tracing the stolen funds became extremely difficult.

• Total stolen: $282 million
• Stolen assets: BTC, LTC
• Mixing method: Converted to XMR
• Impact: XMR price temporarily surged

Experts advise users to enhance their security awareness and avoid falling prey to social engineering attacks.