$7M in Stolen Bitcoin Frozen—OG Holder Saved by Binance’s Rapid Response

ZachXBT drops the bombshell: A crypto whale’s hacked Bitcoin stash—worth $7M—got frozen mid-heist thanks to Binance’s intervention. Not your average ’customer support’ story.

How it went down: The exchange’s security team flagged suspicious movements, slammed the brakes on withdrawals, and handed the thieves an L. Cue the rare applause for centralized powers in a decentralized world.

The kicker? This ‘win’ only highlights how 99% of stolen crypto still vanishes into mixer hell. But hey—today’s recovery counts as a tax write-off for someone’s ‘security consultancy’ fees.

Two suspects

On April 30, the investigator revealed that the victim is an elderly American who fell prey to a social engineering attack. The Bitcoin was quickly moved across at least six exchanges and laundered into Monero (XMR).

ZachXBT said two suspects have been identified: a Somalian national known as “Nina” or “Mo,” who allegedly runs a call scam operation in Camden, UK, and an accomplice referred to as “W0rk.”

Both individuals deleted their social media accounts after being named.

The theft relied on social engineering tactics, a form of deception that typically involves phishing or impersonation to gain access to sensitive credentials.

According to ZachXBT, the attackers operated a coordinated scheme involving fake websites and voice calls to manipulate the victim into revealing private keys or login credentials.

Binance and crypto sleuths freeze stolen funds

ZachXBT credited Binance’s security team, the pseudonymous investigator tanuki42, and Cryptoforensic Investigators with helping freeze about $7 million of the stolen funds.

Binance has not issued a formal public comment, but the platform has a history of collaborating with law enforcement and onchain analysts to intercept illicit activity.

This marks a rare instance of rapid recovery following a large-scale crypto theft. The remaining funds are believed to be more difficult to trace, having been funneled into Monero, a coin designed to obscure wallet balances and transaction history.

The $330 million theft now ranks among the largest single-wallet heists in crypto history. It has also reignited concerns about the vulnerability of early adopters who may not have updated security practices or cold storage protections.

In previous reporting, ZachXBT called the theft “deeply upsetting,” especially considering the victim’s age and status as an early supporter of the Bitcoin network. Investigations are ongoing as the crypto community and private investigators attempt to trace any further movement of the funds.