Pro Gamer Linked to $3.5M Meme Coin Scam: ZachXBT

Pooja Khardia
November 28, 2024
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ZachXBT Reveals Identity of $330 Million Bitcoin Theft Victim in US

Highlights

  • Crypto Investigator ZachXBT alleged that a former pro-Fortnite gamer, Serpent, ran a meme coin scam.
  • ZachXBT connected the nine celebrity account hacks to Serpent crypto wallets.
  • Through multiple wallets and meme coins from Pump.Fun, the scammer made $3.5M.

The crypto market has become the center of attention, with the Bitcoin price aiming at the $100k mark. However, another incident is also gaining investors’ attention these days. A famous crypto investigator, ZachXBT made a major crypto scam finding, linking a pro gamer to a $3.5M meme coin scam. More importantly, these scams were also linked to major celebrity social media account hacks, scam promotions, and much more.

At one point, the crypto industry had earned a name for itself among the biggest finance entities, with $3.31T in global market capitalization. However, the rising crypto scams, theft, and laundering are concerning. Even Changpeng Zhao showed disappointment in memecoin and the rising scams.

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ZachXBT Unveils $3.5M MemeCoin Scam and the Culprit

In 2024, the crypto market faced many wallet hacks, rug pull scams, and many other concerning scams. However, celebrity account hacks and the promotion of cryptocurrency-related scams were the most frequent.

Considering the rising case, a popular crypto investigator, ZachXBT, analyzed nine celebrity account hacks and the involved meme coins. He concluded that there is a connection between all these hacks. More importantly, he claimed that a pro-Fortnite gamer known by the name Serpent is the mastermind behind this.

ZachXBT linked this pro gamer in the $3.5M meme coin scam, confirming that he used multiple Pump.Fun memecoin and pump and dump tactics to make millions. Surprisingly, the biggest connection was the Serpent’s ERROR project wallet, which interacted with every social media hacker’s wallets directly or indirectly.

1/ An investigation into how the threat actor Serpent went from a pro Fortnite player to helping steal $3.5M via meme coin scams launched from 9+ account compromises on X & IG and gambling the proceeds away at online casinos. https://t.co/zR6QtuQW8a pic.twitter.com/Y8ovnEnQgj

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) November 27, 2024

Serpent is known as a pro gamer and blockchain security analyst. He is even the founder of the Sentinel, which is a threat mitigation system but new reports link him with the scam, making it a big controversy. More importantly, he scammed $3.5M and gambled them away in online casinos. The controversy grew as Serpent deleted many of his X posts right after ZachXBT’s claims.

Breaking Down The Serpent’s Crypto Scam

In a detailed X post, ZachXBT revealed his finding to the crypto community, which explained the memecoin scams of more than $3.5M after the scammer compromised various celebrity social media accounts. It includes the account hacks of  McDonald’s, Usher, Kabosu Owner, Andy Ayrey, Wiz Khalifa, SPX 6900, etc X (Twitter) and Instagram.

Celebrity account hack & memecoin scam

McDonald’s Instagram hack was among the first hacks of the year, where the scammer promoted a memecoin called GRIMACE and earned more than $690k with the pump and dump tactics. This happened on August 21, and the person shifted the funds to two main crypto wallets. The crypto scammer transferred 101.5 SOL to two addresses on September 3 and deployed the SCHRADER token. Interestingly, this token was promoted during the  Actor Dean Norris X account hack.

Further, on September 6, the scammer processed Mcdonald’s ATO to a casino deposit address with the beginning address as B2fw. This same account transferred 110 Sol to two new wallet addresses on September 12 and sniped the meme coins which was used during the Usher crypto hack. The same B2fw wallet transferred 4868 SOL to casino deposit address ECb5v, which is connected to Andy Ayrey and the Enoshima Aquarium hack on October 15.  Within the same day, 84 SOLs were transferred to ECb5v.

Even the popular AI bot Truth Terminal owner’s X account got hacked on October 29, which stayed compromised for days. In that period, 6 memecoins were promoted on his account. All these involved a common 3GVUs  wallet, and the same wallet transferred 169 SOL to Ecb5vs on October 30. However, this is just the mid, the list goes on for others.

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Bottom Line

Meme-themed cryptocurrencies gained investors attention in 2024, where many offered heavy gains, mainly the Solana memecoins. As a result, millions of Solana-based meme tokens were launched this year on Pump. Fun, but many were misused for crypto scams. With his recent investigation, ZachXBT has revealed the person behind the $3.5M meme coins scam. The scams also involved hacking celebrity accounts and promoting tokens to boost their price and dumping them all. This way, the scammer or alleged pro-Fortnite gamer Serpent made heavy returns, but others were left with losses.

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Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.

Why Trust CoinGape

CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights Read more…to our readers. Our journal analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.

About Author
About Author
Pooja Khardia is a seasoned crypto content writer with 6+ years of experience in writing, including in blockchain, cryptocurrency, DeFi, and digital finance reporting. In her adventure journey, she is currently working with CoinGape Media and leading their Trending Section. Here, she uses her expertise to deliver analytics, market insights, price predictions, and information on what’s trending in the crypto space, aiming to keep the crypto and web3 community updated with market trends and important insights. Known for a user-centric and straightforward writing style, Pooja is passionate about making crypto easy and accessible. Her writing blends market research with storytelling, helping readers stay ahead in a fast-paced industry. When not behind the keyboard, Pooja embraces her creative side through drawing and crafting. Connect with Pooja on LinkedIn or X.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.