EVM chains experience a large-scale small-amount theft, ZachXBT reveals hundreds of victims

On-Chain Security Researcher ZachXBT detected a large-scale theft event today: hundreds of wallets were small-amounts stolen across multiple EVM chains, with total losses reaching $107,000. Notably, this incident exhibits characteristics completely different from traditional large-scale scams—many victims but small individual losses, and the thefts are still ongoing. The root cause remains unclear at this time.

New Characteristics of Small-Amount Multi-Chain Theft

Scale and Loss Data

Key features of this event:

• Number of affected wallets: hundreds
• Loss per victim: less than $2,000
• Total loss: $107,000
• Scope: multiple EVM chains
• Status: total losses are still increasing

Compared to traditional one-time large scams, this small-amount, multi-chain theft approach appears more covert. Each victim’s loss is under $2,000, which may cause some users not to notice immediately, but the scaled-up theft ultimately results in a significant total loss.

Possible Attack Methods Inference

Based on previous cases exposed by ZachXBT, such theft events may involve social engineering tactics. According to the latest news, ZachXBT recently uncovered a scam group impersonating Coinbase customer service, which used Telegram and social media to employ social engineering to steal $2 million from users. This indicates that attack methods in the current crypto space are no longer limited to technical exploits but increasingly rely on human deception.

Although the root cause of this incident has not yet been determined, considering the industry situation, possible reasons include:

• Wallet private key or seed phrase leaks
• Malicious contracts or phishing links
• Security vulnerabilities in exchanges or wallet apps
• Social engineering scams

Lessons for Users

This event again reminds crypto users to enhance security awareness:

• Only contact customer support through official channels; beware of impersonators
• Never disclose seed phrases or private keys to anyone, even if they claim to be official
• Store large funds in hardware wallets
• Be cautious of scam messages on social media, especially those requesting identity verification or transfers
• Regularly check wallet activity to detect abnormal transactions promptly

Summary

This incident involving small-amount thefts from hundreds of wallets reflects a new trend in crypto security threats: a shift from single large scams to multi-point small thefts. Although the root cause is still under investigation, ongoing monitoring and warnings from security researchers like ZachXBT provide valuable guidance for users. For ordinary users, raising security awareness, being cautious of social engineering scams, and storing large funds in hardware wallets remain the most effective protective measures.