According to cybersecurity researcher ZachXBT, the wrong individual was detained by law enforcement in connection with a 2022 scam that resulted in the theft of Bored Ape non-fungible tokens (NFTs) valued at over $1 million.
It was stated by cybersecurity researcher ZachXBT that the wallet associated with the scam had been identified by them.
In a May 9 post on X, it was reported by ZachXBT that the wallet responsible for the scam had been identified and connected to an X account, which has since been deleted.
However, in 2023, Sam Curry—a former security researcher at Yuga Labs, the firm behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection—was reportedly detained by law enforcement at an airport as a suspect in the case, according to ZachXBT.
ZachXBT stated that it was regrettable to witness the detention of a security researcher, particularly when more compelling leads pointing to a potentially responsible threat actor were available.
Unknown Hacker Identified
In December 2022, 14 Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs were stolen by an unidentified attacker; at the time, each was valued at approximately $86,000, based on data provided by CoinSlam.
According to ZachXBT, law enforcement had “mistakenly reviewed logs from OpenSea that contained [Curry’s] home IP address,” which was then incorrectly used to identify him as the suspect.
ZachXBT explained that, in fact, Curry had been conducting an investigation into the theft as part of his security role at Yuga and had utilized a private key that had been embedded into the website’s JavaScript by the threat actor.
Forensic tracing methods, including the reconstruction of fund movement through Tornado, an Ethereum mixer, were employed by ZachXBT to identify an individual who he alleges is a probable suspect in the 2022 theft.
It was recommended by him that law enforcement authorities “request all data connected to [the individual’s] social media accounts” and conduct a thorough investigation of the on-chain transactions linked to the suspect’s alleged wallet.
Launched in 2021, the Bored Ape Yacht Club has been regarded as one of the most valuable NFT collections, with a total market capitalization exceeding $300 million, based on data provided by CoinGecko.
As of May 9, Bored Ape NFTs have been trading at an approximate value of $30,000 each, based on figures from the NFT marketplace OpenSea. Prices for individual NFTs vary depending on their distinct traits.
 valued at over $1 million.){kind=link}