ZachXBT, a crypto investigator, noticed what happened first. It seems the Bored Ape owner got tricked by a phishing attack, based on what investigators found. Also, the wallet connected to this incident was in other phishing scams before. But we still don’t know exactly how this phishing attack happened.
Details of the Phished NFTs
The incident was first reported by crypto investigator ZachXBT. The collector lost NFTs BAYC #7531, BAYC #6736, and BAYC #2100, totaling 54.8505 ETH or $164,400. Further investigation using Etherscan’s blockchain explorer revealed previous involvement of the wallet linked to the BAYC NFT transactions in phishing scams. #2100 at 18 ETH ($54,000), according to OpenSea, a big NFT marketplace.
Each of the phished Bored Ape NFTs possesses distinct traits contributing to their rarity and value. BAYC #7531 boasts the exclusive trait of white fur, a characteristic shared by only 4% of the total 10,000 NFTs. Meanwhile, BAYC #6736 features the “small grin” trait, which is particularly rare, occurring in only 3% of the collection. Lastly, BAYC #2100 exhibits a combination of traits, including Bored Pizza, tie-dye shirt, girl’s short hair, blindfold, gold stud, and pink fur.
Despite the significant value of the phished NFTs, the overall floor prices of the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection have experienced a notable decline in recent months. As of May 8, the floor prices plummeted to 15.09 ETH, as reported by The Block’s Data Dashboard. Nonetheless, the collection still maintained substantial trading volume, amounting to $13.3 million between April 28 and May 5.
Phishing schemes continue to pose a pervasive threat in the digital realm. Employing spoofing techniques, these scams aim to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information to malicious actors, as emphasized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
Impact on the Crypto Community
The crypto community faces serious problems from phishing attacks. Reports show big money losses, with about $300 million gone to crypto phishing attacks in 2023, affecting over 324,000 people. The largest single loss was $24 million. Phishing scammers in the crypto world use different tricks, like taking over project websites or social media accounts, giving out fake token airdrops, and spreading harmful links on social media.
To sum up, the sad event where three rare Bored Ape NFTs were lost reminds us of the constant danger of phishing scams in the digital world. As the crypto community grows, it’s more and more important for people to be careful and use strong security to protect their assets from these bad activities.
