DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by walletdrainer on Tuesday October 14, 2025 @11:29AM (#45581218)

So apparently the FBI or other US agency hacked this guy and drained his wallets? No indication he’s been arrested, wallets said to be unhosted.

Clearly should’ve used an offline wallet lol.

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by yellow_lead on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @01:05AM (#45588265)

It may not be a hack, but a warrant like 'Hey Google, give us access to this guy's Gmail.'

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by ozgrakkurt on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @01:18AM (#45588328)

You can’t get a warrant for a bitcoin wallet right?

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by mv on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @01:40AM (#45588438)

https://xkcd.com/538/

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by yreg on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @04:02AM (#45589393)

They did not physically catch the owners apparently.

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by fruitworks on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @02:32AM (#45588772)

What happens if it doesn't work?

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by netsharc on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @03:27AM (#45589140)

If it was a last resort and it didn't work, then we wouldn't be in this thread...

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by otikik on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @03:37AM (#45589218)

You move to the screwdriver

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by yellow_lead on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @08:28AM (#45591356)

The article mentions seed phrases being saved by the owner. What if he saved them online?

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by 111111101101 on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @10:54AM (#45593575)

A surprising number of 'sophisticated' criminals backup their seed phrase to the cloud.

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by 0xOsprey on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @02:32AM (#45588771)

Taylor is on to something here: https://x.com/tayvano_/status/1978273602719158448

tl;dr: Someone cracked these weak entropy wallets 3+ years before anyone else and kept it secret

Whether that was the USG or another entity has yet to be revealed

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by adamors on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @03:00AM (#45588948)

Please use xcancel: https://xcancel.com/tayvano_/status/1978273602719158448 when linking to X since a lot of us don't have accounts or just don't want to log in.

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by vpShane on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @06:08PM (#45598891)

403 Forbidden, VPN

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by hshdhdhehd on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @03:44AM (#45589277)

Risky move, since it is easy to move the funds to a new address at any time.

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Re:DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam bas... by stef25 on Wednesday October 15, 2025 @04:36AM (#45589639)

After having read the thread it's not clear to me where the "3 years" comes from ?

EDIT and were the keys cracked, or were the passphrases obtained ? It's mentioned elsewhere that he had them written down. Which would be a much easier "hack"

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