Hacking News
Task-scam operator loses 60+ BTC to Ledger implant thieves
Chainalysis reports a task-scam operator lost over 60 BTC, worth approximately $4.8 million, to Ledger implant thieves. The operator, who had victims pay fake reviews for real products, had his own Ledger addresses emptied by the thieves. The thieves used a consolidation wallet to transfer the funds. The Ledger hardware wallet was found inside a victim's signer, which the thieves used to steal the 24-word recovery phrase. The scam is estimated to have cost over $86 million, with the FTC flagging the task-scam pattern in December 2024. The scammer lost to a hardware wallet sold by a reseller, highlighting the need for better supply chain vetting in the Ledger ecosystem.