TrustWallet Twitter Phishing Attack LouBapMarketing

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Trust Wallet Logo

Twitter user "LouBapMarketing" (formerly "DafiManiac0") reported that they lost $90,689.000248 USDT and $154,807.136786 USDC in a phishing attack. He provided blockchain transactions dated July 19th, 2021. They repeatedly requested help to recover their funds. It doesn't appear that any of their several tweets at the time received any response, and it seems unlikely that any of their stolen funds have been recovered.

About Lou Bap Marketing

LouBapMarketing was formerly known as DafiManiac0[1], a reference to his passion for the Dafi protocol[2]. He first joined Twitter in March 2013[3]. Presently, he appears to be running a business designing various graphics for the cryptocurrency space[3].

Create website, crypto projects, memes, pre sale, apps and evertyhing about GRAPHIC DESIGN

He appears to have had investments in both Dafi Protocol[2] and Secret Network[4].

About TrustWallet

TrustWallet is a wallet available as a browser extension or mobile download for IOS or Android[5]. The wallet was originally released in November 2017[6]. TrustWallet was acquired by Binance on July 31, 2018[6].

The most trusted & secure crypto wallet.

Buy, store, collect NFTs, exchange & earn crypto. Join 25 million+ people using Trust Wallet.

Wallets within TrustWallet are typically secured by a 12 word seed phrase[7].

Just like your bank account login or email credentials, your recovery phrase needs to be kept in a secure, hidden location. You need to write it on a piece of paper (or engrave it in metal) and ensure that the order of words is followed.

The Reality

Scammers will often create fake accounts the mirror legitimate entities.

[8]

https://twitter.com/search?q=WaIIetHelpHQ

https://twitter.com/search?q=Cihanba23827631

https://twitter.com/Stayhumble786/status/1417225489639428101

https://twitter.com/Stayhumble786/status/1417224783692025863

https://twitter.com/search?q=MetaMaskMod

https://twitter.com/search?q=Nehar98004383

https://twitter.com/loubapmarketing/status/1418160593962475529

The scheme is described by another user kfrazine, who almost fell for it[9]. Multiple accounts on Twitter would all mention that the user shouldn't mention MetaMask in their tweet, and to follow an account "@metamaskmod", which was supposed to provide support[10].

I asked a question with MM in it.. and I got 3 people write me tell me not to say MM in tweet and to follow this @metamaskmod ... When I did that...and messaged them they asked me to click a link ( that asked me for my 12 word seed... ) CRAZY how tricky they try to be

Twitter account Nehar98004383 was not a verified account, and asked for money[11][12]. TBD there are limited details here.

"It is not verified, not offical from @TrustWalletApp and they ask money. So probably is your the scammer. People report this NEHAR profile."

"ya i just figgered out that the 3 that are trying to Force me to click the link and give the seeds... are all trying to trick me.. 0 following 168 followers.. .. X 2 of them... man .... they are convincing"

What Happened

The specific events of the loss and how it came about. What actually happened to cause the loss and some of the events leading up to it.

"I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction. [Can anyone] help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." "Any tip what should I do?"

Key Event Timeline - TrustWallet Twitter Phishing Attack LouBapMarketing
Date Event Description
July 19th, 2021 1:44:06 AM MDT Tether Tokens Transfered A blockchain transaction occurred for 90.689.000248 Tether[13] from LouBapMarketing's tron wallet[14] to the thief's wallet[15].
July 19th, 2021 2:20:12 AM MDT USDC Tokens Transfered A blockchain transaction occurred for 154,807.136786 USDC[16] from LouBapMarketing's ethereum wallet[17] to the thief's wallet[18].
July 19th, 2021 2:50:00 PM MDT Twitter Warning By Kfrazine Twitter user kfrazine was able to avoid falling for a similar fraud and warned other users. He says "man .... they are convincing"[9].
July 22nd, 2021 1:15:00 AM MDT Request For Help From Justin Sun Lou Bap Marketing (DafiManiac0 at the time) reports their theft on Twitter, attempting to get assistance from Justin Sun[19].
July 22nd, 2021 1:18:00 AM MDT Request For Help From Trust Wallet Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Trust Wallet[1].
July 22nd, 2021 1:44:00 AM MDT Another Request For Help From Trust Wallet Lou Bap Marketing again attempts to get assistance from Trust Wallet[20].
July 22nd, 2021 1:48:00 AM MDT Multiple Requests For Help From Atomic Wallet and Justin Sun Lou Bap Marketing attempting to get assistance from Atomic Wallet and Justin Sun by posting the same message 3 separate times in the same minute[21][22][23].
July 22nd, 2021 1:53:00 AM MDT Request For Help From trondao Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Twitter user @trondao[24].
July 22nd, 2021 1:55:00 AM MDT Request For Help From CryptoMichNL Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Twitter user @CryptoMichNL[25].
July 22nd, 2021 2:33:00 AM MDT Request For Help From TheMoonCarl Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Twitter user @TheMoonCarl[26].
July 22nd, 2021 2:34:00 AM MDT First Twitter Help Request To MartiniGuyYT Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Twitter user @MartiniGuyYT. They again mention that the hack was for 250k a few days ago and provide a transaction on the Tron blockchain[27].
July 22nd, 2021 3:02:00 AM MDT Second Twitter Help Request To MartiniGuyYT Lou Bap Marketing again tries to get the help of "Mr. Martini"[28].
July 22nd, 2021 3:16:00 AM MDT Multiple Requests For Help On Twitter Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from Twitter users @eddieoz and @bitdov. The same information is included[29][30].
July 22nd, 2021 3:32:00 AM MDT Twitter Help Request To amanusk_ Lou Bap Marketing attempts to get assistance from popular blockchain researcher amanusk_. They mention the same information that the hack was for 250k a few days ago and provide a transaction on the tron blockchain[31].
July 22nd, 2021 3:39:00 AM MDT Multiple Requests For Help On Twitter Lou Bap Marketing continues to attempt to get assistance from popular blockchain researcher amanusk_ as well as various other Twitter users by posting the same Tweet multiple times[32][33][34].
July 22nd, 2021 3:43:00 AM MDT Lou Bap Marketing Contacts Scammer Lou Bap Marketing sends a private message to (what's believed to be) a scam account, which has since been suspended, in an attempt to get help[35].
July 22nd, 2021 4:46:00 AM MDT Nehar98004383 Scammer Lou Bap Marketing appears to have had a confrontation with a Twitter scammer following the incident[12].
July 22nd, 2021 5:27:00 AM MDT Another Twitter Request For Help Another Tweet tags @AtomicWallet, @TrustWalletApp, and @justinsuntron[36].
July 22nd, 2021 5:35:00 AM MDT Third Twitter Help Request To MartiniGuyYT Another Tweet is sent in response to @MartiniGuyYT[37].
July 22nd, 2021 10:20:00 AM MDT Another Twitter Request For Help Having no response yet from amanusk_, they then reach out to Twitter users @TheMoonCarl, @MartiniGuyYT, and Justin Sun, the creator of the tron blockchain[38].
July 22nd, 2021 1:17:00 PM MDT Yet Another Request For Help Having not gotten any response from amanusk_, LouBapMarketing then requests the help of famous American entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano, this time sharing a transaction on the ethereum blockchain[39].

Technical Details

A history of connected accounts can be uncovered through Twitter, which suggests multiple accounts colluded together. From the available information, it appears that they would trick potential victims into visiting an official support website for their wallet, targeting both MetaMask and TrustWallet users. The names of the official accounts mimicked legitimate sounding names. Users were provided the same information from multiple accounts, increasing it's credibility. Once users visited that website, they would be tricked into providing their seed phrase, which could then be used to drain their account.

This section includes specific detailed technical analysis of any security breaches which happened. What specific software vulnerabilities contributed to the problem and how were they exploited?

Did it involve Twitter account Nehar98004383[11]?

"It is not verified, not offical from @TrustWalletApp and they ask money. So probably is your the scammer. People report this NEHAR profile."

Total Amount Lost

The total amount lost has been estimated at $245,000 USD.

How much was lost and how was it calculated? If there are conflicting reports, which are accurate and where does the discrepancy lie?

Immediate Reactions

How did the various parties involved (firm, platform, management, and/or affected individual(s)) deal with the events? Were services shut down? Were announcements made? Were groups formed?

Warning By kfrazine

Twitter user kfrazine was able to avoid falling for a similar fraud and warned other users[9].

ya i just figgered out that the 3 that are trying to Force me to click the link and give the seeds... are all trying to trick me.. 0 following 168 followers.. .. X 2 of them... man .... they are convincing

Requests For Help On Twitter

loubapmarketing repeatedly requested help via Twitter in a series of Tweets from 1:15 AM to 3:39 AM MDT on July 22nd[25][27][28][29][32][33][37][38].

I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED.

I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED.  any tip what to do MR MARTINI pls?

Mr Martini, I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction. Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED. any tip what to do pls?  

Alguma ajuda pfv , fui hackeado I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED.

Any tip what should  I do ???pls I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp  and these are the transaction . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED.

I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the 2 transactionS . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED.

Replying to @TheMoonCarl

I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp

and these are the transaction. Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED. #TRON #TRX

@justinsuntron

Ultimate Outcome

What was the end result? Was any investigation done? Were any individuals prosecuted? Was there a lawsuit? Was any tracing done?

Total Amount Recovered

There do not appear to have been any funds recovered in this case.

What funds were recovered? What funds were reimbursed for those affected users?

Ongoing Developments

What parts of this case are still remaining to be concluded?

General Prevention Policies

It appears that the wallet worked on the basis of requesting a seed phrase. When installing a new wallet, it is important to ensure that the wallet comes from an official source. As even official sources could be tampered with, it is best practice to use a wallet with a smaller amount of money initially, and to keep the majority of funds fully offline whenever possible. Using hardware wallets or multi-signature setups can further reduce the risk. With a hardware wallet, the seed phrase should only be entered in separate hardware, which is significantly more expensive and difficult to tamper with or forge. With a multi-signature setup, you can use a combination of different wallets that all must sign a transaction, meaning that all keys would need to be breached simultaneously to perform an attack.

Once an attack has happened, it is important that the wallet addresses get flagged as soon as possible, so funds can be returned if the thief decides to cash them out through a compliant exchange. Filing a police report is important as most exchanges will only freeze and return funds at the request of law enforcement.

Individual Prevention Policies

No specific policies for individual prevention have yet been identified in this case. For the full list of how to protect your funds as an individual, check our Prevention Policies for Individuals guide.

Platform Prevention Policies

Policies for platforms to take to prevent this situation have not yet been selected in this case. For the full list of how to protect your funds as a financial service, check our Prevention Policies for Platforms guide.

Regulatory Prevention Policies

No specific regulatory policies have yet been identified in this case. For the full list of regulatory policies that can prevent loss, check our Prevention Policies for Regulators guide.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." Jul 22nd 1:18 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  2. 2.0 2.1 LouBapMarketing - "Welcome to the #DafiSummer Proud to announce to all our beloved dPARTNERS" - Twitter (May 11, 2023)
  3. 3.0 3.1 LouBapMarketing Profile - Twitter Archive May 11th, 2023 12:35:47 PM MDT (May 11, 2023)
  4. Lou Bap Marketing - "Now people can SEND and RECEIVE @SecretNetwork" - Twitter (May 11, 2023)
  5. Best Cryptocurrency Wallet | Ethereum Wallet | ERC20 Wallet | Trust Wallet (Dec 13, 2022)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Trust Wallet - Golden.com Wiki (Mar 9, 2023)
  7. Could Someone Guess Your Recovery Seed Phrase? - TrustWallet (Mar 9, 2023)
  8. LouBapMarketing - "that is SCAM" - Twitter (May 11, 2023)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 @kfrazine Twitter (Dec 13, 2022)
  10. kfrazine - "I asked a question with MM in it.. and I got 3 people write me tell me not to say MM in tweet and to follow this @metamaskmod" - Twitter (May 11, 2023)
  11. 11.0 11.1 @Nehar98004383 Twitter (Dec 13, 2022)
  12. 12.0 12.1 LouBapMarketing - "It is not verified, not offic[i]al from @TrustWalletApp and they ask money . So probably is your the scammer. People report this NEHAR profile." - Twitter (May 11, 2023)
  13. Transaction Transferring 90,689.000248 USDT - TRONSCAN (Dec 12, 2022)
  14. LouBapMarketing's Tron Wallet - TronScan (Mar 22, 2023)
  15. Thief's Tron Wallet - TronScan (Mar 22, 2023)
  16. Transaction Transferring 154,807.136786 USDC - Etherscan (Dec 12, 2022)
  17. LouBapMarketing's Ethereum Wallet - Etherscan (Mar 22, 2023)
  18. Thief's Ethereum Wallet - Etherscan (Mar 22, 2023)
  19. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." Jul 22nd 1:15 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  20. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." Jul 22nd 1:44 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  21. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." Jul 22nd 1:48 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  22. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." #2 Jul 22nd 1:48 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  23. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." #3 Jul 22nd 1:48 AM - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  24. LouBapMarketing - "I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago" Request To trondao - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  25. 25.0 25.1 LouBapMarketing - "I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago" Request To CryptoMichNL - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  26. LouBapMarketing - "I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  27. 27.0 27.1 LouBapMarketing - "any tip what to do MR MARTINI pls?" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  28. 28.0 28.1 LouBapMarketing - "Mr Martini, I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the transaction." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  29. 29.0 29.1 LouBapMarketing - "Alguma ajuda pfv , fui hackeado I got hacked (phishing ?)" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  30. LouBapMarketing - "Any tip what should  I do ???pls I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  31. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  32. 32.0 32.1 LouBapMarketing - "I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp" - Twitter (Jul 23, 2022)
  33. 33.0 33.1 LouBapMarketing - "Any tip what should  I do ???pls I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp  and these are the transaction . Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  34. LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  35. LouBapMarketing - "I sent" - Twitter (Dec 13, 2022)
  36. LouBapMarketing - "I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED. #TRON #TRX @justinsuntron" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  37. 37.0 37.1 LouBapMarketing - "I got hacked (phishing ?) 250k few days ago FROM @AtomicWallet AND @TrustWalletApp and these are the 2 transactionS" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  38. 38.0 38.1 LouBapMarketing - "Is anyone can help me if I have chances to recover it? I'M DEVASTED." - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)
  39. LouBapMarketing - "these are the 2 transactionS . Is anyone can help me" - Twitter (Dec 12, 2022)