In a fascinating turn of events, a blockchain detective revealed an individual’s identity behind a fraudulent NFT meme coin sale. The perpetrator allegedly orchestrated the scam for the popular NFT collection, Nakamigos. Surprisingly, a tattoo of the scammer’s wallet address on his back eventually led to his unmasking.
Crypto Detective ZachXBT Uncovers NFT Memecoin Scam
Renowned crypto sleuth ZachXBT delved deep into the case, unraveling the scammer’s identity who allegedly conducted a dubious meme coin sale for Nakamigos. According to his analysis, over 20 Nakamigos holders unsuspectingly sent funds to a private address for the counterfeit meme coin presale. The offer itself had multiple red flags, such as an ever-increasing presale hard cap. ZachXBT issued a warning on April 25, cautioning:
“If you buy a meme coin, you need to assume someone will dump on you with insider info or that it’s a scam.”
Nakamigos, a social media profile picture NFT collection, comprises 20,000 unique characters. Launched in late March, the public mint rapidly gained traction, surpassing the renowned NFT giant Bored Ape Yacht Club within four days.
Scammer Escapes with 60 ETH, Deletes Twitter Account
ZachXBT’s investigation revealed that the scammer absconded with approximately 60 ETH, valued at around $110,000, and subsequently deleted his Twitter account. The individual in question is suspected to be the creator of the @NazareAmarga account, also known as Gabriel Marques, boasting 4.2 million followers. Additionally, the scammer allegedly utilized a Nakamigo profile and removed it after executing it.
The blockchain analyst discovered several transactions between the perpetrator and Nazare’s public address. As further proof of Gabriel’s involvement, he uncovered a photo of the scammer’s Binance deposit address tattooed on his back, posted on Instagram. In response to this revelation, DeFi investor and developer @0xfoobar commented:
“This is hands down the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s never even occurred to me that anyone would try to do this. Twice as funny because he got caught running a scam from there, and Binance has now rotated everyone’s deposit address, so his back tattoo is invalid.”
This comment refers to Binance’s recent announcement that it will retire Ethereum addresses. The company has urged users to generate new ETH addresses, as the existing ones will expire on May 13.
‘NazareAmarga’ Seeks Help, Refunds Sent to Presale Buyers
ZachXBT updated his findings, stating that ‘NazareAmarga’ reached out for assistance in refunding ETH to the presale buyers.
This intriguing case highlights the importance of vigilance in the crypto space and showcases the skills of blockchain detectives like ZachXBT in exposing fraudulent activities.