How ZachXBT unmasked the teen Bitcoin hacker

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ZachXBT is a former scam survivor turned blockchain investigator. He has been at the heart of some of the most technical Bitcoin money laundering cases. However, in this case, the suspects made life easier for him by recording the entire event.

ZackXBT posted a private recording of the live reaction from the thieves on X as they received 4,064 Bitcoin.

This would become a key clue for the ZachXBT crypto investigation alongside tracking blockchain transactions. Initial traces showed that the funds were split among each party before the Bitcoin was sent to more than 15 different exchanges. Here, the crypto was swapped multiple times between Litecoin
LTC
$120.51
, Ether
ETH
$3,799
, Monero
XMR

$247.21
and Bitcoin.

However, during the livestream, Chetal accidentally leaked his name. This was reinforced with accomplices referring to him as Veer on several recordings and chats. It was the first careless error that he would make during his crime spree, and how ZachXBT tied him to the funds.

Chetal's full name is visible in live screenshare

Millions of dollars worth of ETH accrued from Veer Chetal’s scam started flowing to luxury goods brokers as he bought cars, jewellery, watches and designer clothing.

The two accomplices were equally sloppy in protecting their identities. Multiple people referred to Malone Lam as “Malone” during video clips, and he was seen flexing the stolen funds on Discord. About $3.5 million tied to Lam was pinpointed, and he was located with his girlfriend posting pictures of his location each night on Instagram.

Malone Lam, hacker from the $243 million crypto heist

Jeandiel Serrano, who posed as the Gemini exchange representative, used the same profile picture across the recording, Discord, and Telegram, which ultimately tied him to $18 million in ill-gotten gains.

As a result of the investigation, all three were arrested. Lam and Serrano’s indictment case was unsealed on Sept. 19, 2024, revealing official details of the case. Still, it would be several months before Chetal’s bizarre case would be made public.