🕵️ Vanilla Drainer: The $5.27M Scam Service Taking Over Inferno’s Turf

[cryptoenthusiast]

A new drainer-as-a-service (DaaS) is on the rise. Vanilla Drainer has already been tied to $5.27M in stolen crypto in just three weeks, according to blockchain sleuth Darkbit.

Drainers = software kits sold to scammers, usually bundled with phishing websites, that let fraudsters drain wallets. The drainer operator takes a cut (typically 15–20%), while the scammer keeps the rest.

Why Vanilla Matters

Peak of the draining era (2024): victims lost nearly $500M to services like Angel, Inferno, Pink (Scam Sniffer).

Now: Draining slowed thanks to security tools, but Vanilla is bringing it back with new tricks.

Darkbit:

“Most of the large six- and seven-figure drains of late can be attributed to Vanilla Drainer. I see them taking over many Inferno customers.”

Biggest Heists So Far

Aug 5, 2025: Victim lost $3.09M in stables. Vanilla operators pocketed a $463K cut (17%).

July 2025: Vanilla-linked phishing pulled $2.19M across multiple six-figure scams.

July’s largest single loss: $1.23M → draining fees of 54 ETH (~$204K) funneled into Vanilla’s suspected fee wallet.

Wallet activity:

Vanilla’s main fee wallet holds $2.23M, mostly in DAI & ETH.

~$1.6M already converted to DAI → harder to freeze than USDT/USDC.

How Vanilla Stays Ahead

Domain hopping: Constantly cycles through websites and contracts to avoid blacklisting.

Anti-Blockaid claim: Ads brag about bypassing Blockaid (a leading fraud detection platform).

Standard revenue split: 20% cut of scam proceeds, reduced for larger hauls.

The Bigger Picture

Drainers don’t die — they mutate.

Inferno “shut down” in 2023 → reappeared in 2024 → passed ops to Angel.

Still tied to $9M in scams in 2025.

Vanilla’s rise shows how fluid this ecosystem is. Shut one down, another emerges.

Takeaway

Vanilla Drainer is already a major player in the phishing ecosystem, filling the gap left by Inferno.
Even as total draining volumes decline, the service is pulling in millions, proving that crypto crime adapts faster than defenses.

What’s your take?

Is the drainer-as-a-service model here to stay, just rebranding with every crackdown?

Or will tools like Blockaid eventually tip the balance and kill this “drainer economy” for good?