The bitcoin phishing scammer who was responsible for some of the most notorious Web3 thefts claims to have left the scene and is moving onto something else that is better
Known by their pseudonym “Monkey Drainer”, they announced on March 1 that they will “be shutting down immediately,” that all “files, servers, and devices” linked to the drainer would be destroyed instantly, and that it “will not return.”
The con artist advised aspiring “young cyber criminals” to not “lose themselves in the pursuit of easy money” and stating that only those “with the highest level of dedication” should run a sizeable cybercrime organisation.
Monkey Drainer pointed to a Venom Drainer Telegram account that had just been established the day before Monkey’s announcement and promoted the service as a “flawless” substitute for the one they had previously provided.
On March 1, the blockchain security company PeckShield reported that Monkey Drainer’s wallet had just made a deposit of approximately 300 Ether into the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash in an effort to obfuscate their funds. They still had 840 ETH in their primary wallet.
The cryptocurrency wallet-draining kit that they provided is expected to extract a 30% “commission” on funds stolen from others’ use of the programme, according to blockchain security firm CertiK, which also posted Monkey Drainer’s remark on a tweet on March 1.
Several vendors have created wallet-draining kits based on the model, and CertiK claimed that other vendors have already noticed an increase in demand since Monkey Drainer announced its closure.