Buy Crypto- Markets
Futures- Spot
- Copy Trade
- Earn
- More
ZachXBT Latest Survey: How Did 'Fortnite' Esports Pros Use a Meme Scam to Steal $3 Million?
Original Author: zachxbt, On-chain Detective
Original Translator: zhouzhou, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: This article analyzes how the hacker Serpent took control of accounts belonging to McDonald's, Kabosu, and others on X and Instagram, initiated a Meme Coin scam, stole approximately $3.5 million, and used it for casino gambling. Serpent was a professional player of "Fortnite" who was dropped due to cheating. In 2022, a rug pull occurred in the NFT project DAPE, co-founded by him. In 2024, the ERROR project he launched also faced a rug pull and was ultimately banned by X.
The following is the original content (slightly reorganized for better readability):
Over the past few months, I have been tracking a series of related data breaches involving McDonald's, Usher, Kabosu's owner, Andy Ayrey, Wiz Khalifa, SPX 6900, etc., which resulted in approximately $3.5 million in theft through the release of Pump Funmeme Coin.
On August 21, 2024, McDonald's Instagram account was hacked, and a promotional post for the meme coin GRIMACE was published, after which the hacker began to engage in mischief. Over $690,000 was transferred to two wallets from this pump and dump event.
4RiNhTwBxYWgb4MSCtt9vXgVk2yuPhoQR3DR9pMVPU1W
2vjnmxwTYNJvTmFhtqxZkPiuCHkaKZK5rcxTLuoC2dPB
On September 3, 2024, the McDonald's attacker moved 101.5 SOL to two addresses, and after actor Dean Norris's X account was compromised by the hacker, these two addresses were deployed to and targeted SCHRADER.
4s9Uz9pTBXcEaEtcjs8eg98r2TVte3rq3JUm3rVTFMudfewGbNKmqNyYs9bSAMDUaTbTcuA1v39sWr7GRqkDJ6EM
1gxo1pjTqjbee7rHW4cGvuNffX1qP4F8fP17g6SSC5EYbQrnktDrKSFB1uh4ju7PxQjprWFin37WUsAe225b9c6
On September 6, 2024, funds from a McDonald's APT (Account Takeover) were transferred to a casino deposit address.
CuNzegC9DE4CxCMn31ZcYLvtDaYsLD9RX8eRvmtZQrnB
Through timeline analysis, subsequent withdrawals shortly after the deposit can be identified.
B2fwZt5nTbdrnJ2CPsgrYMPuB4UnhN82EAM34dXDARLh
On September 12, 2024, B2fw transferred 110 SOL to two addresses involved in a meme coin presale promoted during the Usher leak event.
4FUrwoHz1fuUf4eR6YEAYSG9d9rN5fzbowMXtbjwJAhTDtHXjpnTb1sz6aeF6T79JaiMFyT2xX2EuTxqT5UhFfKD
427zpHF1WWgYgKxcSiUzwXLg2UqsF6xq7K13PU3mh6Wr99mipiVA6GcDTwi7EY93RJeRuEUDZAK9BnoMeki7sU6C
Subsequently, B2fw transferred 4868 SOL to the casino deposit address ECb5v, which is directly linked to other APT events, including the Andy Ayrey and Enoshima Aquarium leaks.
Ecb5vsomUG3MEnLCgiFvkdnnqpggTEXtN17z62iDPuU3
On October 15, 2024, Enoshima Aquarium's X account was breached, promoting a bundled meme coin. On the same day, 84 SOL obtained from this scam was transferred to ECb5v.
5PDjh74JTLMPW4dXr6fKm3Yue2j3vhbxLSK5dPbQ3oEGK4axE7fua1ngBMas4xpRY6dBr92Ccps7b1WwcLdnxXWL
On October 29, 2024, Andy Ayrey (Founder of Truth Terminal) had his X account compromised, which lasted for several days and promoted 6 meme coin scams. 3GVUs was one of the addresses involved in buying the tokens.
3GVUs2gNr161ohqnVXjUeoNQmf3cELxKSiPrxyQu6pjd
On October 30, 2024, 3GVUs transferred 169 SOL to Ecb5vs.
67nwsLLE3aGua4VeH8p6qHc3SL3rpxi9omMxRnfpeyZVsBpZawnUHo4Pt4tdT5Vxny2uRNRDH3vSZ1fzvKkNCML4
Out of the $2.178 million obtained from Andy Ayrey's ATO, $750,000 was deposited into a casino deposit address Apc3e.
Apc3eA9ScQksuZvfURQswZwVkusEYRaqeKEv4eXXbRZm
0.1 SOL from the Kabosu ATO funded an address that participated in the Andy Ayrey ATO.
On October 17, 2024, the owner of Kabosu's Instagram account was hacked and promoted a meme coin scam.
That day, 191 SOL from the scam was transferred to a casino deposit address:
6kwZ7tz8Xs7jaVqVJXZSRrZ2FtS2PPChEVuLXKrmMgCm
The APT (Account Takeover) events of Kabosu and Andy Ayrey are directly related to Wiz Khalifa's APT event.
On November 3, 2023, an attacker posted a wallet address on Wiz Khalifa's account. 29 SOL was transferred to 6kwZ7, similar to what happened in the Kabosu ATO.
NFCs23ddXQc9Zff2VJotEn2zaSAh4tvw6U6kb7fdXovZ8YPQgJMGQkXmtWiTutqnoBf6wR2khaKvFpyEKNhHfjJ
WIZ's deployer funds came from Andy Ayrey's ATO. Other addresses involved in the exploit redirected all gains obtained through instant swaps to a casino deposit address 0x83ee.
0x83ee6b53a0ae76b71bed0c32721a451776dbdb3a
On October 16, 2024, 0x83ee received 0.54 ETH from the scam's deployer, while SPX 6900 was compromised on October 11, 2024.
On Solana, another scam promoted by the compromised SPX 6900 account received backing from the Ken Carson attacker.
To further demonstrate the relationship between Kabosu's owner, SPX 6900, Ken Carson, and Enoshima ATO, each meme coin's deployer provided funds to the previous deployer's address through instant swap funds, attempting to obscure the origin of the funds.
Investigate how threat actor Serpent transitioned from a professional Fortnite player to aiding in a memecoin scam initiated through leaks from 9+ accounts on X and IG to steal $3.5M and use the proceeds for online casino gambling.
Serpent (SerpentAU) is a former professional Fortnite player from Australia, who was released by the esports organization "Overtime" in June 2020 after being found cheating. He then co-founded the NFT project DAPE in March 2022, which later rug-pulled.
In March 2024, Serpent launched another project called ERROR, but the project rug-pulled, leading to his ban from platform X.
Deployer Address:
0x8233873ee35547097ccb9098adbab955d7120ee8
On October 23, 2024, the ERROR deployer moved a total of 29 ETH to two instant exchanges.
Through time analysis, it was observed that these funds were received on Solana and transferred to the same gambling deposit address.
Ecb5vsomUG3MEnLCgiFvkdnnqpggTEXtN17z62iDPuU3
Multiple ATO (Aggressive Transaction Outcomes) directly linked to the deposit address Ecb5vs include: McDonald's, Usher, Andy Ayrey, Dean Norris, and Enoshima Aquarium. (For detailed tracking, please refer to the beginning of the document.)
Serpent gambles monthly on Roobet, Stake, BC Game, and Shuffle with stakes of millions of dollars, often screen sharing with friends on Discord.
I obtained recordings of his gambling sessions, where he inadvertently disclosed multiple deposit and withdrawal addresses.
Discord ID: 1269557350486904945
During a screen sharing session on November 1, 2024, Serpent shared a $100K deposit and $200K withdrawal, transferred to the following address.
When plotting the transaction graph, it was discovered that this address had high exposure to addresses associated with McDonald's, Andy Ayrey, and Usher ATO.
0xb8c9c8a5756a7992df65f949b7c1423eeb435aa5
During Andy Ayrey's security breach incident, another threat actor participated in hijacking these fraudulent projects, using the alias "Dex" (from Massachusetts, USA).
After I mentioned him in my Telegram channel last week, he started to panic and fabricated a story about being extorted, claiming to have lost $700K. 
The funds currently related to these security breaches are stored in the following addresses:
0xeb60a5242c1c97eb54195ec83de43bb26813c0d1
0x2355ac2929bb7051814de3c48670fccbb515d8be
4jjWZ8RaXZBqntnhu2JFidXEQWXgfKRbJQZdTHrdaqbv
Today, following the release of the first part of my investigation, Serpent started deleting all his posts on the new X account. I suspect there are still some ATO (Attack Transaction Activity) incidents related to this that I have not been able to directly trace on-chain. Regarding one of the breached accounts, I have shared a detailed investigation report with one of the victims I am collaborating with.
You may also like
The New Yorker in-depth investigation interpretation: Why do OpenAI insiders consider Altman untrustworthy?
Two Divided Worlds: Insights from the New York Digital Asset Summit, the Most Institutionalized Blockchain Conference
Top Ten Reveals of CZ's New Book: Advance Knowledge of "94", the Inside Story of Huobi's Change of Ownership Made Public for the First Time
Ceasefire Overnight Erases War Premium, Three Fault Lines Only One Sealed | Rewire News Morning Brief
Robinhood Secures 'Trump Account': Enabling Millions of Newborns to Access the Stock Market
Afraid to Open the Pandora's Box? Anthropic's Most Powerful Model Ever Dares Not Be Disclosed
US-Iran Ceasefire: A Temporary Pause or Prelude to Renewed Conflict? Market Outlook for Oil, Gold, and Bitcoin
April 8, 2026 – A temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has provided some immediate relief to the global markets, but the fundamental question remains: Will the cessation of hostilities hold, or is this merely a brief reprieve before a resumption of conflict? As the situation unfolds, market observers are closely monitoring how key assets like oil, gold, and Bitcoin will react in the coming weeks. This article explores whether the ceasefire is a sign of lasting peace, assesses the short-term market implications, and delves into the evolving role of Bitcoin in the global financial landscape.
WEEX Market Update: U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Sparks Bitcoin Price Surge
April 8, 2026 – In a significant shift in global geopolitics, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a temporary two-week ceasefire with Iran, resulting in a notable market reaction across various asset classes. This development comes after discussions between Trump, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and Army Chief General Asim Munir. The announcement is already reverberating through markets, particularly in oil, gold, and cryptocurrencies.
Morning Report | South Korean financial institutions pilot stablecoin payments for foreign users; Morgan Stanley Bitcoin ETF is about to be listed; CME plans to launch AVAX and SUI futures contracts
EigenCloud Founder: AI and Cryptocurrency are Creating the Next Trillion-Dollar Asset Class
From Panic to Pumps: How Bitcoin Traders Are Playing the 2-Week US-Iran Ceasefire
For most people, the two-week US-Iran ceasefire is about geopolitics, oil prices, and whether World War III gets postponed. But for crypto traders glued to their screens late Sunday night, it was something else entirely: the clearest risk-on signal in months.
US-Iran Ceasefire Triggers Oil Plunge, Bitcoin Surge, and Gold Rally
Despite the sharp rally, caution is warranted. The $70,000–$72,000 zone has historically been strong resistance. The ceasefire is only temporary (two weeks), and any breakdown in negotiations could trigger a sell-off toward the $62,000–$65,000 support zone. For now, Bitcoin needs to close decisively above $72,500 to confirm a true breakout; failure to do so within 48–72 hours could lead to a swift retracement.
OpenAI has no "New Deal," a blueprint for AI that refuses to pay.
Wall Street Flash Mob Run? Mega-Cap Stock Plunge, Goldman's Great Escape, Illustrated Guide to Private Credit Crisis
OpenAI Feud: Power, Trust, and the Uncontrollable Boundaries of AGI
「AI Doomsday Cult」 Sends Operatives into the Strait of Hormuz: What Did They Find?
Everyone is waiting for the war to end, but is the oil price signaling a prolonged conflict?
App