A 20-year-old Singaporean man, Malone Lam, is facing serious charges in the United States for stealing and laundering US$230 million in cryptocurrency. He and his accomplice, Jeandiel Serrano, are accused of executing one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency from an individual in US history. They allegedly stole over 4,100 Bitcoins (BTC) from a wealthy investor by pretending to be Google support employees.
The theft involved careful planning, such as identifying active high net-worth crypto investors and pretending to be from Google’s support team. They gained unauthorized access to the victim’s accounts and used proxy and VPN services to hide their identities. After the heist, Lam spent his wealth on extravagant activities like spending between US$400,000 to US$500,000 per night at Los Angeles nightclubs and purchasing luxury vehicles, among other items.
This case serves as a warning for investors to stay informed and cautious of potential risks in the cryptocurrency world.