How a teen stole $243M in Bitcoin and revealed his identity on livestream
2025-07-12 14:50:17
Main Idea
A 19-year-old named Veer Chetal, along with two others, stole $243 million in Bitcoin through a sophisticated social engineering scam, but their identities were revealed due to mistakes, including Chetal accidentally leaking his name during a livestream.
Key Points
1. Veer Chetal, Malone Lam, and Jeandiel Serrano executed a social engineering attack to steal 4,100 BTC ($243 million) from a victim's account by compromising their Gmail, iCloud, and customer service interactions.
2. Chetal accidentally revealed his identity during a livestream, which became a key clue in the investigation led by crypto sleuth ZachXBT.
3. The stolen Bitcoin was split and sent to over 15 exchanges, swapped between cryptocurrencies like Litecoin, Ether, and Monero to obscure the trail.
4. All three perpetrators were arrested, with Lam and Serrano's indictment unsealed in September 2024, while Chetal faced additional charges for a separate $2 million scam while out on bail.
5. Chetal's plea deal could result in 19-24 years in prison, but he was temporarily released on bond in October 2024 before being re-arrested for another scam.
Description
Veer Chetal, a 19-year-old hacker, used social engineering to steal $243 million in Bitcoin, then exposed his identity during a livestream and reoffended while out on bail.
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