Weekend Recap: Recent Bitcoin News

• Bitcoiners sent crude messages to the German government via small donations
• CoinStats suggests Lazarus Group from North Korea may be behind a $2.2 million exploit

Bitcoiners Troll German Government BTC Wallet

Germany’s Bitcoin wallet has been replenished from its near-zero balance. A group of Bitcoin trolls have sent small donations to the German government’s once-empty Bitcoin wallet with custom messages in their addresses.

After selling nearly 50,000 Bitcoin (BTC) — valued at $3 billion at current prices — in recent weeks, the German government’s Bitcoin wallet hit a new low balance of almost zero on July 12.

However, several Bitcoiners injected humor by sending over $330 worth of BTC in multiple transactions between July 12 and July 14. Some of the senders used ‘vanity’ names in their Bitcoin wallet addresses, including addresses starting with “1Fuckyou” and “1ELonMUSK.”

Lazarus Group Likely Behind Recent CoinStats Hack

Crypto portfolio manager CoinStats suggests that the well-known North Korea-linked hacking group, Lazarus Group, was likely responsible for a hack on June 22 that caused a loss of $2.2 million across 1,590 wallets.

CoinStats mentioned that enough evidence was gathered to attribute the attack to the Lazarus Group or a related organization with significant resources and sophistication.

Canadians Lose $373K to Deepfake Crypto Scams

Three Canadian men reportedly lost a combined $373,000 to a deepfake crypto scam featuring AI-generated versions of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. These fake personas promised guaranteed returns from crypto investments.

Reports indicate that over $148 million in fraudulent investment losses were recorded in Canada in the first half of 2024, with the majority linked to fraudulent crypto schemes.

Other News

Donald Trump-themed memecoins saw a surge following an assassination attempt on the former President. Additionally, whistleblowers have urged the SEC to investigate OpenAI over alleged illegal non-disclosure agreements that restricted discussions on safety concerns.