Recently, on-chain sleuth ZachXBT made a significant discovery linking convicted UK hacker Gurvinder Bhangu, also known as Gurv, to the hacking incidents involving American actress Sydney Sweeney and ‘Breaking Bad’ actor Bob Odenkirk. These hacks resulted in over $530,000 being stolen through Solana meme coin scams.
On July 2nd, Sydney Sweeney fell victim to a SIM swap attack, leading to a fraudulent meme coin based on Solana called SWEENEY being posted from her account. This caused the coin’s price to first spike and then plummet. Team wallets from the SWEENEY scam sold more than $515,000 worth of the coin before cashing out. The hacker, believed to be Gurv, even went as far as trolling social media and attempting to take credit for other high-profile incidents involving celebrities like Hulk Hogan and 50 Cent.
By utilizing timing analysis, ZachXBT was able to trace the proceeds from the SWEENEY scam to an exchange on Solana, where they were converted to Bitcoin and Ethereum. Screenshots surfaced online showing Gurv receiving codes to log into Sweeney’s account from the SIM swap on Telegram, along with a receipt from Verizon for the SIM swap. The evidence was further solidified by conversations about his prison time, confirming Gurv’s identity.
On July 9th, 1.5 ETH was transferred to an exchange and then received on Solana, connected to the Sydney Sweeney SIM swap. On the same day, Bob Odenkirk’s account was also hacked, with links to meme coins KIRK and SAUL posted. Despite the attempt, the hackers only profited a small amount due to mishandling the scam. Interestingly, proceeds from both hacks were traced back to the same Ethereum address, indicating a connection between the two incidents.
Evidence suggests that funds from the hacks were transferred to crypto casinos and used for gift card purchases. Currently, the wallets connected to the hacks hold $488,000 in total. Gurv, with a history of hacking Instagram accounts and blackmailing users in the UK, seems to have expanded his criminal activities to targeting high-profile individuals in the US, using cryptocurrency scams to steal vast sums of money.
The recent hacks on celebrity accounts highlight the importance of cybersecurity measures and the need for heightened vigilance in protecting personal information and online assets. It also serves as a stark reminder of the ever-evolving tactics used by hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in digital systems for financial gain.