Author: StarPlatinum
Compiled by: TechFlow
He was scammed when buying cryptocurrency in 2017, losing over $15,000. To understand the details, he began researching blockchain browsers. Today, he has become the most formidable investigator in the crypto field.
Who is ZachXBT?
Before becoming a blockchain detective, ZachXBT was just an ordinary retail investor. He trusted projects and was crazy about Non-Fungible Token collections. Then, scams followed one after another. Later, he was attacked by hackers. In 2018, he lost over $15,000 worth of ETH. So, he opened Etherscan and started mining.
Original Video Link: Click Here
He learned by himself. By tracking wallets through mixers, joining open-source intelligence (OSINT) circles, and drawing scam flow charts on paper. He had never studied finance or worked in the tech industry. Using only public tools and a lot of time, he gradually delved deeper. By May 2021, he was ready to act.
Original Video Link: Click Here
His first case exposed the suspicious financing of "Impact Theory". Then the Rogue Society incident broke out: 15,777 Non-Fungible Tokens were minted. The developers disappeared, but Zach tracked the fund flow. He traced wallets and exposed Discord receipts. Eventually, the founders had to show themselves. And this was just the beginning of his story.
He revealed the $70 million Pixelmon disaster. Exposing how the team used minting funds to buy Bored Apes. Subsequently, he dismantled a phishing gang that stole $2.5 million worth of Bored Ape Yacht Club Non-Fungible Tokens. Zach tracked and locked onto the scammers' identities. Ultimately, 5 suspects were arrested in France, with the police publicly thanking his contribution.
In 2022, ZachXBT encountered his biggest case. He published a 10-part report exposing Machi's "big brother" insider details. He linked 21 wallets to $37 million in missing funds. Subsequently, Machi sued him for defamation. The crypto community quickly acted, raising $1 million for Zach's legal defense. Zach did not back down. Eventually, Machi withdrew the lawsuit.
ZachXBT continued his in-depth investigation. He tracked the North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group, the masterminds behind the Ronin and Harmony bridge vulnerabilities. He drew fund flow charts, revealing the $200 million movement through Tornado, ChipMixer, and Asian exchanges. Then he shared this information with law enforcement, helping to freeze related funds.
Zach has never worked for any institution, but his investigations have attracted global law enforcement attention. The US Secret Service has cited his research, and the French cybercrime department calls him faster than the police. Arkham hired him to expose wallet holder identities. To date, he has helped recover over $435 million in stolen funds. And he has accomplished all this anonymously, never appearing in public.
He exposed multiple crypto influencers including BitBoy, Logan Paul, Lark Davis, and Kyle Chasse. Regardless of whether they have lawyers or massive fan bases, he is fearless. He tracks phishing gangs, airdrop sellers, KOL front-runners, and insider traders. In 4 years, he has published over 200 investigation reports.
In 2025, Paradigm officially announced that Zach joined the team as an event response consultant. Co-founder Matt Huang publicly thanked him for recovering over $350 million for victims. Despite four years passing, Zach still maintains his cartoon platypus avatar and his persistent pursuit of truth.
ZachXBT has become an industry standard. His investigations not only changed exchange policies but also helped bring scammers to justice and transformed on-chain analysis into a force of justice. Starting from exposing scams, he has gradually built the most trustworthy reputation in Web3.
He is the detective of the crypto world: ZachXBT.
If you want to support ZachXBT's work, here are his donation wallet addresses:
EVM:
0x9D727911B54C455B0071A7B682FcF4Bc444B5596
SOL: investigations.sol
BTC:
bc1qus70g077qqpue70ldk6grvh3qexvfhu5kn6wv7
