Stolen/Scammed Asset Recovery Cases
Real-world case files by Delta & Capital's forensics team: penetrating complex money laundering webs to protect asset integrity.
Case Summary & Background
The case record states that a phishing drainer caused the loss of 119.78 ETH, which later moved through a fixed-denomination mixer to Exchange D. Delta & Capital used demixing heuristics to organize withdrawal links, transaction paths, and the timeline. Partner counsel handled the necessary legal procedure and submitted materials to the relevant institutions. The platform and competent authorities independently decided any hold, freeze, and restitution; the case record states that 119.78 ETH was later returned to the victim.
Case Profile
| Forensic Agency | 德尔泰 (Delta & Capital) |
|---|---|
| Stolen Assets | 119.78 ETH |
| Chain Ledger Path | Ethereum Single-Chain |
| Typologies | Phishing drainer, fixed-denomination mixer pool, gas funder clustering, exchange attribution |
| Control Signals | Shared Gas Funder Address providing initial gas to multiple withdrawal addresses |
On-Chain Flow & Forensic Mapping
While mixers sever direct links, we structured a probabilistic model analyzing denomination matches, deposit-withdrawal windows, and shared gas-payers. By clustering withdrawals based on shared gas sources, we grouped independent addresses back into a single malicious entity.
KYT Risk Matrix
| Hop | Interaction | Laundering Indicators | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hop 1 | Victim → Drainer address | Unsigned asset transfer / phishing harvest (Drainer Harvest) | HIGH |
| Hop 2 | Deposit into Mixer M contract | Interaction with sanctioned high-anonymity address (Mixer Deposit) | CRITICAL |
| Hop 3 | De-mixing model / Gas correlation | Shared gas first-funding source clustering (Gas Funder Match) | INFO / PROBABILITY |
| Hop 4 | Layered peeling after withdrawal | Multiple split transfers to obscure the trail (Peeling hops) | HIGH |
| Hop 5 | Exchange D deposit gateway | Gateway off-ramp cash-out (VASP deposit entry) | CRITICAL |
Recovery Pathway & Judicial Restitution
Outcome Record: Since ETH lacks native blacklist triggers, we designed our search to lock the gateway entry. Exchange D locked the target account within 96 hours of our emergency filing. Following a 14-month legal process, the 119.78 ETH was fully refunded to the victim.
Case Summary & Background
The case record states that the victim transferred 295,590 USDT (BEP-20) in an investment scam and that the funds later moved through BNB Smart Chain, a cross-chain bridge, TRON, and an exchange deposit address. Delta & Capital reconstructed the loss record, transaction paths, and source-of-funds materials to support the victim's claim. Partner counsel handled legal procedures, while the relevant platform and authorities independently decided freezing, forfeiture, and restitution. The case record states that the funds were later returned to the victim.
Case Profile
| Forensic Agency | 德尔泰 (Delta & Capital) |
|---|---|
| Stolen Assets | 295,590 USDT |
| Chain Ledger Path | BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20) → TRON (TRC-20) |
| Typologies | Peel chain layering, cross-chain bridge, TRON activation clusters, VASP deposit attribution |
| Control Signals | Shared TRON activation parent address & shared energy delegation source |
On-Chain Flow & Forensic Mapping
We combined TRON resource model finger-printing (shared activation and energy delegate) with cross-chain bridge reconciliation. Both distinct lines of evidence converged to target a single entity, elevating the attribution confidence to meet strict judicial evidence standards.
KYT Risk Matrix
| Hop | Interaction | Laundering Indicators | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hop 1 | Victim → BSC consolidation | Rapid consolidation of scam proceeds (Scam Consolidation) | HIGH |
| Hop 2 | Peel-chain layering on BSC | Change-splitting to evade large-amount compliance alerts (Peel chain layering) | HIGH |
| Hop 3 | BSC → TRON cross-chain bridge | Cross-ledger obfuscation path (Cross-ledger hopping) | HIGH |
| Hop 4 | TRON-side consolidation (shared energy/activation) | Single-controller clustering fingerprints (Attribution finger-prints) | INFO / FOCUS |
| Hop 5 | Exchange A deposit gateway | Off-ramp cash-out (VASP deposit entry) | CRITICAL |
Recovery Pathway & Judicial Restitution
Outcome Record: Within 6 business days of report submission, Tether and Exchange A issued a freeze. Following civil forfeiture proceedings, the claim was resolved in favor of the victim. 295,590 USDT was returned in full to the victim's safe wallet. The entire process took approximately 12 months.
Case Summary & Background
The case record states that the victim transferred 108,743 USDT to a fake arbitrage platform and that the funds later moved through DEX swaps, a cross-chain bridge, TRON, and Exchange C. Delta & Capital decoded the DEX routes and matched bridge Lock-Release events to organize the multi-ledger path. Partner counsel handled the necessary legal procedure. The issuer, exchange, and competent authorities independently decided freezing and restitution; the case record states that the funds were later returned to the victim.
Case Profile
| Forensic Agency | 德尔泰 (Delta & Capital) |
|---|---|
| Stolen Assets | 108,743 USDT |
| Chain Ledger Path | EVM (BEP-20 / ERC-20) → TRON (TRC-20) |
| Typologies | DEX multi-hop swap, chain-hopping, bridge lock-release matching, VASP deposit clustering |
| Control Signals | Strict temporal & value reconciliation between EVM bridge burn and TRON bridge release events |
On-Chain Flow & Forensic Mapping
Chain-hopping is designed to render single-chain tracers useless. We reconciled bridge events using automated scripts to match burn logs on EVM and release logs on TRON based on token value, transaction delays, and smart contract counterparties.
KYT Risk Matrix
| Hop | Interaction | Laundering Indicators | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hop 1 | Victim → EVM receiving address | Scam proceeds credited (Laundering Entry) | HIGH |
| Hop 2 | Multi-step DEX swaps | Stripping stablecoin freezability; laundering the assets (Asset conversion) | HIGH |
| Hop 3 | EVM → TRON cross-chain bridge | Cross-ledger obfuscation (Chain-hopping) | HIGH |
| Hop 4 | TRON-side swaps and consolidation | Rebuilding stablecoin positions and re-consolidating (Re-consolidation) | HIGH |
| Hop 5 | Exchange C deposit gateway | Off-ramp cash-out (VASP deposit entry) | CRITICAL |
Recovery Pathway & Judicial Restitution
Outcome Record: Since the assets were reconverted to TRC-20 USDT, we leveraged both the contract blacklist and gateway locks. Dual-locks were executed within 7 business days. Following an 11-month international forfeiture case, the 108,743 USDT was returned in full to the victim.
Case Summary & Background
The case record states that the victim transferred 327,684 USDT (TRC-20) in four batches and that the funds later moved through multiple sub-addresses, shared activation and energy nodes, peel-chain transfers, and Exchange B. Delta & Capital organized the transaction paths, address links, and technical materials. Partner counsel handled legal matters under the applicable procedure and submitted materials to the relevant institutions. Tether, the platform, and competent authorities independently decided whether to freeze, burn, reissue, or return assets; the case record states that the relevant funds were later returned to the victim.
Case Profile
| Forensic Agency | 德尔泰 (Delta & Capital) |
|---|---|
| Stolen Assets | 327,684 USDT |
| Chain Ledger Path | TRON Single-Chain |
| Typologies | Address activation clusters, energy delegate sharing, peel chain layering, haircut taint analysis |
| Control Signals | All routing addresses shared a unique activation parent and shared a TRX resource delegate pool |
On-Chain Flow & Forensic Mapping
In account-based ledgers, clean and illicit tokens mix. We implemented dual-attribute (haircut & FIFO) taint-propagation tracking to measure the pollution ratio at each peel hop, proving tracing continuity for small estrutured deposits.
KYT Risk Matrix
| Hop | Interaction | Laundering Indicators | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hop 1 | Victim → initial consolidation | Rapid aggregation of scam assets (Deposit Entry) | HIGH |
| Hop 2 | Peel-chain splitting | Change-splitting to stay under AML thresholds (Peeling structuring) | HIGH |
| Hop 3 | Activation source + energy-proxy correlation | Attributed to a single controller's fingerprints (Attribution finger-prints) | INFO / FOCUS |
| Hop 4 | Exchange B deposit gateway | Off-ramp cash-out (VASP deposit entry) | CRITICAL |
Recovery Pathway & Judicial Restitution
Outcome Record: Leveraging Tether's blacklist-burn-reissue protocol, we assisted law enforcement in issuing a formal order. Tether blacklisted the address, burned the 327,684 USDT, and reissued it to the government custodial wallet. Funds were returned in full to the victim. The process completed in 6 months.