A cryptocurrency user recently had their Trust Wallet account wiped clean of Ethereum and Tether within seconds of making a deposit. While this situation is sad enough, the real problem is what this user has since experienced after reaching out to the wallet’s customer support.
A Matter Of Trust: Crypto User’s Wallet Drained Of ETH & USDT
Google’s immediate search results pulled from Oxford Languages define the term distrust as “the feeling that someone or something cannot be relied upon.” Unfortunately, relying on the popular Trust Wallet has allegedly left one crypto user feeling the app security and customer support cannot be relied upon at all.
If the allegations are accurate, the crypto storage solution that calls itself the “most trusted and secure crypto wallet” might not be as advertised.
The story begins on July 22, when a user sent 0.07257654 ETH and 300 USDTto a brand new Trust Wallet that also contained some BTC. A mere twelve seconds later, a random amount of ETH was withdrawn from the same wallet, paying a relatively unusually high gas fee.
“0.05859054 ETH was withdrawn, 0.013986 ETH was the fee (approximately $25),” the Trust Wallet user reports.
Four hours later, 0.0015 ETH is received at the wallet from the blockchain address: 0xBD554F7a4813d728F33430689D26d7c252A2A225. The ETH is used to cover the gas fees necessary to drain the remaining 300 USDT sitting in the same ERC-20 compatible wallet.
The user discovered the missing funds the following day, immediately withdrawing BTC that had somehow gone unscathed. The Bitcoin remaining inaccessible helps to eliminate the idea that the user’s mnemonic phrase or smartphone app itself was utilized to steal the funds.
The first transaction using the ETH wallet was on July 22, when the incident occurred. The user notes that subsequent scam transactions were completed only twelve seconds later, adding it is “impossible” to perform such an action manually from the phone at such speeds.
For comparison sake, we asked ChatGPT what other activities take roughly twelve seconds to complete. Tasks include sending a brief text message, opening and closing a door, tying a shoelace, or flipping over a fried egg “if you are skilled with a spatula.” If you aren’t skilled with a spatula, it could take longer than twelve seconds to flip an egg. Is that really enough time to process a manual transaction using Trust Wallet?
“The first transaction, block 17744391, is the transfer that I made. Deposit. All other transactions are the actions of scammers. They did all this very quickly. A matter of seconds. During this time, it is impossible to perform such an operation manually from the phone,” the user claims, who provided screenshots, video evidence, and blockchain data.
How A Lack of Customer Support Can Expose Users To Scammers
As negative as this experience already sounds, the lack of trust surrounding a brand that aims to symbolize trust is only beginning. The user reached out to Trust Wallet’s support, who has yet to receive a response at the time of this writing. After a day or so passing, the user frustratedly turned to Twitter –– now rebranded X – looking for answers. Direct responses to key company executives went unnoticed by anyone representing Trust Wallet.
Worse yet, others had noticed the tweets. The user was then bombarded with an onslaught of would-be scammers offering to retrieve the missing funds. These predators seek exposed victims already vulnerable and go in for the kill.
The situation nearly turned even more dire when a fake Twitter account pretending to be Trust Wallet support contacted the user via Direct Message. “The funny thing is that the scammers responded to my comments on Twitter very quickly, unlike Trust Wallet support,” the user quipped.
The scammers on Twitter aren’t the exact culprits behind the funds going missing via Trust Wallet, but the situation and seeking support via social media only further exposed this user to potential risk and distrustful actors. The user reveals that the phony Trust Wallet support was very believable due to how competent the outreach was.
“Keep The Money, But Answer My Support Ticket,” User Roars
At the moment, even the user rationally states that it could be due to some kind of “service error” or a “hack.” What they are trying to sound alarms about is that Trust Wallet’s lack of customer support as a priority leaves its user base vulnerable to other attack vectors. And if the company isn’t fully committed to the trust and security of users, then it might be time for a rebranding.
“Tell them they can keep the $440 for themselves, or they can answer my support ticket 548894:1876582. My email is there in case they want to get in touch. I’ll be happy to talk to them,” they concluded.