Pretending to be a top US CEX customer service to steal $2 million, Canadian crypto scam insider exposed

A Canadian scammer impersonated a top US-based CEX customer service representative, using carefully crafted social engineering tactics to steal over $2 million in cryptocurrency from multiple users. The incident was revealed by well-known on-chain investigator ZachXBT, once again drawing market attention to the security of crypto assets and the risks of customer service scams.

Investigation shows that the suspect has long been disguising himself as an official customer service agent of a leading US CEX, proactively contacting users with reasons such as “account anomalies” and “security verification,” inducing them to cooperate with operations, ultimately completing unauthorized on-chain transfers. ZachXBT cross-referenced Telegram group chat screenshots, social media information, and wallet transaction records to identify the scammer, who used the alias Haby (Havard).

On-chain data indicates that over the past year, the scammer has illegally profited more than $2 million, using the funds to purchase rare social media usernames, indulge in luxury spending, and online gambling. A leaked video further confirmed his scam process, in which he claimed to be a US-based CEX customer service representative and inadvertently exposed associated email addresses and Telegram accounts, providing key evidence for identity tracing.

Although Haby frequently changed accounts and deleted history to evade tracking, his high-profile display of a luxurious lifestyle on social platforms became a vulnerability. Based on this, investigators determined that his activity location is in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.

Due to the large user base of the leading US CEX, it has long been a primary target for social engineering scams in the crypto space. ZachXBT has pointed out that similar scams can cause losses of tens of millions of dollars in a short period, and stolen funds are often quickly transferred or exchanged for privacy coins, making recovery extremely difficult.

Security tips: Any legitimate exchange customer service will never ask for seed phrases, login passwords, or verification codes, nor will they require users to transfer communication to third-party platforms like Telegram or WhatsApp. To mitigate the risk of crypto scams impersonating US-based CEX customer service, users should stay vigilant and avoid trusting “official contacts” to prevent asset losses.