In the ever-evolving world of crypto, a new mystery has emerged, and it’s as thrilling as a rollercoaster ride through the blockchain. Onchain detective ZachXBT has reportedly unmasked a shadowy figure who raked in a cool $20 million through high-stakes leveraged trades on Hyperliquid and GMX. This enigmatic whale is none other than British hacker William Parker, previously known as Alistair Packover.
ZachXBT took to X on March 20 to reveal his findings, pointing fingers at Parker, who has a colorful history of alleged hacking and gambling escapades. This isn’t Parker’s first brush with the law; he was arrested last year for allegedly swiping around $1 million from two casinos. It seems the allure of the digital dice is too tempting for Parker to resist.
The sleuth’s investigation hinges on a phone number linked to a payment from the whale’s wallet address. ZachXBT also highlighted that public wallet addresses connected to this mysterious trader were recipients of funds from past phishing schemes. While Cointelegraph hasn’t independently verified these claims, the crypto community is buzzing with intrigue.
Now, let’s dive into the heart of the matter: those jaw-dropping leveraged bets. The whale shot to fame by pocketing approximately $20 million through trades with leverage as high as 50x on decentralized perpetual exchanges like Hyperliquid and GMX. On March 12, the trader orchestrated a deliberate liquidation of a massive $200 million Ether (ETH) long position, causing Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool to take a $4 million hit. Meanwhile, the whale walked away with a tidy profit of $1.8 million.
Hyperliquid clarified that this wasn’t an exploit but rather a predictable outcome of their platform’s operations under extreme conditions. In response, they’ve tightened their collateral rules to prevent future occurrences. But the whale wasn’t done yet. On March 14, they took another daring multimillion-long position, this time on Chainlink (LINK).
For those new to the game, perpetual futures, or “perps,” are leveraged futures contracts with no expiry date. Traders deposit margin collateral, typically USDC for Hyperliquid, to secure their open positions. It’s a high-stakes game where fortunes can be made or lost in the blink of an eye.
As the crypto world watches this drama unfold, one thing is clear: the allure of digital gold continues to captivate both seasoned traders and daring newcomers alike. Stay tuned for more twists and turns in this thrilling saga of blockchain intrigue.
