{"id":35832,"date":"2025-07-08T22:01:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T22:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=35832"},"modified":"2025-07-08T22:01:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T22:01:57","slug":"new-bitcoin-scam-unfolds-old-wallets-fake-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/?p=35832","title":{"rendered":"New Bitcoin Scam Unfolds: Old Wallets, Fake Lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

BitMEX Research sounded an alarm on 8 July after spotting what it calls \u201can ongoing Bitcoin scam.\u201d In a X post the analytics desk described a wave of tiny \u201cdust\u201d transactions sent to pre-2012 Bitcoin addresses that still contain large, untouched balances. Each transaction carries an OP_RETURN message that reads: \u201cNOTICE TO OWNER: see salomonbros[.]com\/owner_notice.\u201d One of the targets is the famous 1Feex wallet holding almost 80,000 BTC stolen from Mt. Gox in March 2011\u2014funds now worth roughly $8.6 billion.<\/p>\n

Bitcoin Scam Alert<\/h2>\n

The link embedded in the OP_RETURN string resolves to a slick website branded \u201cSalomon Brothers,\u201d complete with an \u201cadvisory board\u201d of genuine 1980s bond-trading luminaries. The site claims to have taken \u201cconstructive possession\u201d of the dormant wallets and gives any \u201cbona fide owner\u201d ninety days\u2014until 5 October 2025\u2014to prove ownership or forfeit all rights. Proof, it says, can be provided either by signing an on-chain transaction or by submitting personal information through a web form.<\/p>\n

BitMEX Research calls<\/a> the set-up \u201ca Calvin Ayre-style legal scam,\u201d echoing past attempts by Craig Wright<\/a> and associates to seize the Mt. Gox coins via creative legal theories. Independent investigators agree: security analyst @0xZilayo labelled the OP_RETURN notices \u201cmost definitely phishing attempts and have no legitimacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scam coincides with a burst of coordinated activity uncovered by blockchain sleuths. On 4 July\u2014a US holiday that saw record-breaking on-chain movement\u201480,000 BTC were transferred out of eight decade-old wallets within minutes of each other, each wallet having first received a trio of OP_RETURN messages culminating in the \u201cSalomon Brothers\u201d notice.<\/p>\n

Researchers believe the scammers are exploiting OP_RETURN because the opcode lets them \u201cgraffiti\u201d arbitrary text onto the blockchain without spending significant funds, guaranteeing that any future owner\u2014or curious on-chain watcher\u2014will see the notice.<\/p>\n

BitMEX\u2019s advice is blunt: \u201cDo NOT fill in this form.\u201d Anyone holding coins in an address that receives one of these messages can prove control safely by moving funds to a fresh wallet; anyone without the private key has nothing to gain and much to lose by responding. Law-enforcement agencies have been notified, but no jurisdiction has yet announced an investigation.<\/p>\n

The episode underscores a growing trend: attackers are reaching back into Bitcoin\u2019s early history, exploiting both technical primitives (OP_RETURN messaging) and legal grey areas to monetize dormant or stolen coins. It also highlights the enduring magnetism of the Mt. Gox saga<\/a>, which\u2014more than a decade after the hack\u2014still tempts opportunists to stake spurious claims on the exchange\u2019s missing treasure.<\/p>\n

For now, the safest course is to treat any unsolicited legal notice broadcast via the blockchain with extreme skepticism. In Bitcoin, possession of the private key remains the only proof of ownership that matters\u2014no matter what an OP_RETURN string or a glossy website might say.<\/p>\n

At press time, BTC traded at $108,811.<\/p>\n

\"Bitcoin<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BitMEX Research sounded an alarm on 8 July after spotting what it calls \u201can ongoing Bitcoin scam.\u201d In a X post the analytics desk described a wave of tiny \u201cdust\u201d transactions sent to pre-2012 Bitcoin addresses that still contain large, untouched balances. Each transaction carries an OP_RETURN message that reads: \u201cNOTICE TO OWNER: see salomonbros[.]com\/owner_notice.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,4,5],"class_list":["post-35832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crypto","tag-doge","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35832\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dogewisperer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}