Binance’s smart contract miracle: Xirtam $3M scam victims rejoice

Binance, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, has taken a significant step in addressing the fallout from the Xirtam rug pull incident by introducing an automated smart contract to facilitate the reimbursement of affected users. This development was announced on September 6th, marking a proactive response to the unfortunate events surrounding Xirtam.

The process for users affected by the Xirtam rug pull to recover their funds is relatively straightforward. To initiate the reimbursement process, users need to connect their cryptocurrency wallets to Etherscan, a widely used blockchain explorer for the Ethereum network. This connection serves as the initial step in verifying the ownership and eligibility of users for reimbursement. It is essential for affected individuals to have submitted their applications by August 2nd, as this is the cutoff date for eligibility.

The exchange’s prior statement highlighted its awareness of the seriousness of the Xirtam incident and its commitment to addressing the issue promptly. Binance acted swiftly upon receiving reports of the Xirtam rug pull, taking immediate action to freeze the suspected fraudulent funds within its platform. This action aimed to prevent further harm and secure the stolen assets while investigations were initiated.

Binance on Xirtam $3M rug pull

Xirtam, which was built on the Arbitrum blockchain, managed to raise a significant sum of approximately 1,909 Ether, equivalent to around $3.2 million, through a series of fundraising rounds in April. These fundraising efforts included two direct initial coin offerings (ICOs) and two community sales via liquidity bootstrapping pools provided by Fjord Foundry and SushiSwap.

One noteworthy incident during this fundraising phase was the abrupt cancellation of a scheduled Xirtam token initial airdrop offering (IAO) by the Arbitrum-based decentralized exchange AlienFi. 

This cancellation occurred just five minutes before the IAO was set to commence, triggered by the discovery of an undisclosed Xirtam seed sale that was executed well below the previously negotiated price. This development raised concerns within the cryptocurrency community about the transparency and integrity of the Xirtam project.

Shortly after successfully raising capital, the Xirtam project owners executed a rug pull, a malicious action that involved draining all assets from the Xirtam smart contract. However, what sets this particular incident apart is that all the stolen funds were directly deposited into Binance, bypassing the typical methods used to launder ill-gotten gains through mixers or bridging services. This direct deposit into Binance facilitated the exchange’s ability to identify and freeze the stolen assets on May 4th, preventing further dispersion of the misappropriated funds.

Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/binances-smart-contract-miracle/