 
 
Crypto holder Brandon has reported losing approximately $3 million worth of XRP after his Ellipal cold wallet was emptied overnight.
The incident, confirmed through multiple sources including the victim’s own social media statements on X and YouTube channel, has drawn attention across the crypto community for exposing potential vulnerabilities in offline storage methods long thought to be secure.
How the Theft Unfolded
According to posts by the X (@digitalassetbuy), more than 1.21 million XRP were transferred out of his cold wallet without authorization.
The transactions occurred within minutes, beginning with small “test” transfers before the entire balance disappeared.
He discovered the missing funds the following morning and immediately reported the theft to the FBI, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and his local sheriff’s department.
 
The victim, identified as Brandon, described the stolen assets as his and his wife’s retirement savings. The total missing amount—approximately 1.21 million XRP—was equivalent to just over $3 million based on the token’s trading range near $2.50 to $3.00 at the time.
After the initial withdrawals, blockchain data showed that the stolen XRP was moved into a newly created wallet and then dispersed across hundreds of smaller addresses. Analysts believe this was a deliberate attempt to make tracing more difficult.
Details of the Wallet and Security Measures
LaRoque had stored his XRP in a cold wallet made by Ellipal, a hardware device that keeps private keys offline. He claimed that he had never shared his recovery phrase and had purchased the wallet directly from the manufacturer.
His wallet also contained smaller balances of other cryptocurrencies such as XLM and FLR, which were left untouched during the attack.
He stated, “I woke up and all my XRP’s have been stolen, been hacked.” The pattern of the theft—small preliminary transactions followed by a large sweep—suggests that the attacker had obtained full access to the private keys or signing mechanism.
The Investigation
After discovering the theft, LaRoque filed reports with several agencies, including the FBI and state authorities. He also explored private crypto-recovery services but expressed skepticism about their legitimacy, stating that many appear fraudulent.
Blockchain investigators are monitoring the stolen XRP’s movement. Since the XRP Ledger is public, tracing the flow of funds is possible, but the widespread dispersion across hundreds of wallets makes it difficult to pinpoint where the coins ultimately went.
The loss of over 1.21 million XRP from a private cold wallet serves as a reminder that even the strongest security methods have limits.
Law enforcement agencies are investigating, and blockchain analysts continue to track the stolen tokens. However, the case highlights that prevention remains the only reliable defense against crypto theft.
Source: https://zycrypto.com/3000000-xrp-stolen-from-holders-cold-wallet-heres-his-chilling-story/