In a recent development within the cryptocurrency community, an attacker responsible for a $68 million address poisoning scam has shown a willingness to negotiate by returning $153,000 worth of Ether (ETH) to their victim. This gesture of sending back a fraction of the stolen amount, specifically 0.225%, was accompanied by a message from the attacker seeking to open communication for further negotiations.

The initial incident involved the attacker deceiving the victim into mistakenly sending 1,155 Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), valued at $68 million at the time, to a manipulated address. The method used, known as address poisoning, involves the attacker making transactions that appear to originate from the victim's account but are actually from the attacker. This can lead to confusion and misdirected funds if the victim does not verify the transaction details accurately.

Blockchain data revealed that the victim, in an attempt to recover the stolen funds, sent messages to a suspected account of the attacker, proposing a deal. The victim offered to allow the attacker to keep 10% of the stolen funds as a bounty for returning the remaining 90%, along with an assurance of refraining from legal action. The messages stressed the difficulties the attacker would face in laundering the large sum and urged a decision within a set deadline, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

On May 9, the attacker responded by transferring 51 ETH to the victim and requested contact via Telegram for further discussions, indicating a readiness to negotiate. This communication was corrected shortly after for clarity in a follow-up message.

This case underscores the complex challenges and risks associated with cryptocurrency transactions, particularly the innovative yet potentially deceptive tactics like address poisoning. Security experts advise users to meticulously check transaction details, especially the sender's address, before confirmation to avoid similar scams. The ongoing negotiation between the victim and the attacker will be closely watched by the crypto community, as it could set precedents for handling similar cases in the future.