In a surprising turn of events, the perpetrator behind a massive $71 million crypto theft has reached out to the victim, offering a partial refund and requesting direct communication. The scammer, who carried out a poisoning attack to steal wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), has returned 51 ETH, worth approximately $151,600, to the victim.

The interaction, which took place on the Ethereum blockchain via an input data message (IDM), a type of peer-to-peer messaging, was brought to light by crypto investigator ZachXBT. The scammer contacted the victim twice, asking them to provide their Telegram contact details for further communication.

This outreach comes in response to the victim's demand on May 5th to return 90% of the stolen funds. The 51 ETH returned by the scammer represents only a fraction of the requested amount, approximately 4.2%.

The victim, in turn, warned the scammer about the traceability of the stolen funds and reiterated their demand for the return of 90% of the funds. The victim gave the scammer a deadline of 10:00 am UTC on May 6, 2024, to deliver the requested amount.

The theft occurred on May 3rd when the scammer moved 1,155 WBTC, worth $71 million, to their address. This type of scam, known as a poisoning attack, involves bombarding the victim with a large number of blockchain transactions to deceive them into repeating the fraudster's address instead of their own.

Despite the partial refund and the scammer's request for direct communication, the motives behind these actions remain unclear. Blockchain sleuth ZachXBT noted that this form of communication and partial return of funds is unusual in such high-profile scams.

As the investigation continues, the crypto community is closely watching the developments in this case, hoping for a resolution that brings justice to the victim and holds the scammer accountable for their actions.