Crypto’s Indiana Jones? Coinbase exec helps recover $322K worth of once-lost crypto

Uncovering Dormant Crypto Funds

On July 5, one fortunate crypto investor got a pleasant surprise when they suddenly became $322,000 richer. Conor Grogan, the head of product at Coinbase, explained in a Twitter thread how he had discovered the investor’s dormant crypto funds.

In 2016, when the Ethereum blockchain forked, investors who held the ETH token were airdropped an equal amount of Ethereum Classic (ETC). Unfortunately, many investors never claimed their ETC tokens, as Grogan noted.

Grogan shared how he had recovered six-figure amounts of crypto for investors in the past. In a screenshot, he mentioned that he had once alerted a Twitter user about 23 ETH that had been sitting untouched.

It appears that the crypto.com community is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of tracking airdrops and other crypto funds. With the help of services like Voyager Crypto, investors can now stay up to date with their digital assets and avoid missing out on potential gains.

Crypto Wallets: A Tale of Tracking Down

Tracking down crypto wallets is no small task. To begin, Grogan said he perused the “ETC rich list” for accounts that had never touched their ETC. After locating roughly 20 addresses that held more than $250,000 worth of ETC, he examined each one, seeking out ways to get in touch.

Grogan said he encountered a number of “dead ends” with most of the wallets, but finally came across an address with the prefix “0x475.” Interestingly, the wallet held a cryptocurrency called “EOSDAC,” which was airdropped to Ethereum holders in 2018.

Using the new data, Grogan said the airdrop amount and snapshot date enabled him to link with the holder’s EOS wallet.

“As it turns out, this EOS wallet has quite the history!” Grogan said.

Crypto Currency Lost and Found

Crypto.com’s Grogan was able to locate the legal name associated with the 0x475 ETH address by combing through legal documents.

In an inspiring turn of events, Grogan was able to contact the owner and inform them of their forgotten crypto currency.

“I’m hoping I made their day,” said Grogan.

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