$550k USDC Lost in Phishing Scam Linked to Inferno Drainer Ecosystem

A phishing scam linked to the Inferno drainer ecosystem has resulted in the loss of approximately $550,000 worth of USDC. According to a report by blockchain security firm Salus, a fake Hyperliquid website promoted through Google-sponsored ads was used to trick a victim into transferring their funds.

The investigation revealed that the phishing group behind the scam purchased sponsored advertisements on Google and deployed a spoofed version of the Hyperliquid entry point. Once the victim approved the malicious transaction, the infrastructure handled the split of proceeds automatically.

Salus found that the setup followed a model in which phishing operators use ready-made wallet-draining infrastructure, concentrating on advertising, fake websites, and victim targeting. The firm linked the infrastructure to approximately $52.74 million in total losses across multiple phishing incidents.