In a devastating security incident this week, Andy Ayrey, creator of the AI-powered bot Truth Terminal, discovered that his X (formerly Twitter) account had been hacked, leading to the complete draining of Truth Terminal’s cryptocurrency portfolio. Onchain investigator Zachxbt connected the breach to a high-profile FWOG whale, an influential figure in the meme coin market, suggesting the hack’s likely organized nature.
The attackers exploited Ayrey’s compromised account to promote a new meme coin, orchestrating a pump-and-dump scheme that reportedly generated over $600,000 in ill-gotten gains. According to Ayrey, the breach was made possible by a SIM swap attack, a tactic hackers use to gain control over a victim’s phone number, enabling access to linked social and financial accounts.
The hack’s aftermath left Truth Terminal’s Solana wallet, once holding meme coins valued in the millions, entirely emptied, with assets rapidly transferred across multiple wallets. On November 3, Zachxbt reported that one perpetrator linked to the incident appears to be an FWOG whale, stating:
“Tracing the Truth Terminal creator’s hack this week revealed that over $1.5M was stolen through a pump-and-dump scheme involving meme coins. Evidence points to an FWOG whale as one of the individuals involved.”
Zachxbt also disclosed wallet addresses associated with the hack, providing insight into the complexity and coordinated nature of the attack.
As a direct result of the breach, Truth Terminal’s meme coin, goatseus maximus (GOAT), has taken a severe hit. GOAT has dropped 7.2% over the past day and a substantial 34.5% this week, currently trading at $0.4546—48.6% below its all-time high of $0.8788 from October 24. Despite these losses, GOAT’s current value still remains 938.4% above its all-time low of $0.04354 from October 13.
This drastic drop underscores the financial toll that hacks can take, with shaken investor confidence often sparking major sell-offs. The incident not only impacts Truth Terminal but also casts light on broader security vulnerabilities in the cryptocurrency sector, particularly for meme coins and AI-powered trading bots that can be vulnerable to human oversight and malicious targeting.
The hack raises important concerns about the resilience of such assets in a sector driven by social media and speculative trading, underscoring the need for enhanced security measures across the board.
