Blake Cohen

Senior Blockchain Investigator @OKX • Certified Fraud Examiner • Recovered over $500 Million of stolen funds for scam victims worldwide • Opinions are my own

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Our investigation team at @okx froze $225 Million in USDT that was stolen by a major scam and human trafficking syndicate in Southeast Asia.

Would like to thank @tether, @chainalysis, and @zachxbt for making this record breaking achievement possible!

[OKX @okx]

🚨 At #OKX, we believe in action. In collaboration with @tether and the U.S. DOJ, our investigation led to the freezing of 225M of illicitly acquired USDT. We are committed to creating a world that is safe and secure.

Details: https://t.co/Gb9XaTL9QZ

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

5 years after the Chymall Ponzi scheme collapsed, the @okx investigation team was able to help track down and return over $15 Million back to the victims.

A great example of how the blockchain’s transparency and permanence make it ideal for solving cold cases.

[DustyBC Crypto @DustyBC]

🚨𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡: OKX helped expose a crypto fraud scheme involving Ghana and the UK, recovering $15.1M in stolen funds.

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

@zachxbt @circle You can tell ChatGPT wrote that entire blog post 😭

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Jokes aside… Hardware wallets are strongly recommended

Using mobile and browser extension wallets is the #1 reason why I see victims get hacked

But even with a hardware wallet, you still need to be careful about what you’re signing

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Your entire life savings depends on you being able to read and understand complex code on a 2” flickering screen

Good luck

[Noah @redacted_noah]

You can just build things.

No more blind signing. No need for a dedicated signing device when you can just trust your Ledger.

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

American victims lost over $20 Billion last year to scams and other cybercrime.

Reported losses have skyrocketed from $4.2 Billion in 2020!

Just an unreal epidemic that still is not being given the awareness and resources it deserves...

[FBI @FBI]

The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report shows that Cyber-related crimes cost Americans nearly $21 billion in 2025. Last year, IC3 received more than 1 million complaints, with about 45% of those involving cyber-enabled fraud or scams, accounting for 85% of the reported losses.

The #FBI encourages you to #TakeaBeat and pause before responding to an unsolicited offer. If you suspect fraud, report it at https://t.co/hPS9NA6Fd2 or contact your local #FBI Office.

Read the full report: https://t.co/bl4qHXyU3Z

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Tomorrow I will be presenting at the @chainalysis Links conference on behalf of @okx and competing in a live investigation challenge with other talented investigators.

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Why is @Kalshi allowed to publicly disclose their customer’s personal data?

Sets a dangerous precedent that any of their users could have their names and account activity blasted to the public, solely based on findings from an “internal investigation”.

Even more concerning that they are trying to spin this as positive PR…

[Satoshi Talks @Satoshi_Talks]

🚨 BREAKING: Kalshi bans a MrBeast video editor for 2 years over insider betting.

Artem Kaptur allegedly used confidential information about upcoming YouTube videos to place trades before the details were public.

He must also pay over $20,000 in fines.

Prediction markets are learning the same lesson as Wall Street:
If you trade on non-public info, there are consequences.

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Give @chazzpalminteri the Oscar

[OKX @okx]

In a volatile world where hacks and scams rule, one platform refuses to play by the old script: OKX.

CEX, DEX, and CeDeFi powered by infrastructure that shuts out chaos and unlocks possibility.

Welcome to the Mild Mild West, where the wild gets mild. https://t.co/xgNsXjaL9w

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

For the past 5 years I have been helping victims of crypto scams and hacks with fund recovery efforts.

I have and will always offer my services for FREE since there is a significant lack of resources available.

Reach out anytime 👍

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

The prices might drop, the tourists will leave, but as long as the tech continues to improve…

The industry will keep growing

[Star_OKX @star_okx]

Since the market crash on October 11 — for reasons everyone in the industry understands — we’ve seen some institutions take hits, some people exit the space, and some competitors quietly stop promoting their “XX Life Meme” tokens.
Many friends have asked me whether this means a bear market is coming.

I don’t have that answer — but there’s a more important question you should be asking yourself:

Do you still believe in the future of Bitcoin and the crypto industry?

If your answer is no, then perhaps this is the right moment to step away.
But if your answer is yes, then even if a bear market is approaching, this is actually the best time to build — to create real value for users and position yourself for the next wave of growth.

Bear markets test conviction.
Builders use them to prepare for the next bull run.

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Why didn't @MEXC_Official name the firm that conducted their most recent Proof Of Reserves?

Did @hackenclub find something bad enough to make them drop you as clients?

How is anyone supposed to trust these "audits" if we can not verify who conducted them?

[Cecilia Hsueh @cecilia_hsueh]

We fucked up.

We apologize to @TheWhiteWhaleV2 , and his money is already released. He can claim it at any time.

I messed up in communicating with him. I got emotional, and I shouldn’t have. 

Since I joined MEXC 2 months ago I’ve been fighting behind the scenes to get MEXC to change. We grew really fast—a few years ago, we were a very small exchange, but given our current scale, our risk, operations, and PR teams have not kept up.

We’re going to change that. I’ve been driving the leadership team to recognize the issues, identify changes we need to make and improve on our transparency. After this, they’re now listening and they all acknowledge that MEXC has to change.

Stay tuned. More updates are coming.

For now, I’m sorry to White Whale and to his community.

[Chainalysis @chainalysis]

We're honoured to have worked with @okx, @Binance & @tether alongside APAC law enforcement to investigate and freeze $50M in USDT tied to pig butchering scams.

🤝 Powerful example of how industry collaboration can combat sophisticated financial crime networks. Read more: https://t.co/sdhIezb8Co

[Jason Lau @jasonklau]

The Investigations team should be proud and deserve to be recognized!

Still so much work to be done to stop scams. Awareness and collaboration is a start.

[hong @hfangca]

Proud of our @okx team who helped victims recover fund - not just law enforcement specialists, but also onchain team, compliance, investigation specialists, engineers etc.

Onchain means more transparency, more checks and balances, and ultimately a healthier ecosystem

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

The @okx team recently worked with @chainalysis, @binance, and @tether to identify and freeze $47 Million USDT stolen from victims of pig butchering (confidence) scams!

These scams often exploit emotional vulnerabilities, not intelligence. I’ve seen doctors, lawyers, and other successful individuals lose their life savings to these predators. It’s heartbreaking to see victims blamed, since anyone can be targeted.

As an industry, we need to work together to educate and protect our community. This collaboration is a perfect example of what can be achieved!

[OKX @okx]

Proof of collaboration: $47M illicit funds frozen ❄️

Our Special Investigations team partnered with industry leaders and law enforcement to stop scam funds cold, bringing victims closer to recovery.

We'll keep on raising the bar for Web3 security. ����

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Great to see that these stolen funds have officially been seized and can finally be returned to the victims!
https://t.co/w85rQLqHoM

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

Our investigation team at @okx froze $225 Million in USDT that was stolen by a major scam and human trafficking syndicate in Southeast Asia.

Would like to thank @tether, @chainalysis, and @zachxbt for making this record breaking achievement possible!

[Blake Cohen @BlakeCohen_]

@tayvano_ I don’t think Monero users realize that modern day blockchain analytics tools can trace XMR transactions