YouTube vlogger loses $ 50,000 in cryptocurrency on air

A Brazilian YouTube vlogger, the author of the Fraternidade Crypto channel, lost more than 86,399 Polygon (MATIC) tokens on live stream. The reason for this is that during the stream, he accidentally opened a file that reveals his private key.

According to Polygon’s scan, the user took possession of 86,399 MATICs, which are worth more than $ 50,000 at the time of writing. As a result, the Brazilian YouTuber had to start another broadcast asking for the MATICs to be returned.

As it became known, after some time, the user returned the tokens to their rightful owner. Some users believe that the blogger’s token thief did this to protect his funds until someone else stole them.

The Brazilian YouTuber lost his cryptocurrency due to several common mistakes when storing digital assets. First, he stored private keys in a computer file. According to security researchers, it is recommended to store such keys on devices without Internet access, on paper, or engraved on metal.

Secondly, many believe that the blogger was negligent in opening the file with private keys during the live broadcast. Guillerme Reno wrote on social network X: «If you can access all your money with one click, you are not safe. Engrave the keys on a metal plate, make them hard to get even for yourself, like in a bank when you need access to the main vault.»

As a reminder, in late December, a video from the body camera of a Nevada police officer in the United States was posted on the Internet: during a search of a suspect, law enforcement officers found a seed phrase that allows them to restore access to a lost cryptocurrency wallet. The confidential information immediately became public.