ZachXBT Claims to Identify Mysterious 50x Hyperliquid Whale as British Hacker
Onchain investigator ZachXBT claims to have uncovered the identity of the mysterious whale trader who recently profited around $20 million from highly leveraged trades on decentralized exchanges Hyperliquid and GMX. According to ZachXBT, the trader is a British hacker named William Parker, previously known as Alistair Packover.
Background and Allegations
In a March 20 post on X (formerly Twitter), ZachXBT stated that Parker was arrested last year for allegedly stealing approximately $1 million from two casinos in 2023. Parker also reportedly made headlines a decade ago for hacking and gambling-related allegations.
ZachXBT commented, “It is abundantly clear WP/AP has not learned his lesson over the years after serving time for fraud and will likely continue gambling.”
ZachXBT’s identification is based on a phone number provided by an individual who allegedly received payments from the whale trader’s wallet address. Additionally, ZachXBT noted that public wallet addresses linked to the whale received proceeds from past phishing schemes.
Cointelegraph has not independently verified these claims.
Massive Leveraged Trades and Platform Impact
The whale trader gained notoriety after making substantial profits from leveraged trades—sometimes up to 50x leverage—on decentralized perpetual exchanges Hyperliquid and GMX.
- On March 12, the trader intentionally liquidated a $200 million Ether (ETH) long position, causing Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool to lose $4 million. The whale profited approximately $1.8 million from this event.
- Hyperliquid clarified that the liquidation was not an exploit but a predictable outcome under extreme market conditions. The platform subsequently revised its collateral rules to prevent similar incidents.
- On March 14, the whale opened another multimillion-dollar leveraged long position, this time on Chainlink (LINK).
What Are Perpetual Futures?
Perpetual futures (“perps”) are leveraged futures contracts without expiry dates. Traders deposit margin collateral—typically stablecoins like USDC—to secure their open positions.
Quick Summary
- ZachXBT identifies mysterious whale trader as British hacker William Parker.
- Parker previously arrested for casino theft and linked to past hacking allegations.
- Whale trader profited around $20 million from highly leveraged trades on Hyperliquid and GMX.
- Hyperliquid lost $4 million due to intentional liquidation by the whale.
- Platform updated collateral rules to mitigate future risks.
