Australian missing after crypto Platform mistakenly credits him $652K: Report

An Australian man has reportedly vanished after a cryptocurrency trading platform, Rhino Trading Pty Ltd, mistakenly credited his account with ten times the intended amount, according to an ABC report. This error resulted in Kow Seng Chai, a 37-year-old from Mildura, receiving nearly one million Australian dollars (approximately US $652,316) instead of the correct figure of AUD $99,500 (US $65,237). Rhino Trading has since struggled to contact Chai, who has allegedly ceased communication after withdrawing significant amounts of the miscredited funds.

The error and its aftermath

The mishap came to light on Feb. 4, when Rhino Trading Pty Ltd discovered the discrepancy during routine checks. By this time, Chai had already capitalized on the error, purchasing Tether cryptocurrency through an account registered to his business, Lotte Enterprise Pty Ltd, and withdrawing the funds in several transactions, each at the maximum daily limit of US$100,000. In response to his disappearance and the withdrawal of the funds, the Victorian Supreme Court has issued a freezing order on Chai’s assets, alongside an injunction barring him from leaving the country.

This is not the first time incidents have occurred in the crypto space. In 2021, a Melbourne couple faced legal action after spending millions erroneously deposited into their account by Crypto.com. Similar to Chai’s case, the couple believed the funds were legitimately theirs, with one of them even claiming to have thought they had won a prize from the exchange. The comparison underscores the potential for high-cost errors within the crypto trading industry and the complex legal battles that can ensue when such mistakes are made.

Industry reactions

The disappearance of Kow Seng Chai following the substantial financial error by Rhino Trading Pty Ltd raises significant questions about the safeguards within cryptocurrency exchanges and the legal frameworks that govern such transactions. The incident prompts a closer examination of the protocols for handling errors of this magnitude and the measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The legal proceedings against Chai, including the asset freeze and travel injunction, highlight the severity with which the Australian legal system is responding to the misuse of mistakenly allocated funds.

Industry experts are calling for increased oversight and improved operational checks to mitigate the risks associated with digital asset trading. As the case unfolds, it will likely become a reference point for discussions on the accountability of users and platforms alike in the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency.