- Solana co-founder Raj Gokal’s personal data was leaked via a hacked Migos Instagram account after he allegedly refused to pay a $4.3M Bitcoin ransom.
- The incident highlights a broader trend, as crypto hacks surged 131% in Q1 2025, totaling $1.63 billion in losses.
In a bizarre intersection of celebrity social media and crypto crime, sensitive personal data belonging to Solana co-founder Raj Gokal and his wife was leaked on Instagram—via a hacked account belonging to U.S. rap group Migos. The breach has sparked fresh concerns over the growing wave of cyberattacks hitting the crypto world in 2025.
The leaked materials included KYC-style images of IDs and passports—typically collected during onboarding on crypto platforms—raising alarms about how such highly sensitive documents were obtained. The now-deleted post, which appeared on the compromised Migos Instagram account, included a chilling caption: “You should’ve paid the 40 BTC,” referencing a failed extortion attempt worth over $4.3 million at current Bitcoin prices.
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Prominent Web3 investigator ZachXBT commented on the incident, suggesting Gokal was likely targeted through social engineering. “Guess he didn’t pay, so they started trolling and posted it after they compromised the Migos Instagram account today,” Zach wrote on X.
Gokal had warned just days earlier that he was facing attempts to access his personal emails and social accounts. Some in the community speculate the attackers may have obtained his data through the recent Coinbase breach, which reportedly affected thousands of users on May 15. That breach could lead to compensation claims exceeding $400 million.
The attack on Gokal is part of a larger trend. According to a Q1 2025 report by blockchain security firm PeckShield, crypto-related hacks have skyrocketed—rising 131% year-over-year. The quarter saw over 60 incidents, totaling $1.63 billion in losses. Major contributors included the $500M Bybit exploit and the $223M Sui-based Cetus Protocol hack.
As hackers continue to blur the lines between personal and platform-level attacks, the crypto community is being urged to double down on account security and remain wary of unsolicited communications—especially those purporting to be from support teams of major platforms like Coinbase.
With threats escalating in scale and sophistication, experts say the time for proactive defense in Web3 isn’t just near—it’s now.
