Crypto Influencer Loses IDR 228 Million in Bali
A crypto influencer claimed to have lost approximately IDR 228 million worth of digital assets after lending his cell phone to a woman he had just met at a beach club in Bali. Within minutes, hundreds of his Solana (SOL) tokens were reportedly transferred to an unknown crypto wallet.
The victim shared the incident via the account X @wrss29 on Tuesday (July 21, 2026). In his post, he claimed to have lost 189 SOL, equivalent to approximately US$14,000, after lending his phone for the simple reason of adding an Instagram account.
The victim explained that he was still at the beach club that night after his friends had left. There, he met a group of women, including some from Australia. The conversation proceeded normally until one of the women asked to borrow her phone.
Initially, the victim was unsuspecting. However, the woman held onto his phone longer than expected, arousing suspicion. When the device was returned, the victim immediately opened the Phantom crypto wallet app and discovered that all 189 SOL had been transferred to another wallet address.
“Around US$14,000 disappeared in a matter of seconds,” the victim wrote in his post.
Realizing his digital assets were missing, the victim immediately returned to the location with several friends before finally reporting the incident to the police.
According to his statement, authorities acted quickly. Several plainclothes officers were deployed to search several bars and beach clubs near the scene of the incident in search of the group suspected of involvement. After coordination, the group was reportedly apprehended for further investigation.
However, to date, the victim’s crypto assets have not been recovered. The victim claims to have still suffered a loss of around US$14,000, equivalent to Rp 228 million.
This case adds to the growing list of crimes targeting crypto asset owners in Bali. Previously, police also investigated allegations of foreign nationals being pressured to hand over access to their crypto wallets. The perpetrators used various methods, ranging from intimidation and violence to exploiting the victim’s negligence.
This incident serves as a reminder to digital asset owners not to carelessly grant access to devices storing crypto wallets. In addition to the threat of hacking in cyberspace, carelessness in public spaces has also become a loophole used by criminals to drain their victims’ digital assets.
