User Claims Real-Time Monero Disappearance
An X user going by Nicolas van Saberhagen made a startling claim this week. He said he opened his Atomic Wallet app and watched his Monero balance drop to zero in real time. According to his posts, 633 XMR tokens were sent to the same address across multiple transactions. At current prices, that’s roughly $479,000.
What makes this particularly unsettling is the timing. The app reportedly displayed a banner during this event stating “Your funds are safe.” The user posted screenshots and detailed the experience, framing it as a failure of trusting closed-source software with private keys rather than a problem with Monero’s cryptography.
But here’s where things get complicated. The user mentioned these weren’t his main holdings, which perhaps explains why he noticed the movement. Still, watching nearly half a million dollars vanish would unsettle anyone.
Atomic Wallet’s Official Response
Atomic Wallet has now responded publicly. They say they’ve reviewed the allegations but found no verifiable proof so far. More than 20 hours passed since the claim surfaced, and they haven’t received any direct contact from the user through official support channels.
The company made several important points. First, they operate as a noncustodial wallet—they don’t control user funds. Users hold their assets on-chain under their own private keys. This distinction matters because it means Atomic Wallet can’t simply freeze or reverse transactions.
Second, they noted that screenshots alone can’t confirm a loss, especially with Monero. Monero transactions are private by design, which makes verification particularly challenging. You can’t just look up transaction details like you can with Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Unusual Circumstances Raise Questions
Atomic Wallet pointed out some red flags. The account making the claim was recently created and showed irregular follower growth. Perhaps more telling, the same account announced a 30 XMR giveaway shortly after reporting the alleged fund loss.
That timing seems odd, doesn’t it? If you just lost nearly half a million dollars, would your next move be to give away more cryptocurrency? The company says they’ve received impersonation reports linked to similar activity patterns before.
They’re still willing to investigate, but only if the user contacts their support team directly. Without that official communication, they can’t proceed with a proper investigation. It’s a reasonable position, I think, but one that leaves the situation unresolved.
Monero’s Price Context
This dispute comes during an interesting time for Monero. XMR price surged by more than 50% in the last week before seeing a fresh sell-off. It’s down about 5% in the last 24 hours, trading around $682 at press time.
Price volatility often brings increased attention to cryptocurrency wallets and security. When values spike, people pay more attention to their holdings. When values drop, they might notice missing funds they previously overlooked.
The broader question here is about trust in closed-source wallet software. The user specifically mentioned this as the core issue. With noncustodial wallets, you’re trusting the software to handle your private keys correctly. If there’s a bug or vulnerability, funds can disappear without recourse.
Atomic Wallet maintains they haven’t seen evidence supporting the claim. They’ve asked for direct contact through proper channels. Meanwhile, the X posts continue to circulate, creating uncertainty in the community.
It’s a messy situation without clear resolution. Either a user lost significant funds through some undiscovered vulnerability, or someone is making false claims for attention. Without proper investigation through official channels, we’re left with speculation and conflicting narratives.
