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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The incident was real, but it was reported on September 19, 2023—not a newly discovered 2026 attack. Criminals impersonated Stretto, the claims and noticing agent for Celsius’s Chapter 11 case, and promised recipients a short window to recover frozen funds. Links led through look-alike domains to a fake claims page that requested an email address and then prompted a cryptocurrency-wallet connection. The campaign was designed to steal information or induce harmful wallet actions; a Stretto breach was not established.
What happened in the Celsius phishing campaign?
Celsius filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 13, 2022, after freezing customer withdrawals. During the bankruptcy claims process, a September 2023 campaign sent messages styled as Stretto communications and promised access to frozen funds within seven days.
- The recipient received an email using Stretto-related branding and a purported Stretto sender address.
- The message created urgency by describing a limited withdrawal or recovery window.
- A link sent the visitor through a look-alike domain to a fraudulent claims page.
- The page requested an email address and then displayed a WalletConnect prompt.
- The wallet flow could expose public wallet information and encourage a victim to sign a transaction or approval that transferred assets.
The contemporaneous report described the attackers disguising a draining transaction as a deposit. That describes the reported technique, not a finding that every recipient who visited the page lost money. The incident was reported by BleepingComputer.
Who was impersonated, and which domains were used?
The attackers posed as Stretto, the bankruptcy claims agent, sometimes using branding resembling “Stretto Corporate Restructing.” The reported email linked to case-stretto[.]com and redirected to claims-stretto[.]com. These are historical indicators, not sites to visit.
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The authorized Celsius case resource identified in the reporting and court materials is cases.stretto.com/celsius-/. The historical claims path was cases.stretto.com/celsius/claims/. Always navigate to the official case site yourself rather than following an unsolicited message.
Was Stretto hacked?
Not on the available evidence. The emails appeared to use authorized email-delivery infrastructure, and the report said they passed SPF and displayed DKIM/DMARC results associated with stretto.com. That shows how a malicious message can pass technical authentication; it does not prove that Stretto’s systems were breached. A message sent through an authorized service can still contain a fraudulent link or request.
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Why did some non-Celsius users receive it?
At least one person who contacted BleepingComputer said they had never held a Celsius account or filed a claim. The report suggested that older cryptocurrency-sector contact lists may have been used, but the source of the recipients’ data was not confirmed.
Why connecting a wallet was the dangerous step
“Connect wallet” is not synonymous with immediate theft. A connection establishes a session through which a site can interact with the wallet and see publicly available account information. The more serious risk comes when a user signs a message, token approval, transfer, NFT transaction or other request whose purpose is unclear.
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- Connection: links the wallet to the site and can reveal addresses, balances and activity.
- Signature or approval: may authorize spending of tokens or another contract action.
- Transaction: can transfer assets or NFTs permanently.
A legitimate bankruptcy claim should not require entering a seed phrase or private key, nor should it require an unexplained wallet connection merely to “verify” eligibility. HTTPS, a familiar logo, a sender name and a passing SPF check are not proof that a page or request is genuine.
What court filings show about the wider campaign
The fake Stretto site was one incident in a continuing series. Celsius notices described fake Stretto and customer-support messages, false withdrawal opportunities, counterfeit court orders, NFT lures, malicious texts and phone calls, and later sites offering supposed “liquid assets.” A September 5, 2023 notice specifically warned that an unauthorized clone site could request a wallet connection and seek access to funds.
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- September 5, 2023 court notice about the unauthorized clone site
- August 2023 court notice
- October 2023 court notice
- December 2023 court notice
The official case page also maintains a phishing-attempts notice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to verify a Celsius-related message
- Open a new browser tab and type https://cases.stretto.com/celsius-/ yourself.
- Compare the message with notices and contact information published on that case page and its court docket.
- Be suspicious of urgent deadlines, “immediate” withdrawals, unusual domains, shortened links and requests to move a conversation to a phone number or chat account.
- Never provide a seed phrase, private key or wallet credentials.
- Do not sign a wallet request unless you independently initiated the process and understand exactly what it authorizes.
Legitimate Celsius communications may include authentication. The official warning distinguishes a one-time code generated after a creditor affirmatively begins a login from an unsolicited code embedded in a distribution email. It also warns about fake portals requesting wallet information and false claims that distributions will arrive in USDC or ether; later distributions were described as bitcoin or cash, not direct transfers to creditors’ wallets.
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What to do if you interacted with the scam
If you only opened the email
- Do not click the link again or reply.
- Report the message as phishing, then delete it or preserve it for investigators.
If you entered an email address or personal information
- Change the password if it was reused anywhere else and enable multifactor authentication on the email account.
- Watch for password-reset notices, impersonation attempts and follow-up “support” messages.
- Contact the bankruptcy administrator only through details independently obtained from the official case site.
If you connected a wallet
- Stop using the suspicious site and disconnect it through your wallet interface.
- Review and revoke unfamiliar token approvals with a reputable approval-management tool for the affected blockchain.
- If assets remain, consider moving them to a clean wallet whose seed phrase has never been entered into the suspicious site.
- Save domains, emails, screenshots and transaction hashes.
If you signed a transaction or lost assets
- Treat the wallet as potentially compromised and move remaining assets promptly if doing so is safe.
- Do not pay a person who promises guaranteed recovery; victims are commonly targeted by a second recovery scam.
- Report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission, as directed on the official Celsius case page.
Blockchain transfers may be irreversible, so no legitimate adviser can guarantee recovery.
Is the threat still relevant?
The specific campaign belongs to September 2023, but the fraud pattern remains relevant whenever Celsius distributions or creditor notices generate new attention. Official notices continued to warn about fake claims portals, wallet-information requests, unsolicited codes and false distribution promises. The safe rule is consistent: verify through the independently opened official case site, and treat any request to connect a wallet or sign an unexplained transaction as suspicious.
The Bottom Line
A Celsius-related email promising rapid recovery is not trustworthy merely because it carries Stretto branding or passes email-authentication checks. Do not follow its link, connect a wallet or sign a transaction; verify every step through the official Celsius case resources.
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