Justin Sun just offered the $8m HTX hacker a job if funds are returned

Justin Sun offered the HTX hacker a job at the company if the person returns the funds.
But Sun also emphasised his law enforcement connections if the hacker does not return the money.
The hack comes several weeks after Huobi rebranded as HTX and coincides with the exchange’s tenth anniversary.

Justin Sun offered a job to the hacker who made off with $8 million from HTX, formerly known as Huobi, over the weekend if they return the funds.

Sun, who calls himself an adviser of HTX but whose role is unclear, said in a spaces on X on Tuesday that the hacker could receive a role at HTX as a security adviser if they return the funds within seven days.

“We are [also] willing to allocate 5% of the stolen amount — around $400k — as a white-hat reward to encourage the hackers to return the stolen funds,” he said.

He warned that if they do not, then information will be handed over to law enforcement agencies and the hacker will be prosecuted.

Sun declined to share further details about what the exchange knows about the hacker, but he emphasised that HTX has always collaborated with different jurisdictions, highlighting that last month it collaborated with law enforcement in China to help arrest four hackers.

“Because in mainland China crypto is a very advanced technology, the prosecutor and the police don’t fully understand how crypto works. HTX actually contributes in terms of helping them to understand how cryptocurrency works,” he said.

“I think mainland China today takes user assets very seriously, even if it is cryptocurrency. Those hackers are facing more than 10 years in jail,” he added.

Anniversary stunt?

Sun also responded to questions that the timing of the hack coincided with the tenth anniversary of the exchange, leading some to question whether it was a publicity stunt.

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“We are very serious about this incident and want to always make sure we prioritise the user access security above all else,” he said.

Rebrand

The hack also comes after Huobi rebranded to HTX, which was announced in mid-September during the Token2049 conference in Singapore.

The move has been met with some incredulity given the similarities between “HTX” and the collapsed “FTX” exchange formerly run by Sam Bankman-Fried. Sun himself during the spaces referred to HTX as “Huobi.”

HTX has said all users affected by the hack will have their funds covered.

Got a tip about crypto in Asia? Contact me at callan@dlnews.com