6 January 2026 Facts: Crypto Theft Nearly Rp6.7 Trillion, One Victim Lost Rp4.7 Trillion

Jakarta, Pintu News – January 2026 was a dark period for the global crypto and cryptocurrency industry. The wave of cybercrime increased sharply, not only in terms of the number of cases, but also in terms of the scale of losses incurred. The latest data shows that in one month alone, crypto theft losses approached USD 400.3 million, marking one of the worst starts to a year in the history of digital asset security.

Crypto Crime Cases Surge in Early 2026

Throughout January, blockchain security firm CertiK recorded at least 40 incidents of theft and exploitation. Initial losses totaled USD 370.3 million, before adding up due to a major incident at the end of the month. This figure reflects a significant risk escalation compared to the previous period.

The losses surged after an exploit against Step Finance, a Solana (SOL)-based platform, on January 31. This incident added approximately USD 30 million (IDR 503.6 billion) to the total monthly losses. The accumulation of these cases shows that the threat to the cryptocurrency ecosystem is systemic and multi-layered.

Also Read: 7 Ethereum (ETH) 2026 Price Predictions: Bullish Targets, Risks & Projections

Social Engineering is the Main Cause

Contrary to common assumptions, January 2026 was not dominated by complex technical hacks. CertiK assessed that most of the losses came from psychological manipulation or social engineering. This pattern signals a shift in risk from code gaps to weaknesses in human behavior.

One phishing case made headlines because its value far surpassed other incidents. On January 16, an investor reportedly lost USD 284 million. This figure equates to about 71% of the total monthly loss, emphasizing how destructive a single point of failure on the user security aspect can be.

Hardware Wallet Phishing Worth a Fantastic Price

In the biggest case, the perpetrator posed as Trezor hardware wallet customer support. Victims were tricked into divulging recovery phrases, despite using technically secure devices. Once access was gained, assets were swept away without a hitch.

The stolen assets included 1,459 Bitcoins (BTC) and approximately 2.05 million Litecoins (LTC). This massive loss proves that hardware-level security is not immune to trust-based attacks. The focus of crypto security is increasingly shifting to user education and operational procedures.

Stolen Funds Spun into Privacy Coins

The impact of the theft does not stop at the loss of key assets. Proceeds of crime were reportedly aggressively rotated into Monero (XMR), a privacy coin designed to disguise traces of transactions. This large transfer of funds occurred over a short period of time and caught the market’s attention.

The massive conversion to Monero (XMR) is even said to have contributed to the temporary price increase. This phenomenon shows that criminal activity can create demand distortions in the cryptocurrency market. On the other hand, it emphasizes the challenges regulators face in tracing and recovering illicit funds.

Smart Contract Exploits Still Haunting

Although social engineering dominates, smart contract vulnerabilities still account for significant losses. Truebit reportedly lost USD 26.6 million or around Rp446.6 billion due to an overflow loophole. This incident became the largest code-based attack during January 2026.

Other cases have also emerged, including Swapnet with a loss of USD 13 million, as well as the DeFi Saga and Makina Finance protocols that lost USD 6.2 million and USD 4.2 million respectively. This series of incidents confirms that crypto risks come from many directions, both technical and non-technical.

Cover: A Harsh Warning for the Crypto Industry

The January 2026 record is a serious alarm for the crypto and cryptocurrency ecosystem. The dominance of a single theft worth IDR4.7 trillion shows how costly the impact of recovery phrase leaks can be. At the same time, technical exploits and treasury wallet breaches show that security must be looked at as a whole.

Going forward, the industry is required to strengthen user education, internal governance, and sustainable technical mitigation. Without a holistic approach, the risk of similar losses has the potential to recur.

Also Read: 7 Gold Price Predictions for February 2026: Rise, Scenarios & Risk Factors!

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Reference

• BeInCrypto. Crypto Theft Loses January 2026. Accessed February 2, 2026.