The team behind CrediX, a decentralized lender that suffered about $4.5 million in losses this week, “has disappeared” in an apparent exit scam with the project’s X account inactive and its website still offline since Aug. 4, blockchain security firm CertiK alerted on Friday.
In crypto, an exit scam is when a project’s operators abruptly abandon the venture and run off with investor funds. It often follows a hack narrative or a “rug pull,” where insiders drain treasuries or liquidity pools, shut down the website and apps, delete or abandon social channels, and stop communicating.
The Block previously reported that CrediX lost about $4.5 million after an attacker took control of an admin wallet and abused bridge roles. The exploiter minted unbacked tokens and drained pool assets, prompting the team to shutter its front end and warn users against new deposits. Security firms tracking the stolen funds say assets were bridged from Sonic to Ethereum and were parked across a small number of addresses.
In the hours after the attack, CrediX said it would reimburse users within 24–48 hours and directed withdrawals through contracts, but the site has not returned, and no detailed recovery plan has been posted.
The CrediX team deactivates the X page. Image: X
The incident adds to a growing list of exit scams witnessed by DeFi users. In May 2023, a crypto project called “DF Fintoch” vanished with $32 million of user funds . Also in May 2023, Arbitrum-based Swamprum DEX absconded with $3 million in deposits .