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AI trading bot loses $250K after mistaken token transaction

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AI trading bot loses $250K after mistaken token transaction

An autonomous crypto trading bot known as Lobstar Wilde accidentally transferred its entire token holdings to a social media user after misreading a request for a small donation.

Summary

  • An AI trading bot sent more than 52 million tokens to a user instead of a small payment.
  • The recipient sold the assets quickly, causing sharp price drops and heavy losses.
  • Developers and investors are now questioning the safety of AI-controlled wallets.

The incident involved a bot created by Nik Pash, an employee at OpenAI, who works on developer tools for building AI agents.

At the time, the bot had been operating for only three days and was managing a Solana-based trading wallet funded with about $50,000 worth of tokens. It also held roughly 5% of the supply of its own memecoin, known as LOBSTAR.

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Small donation request triggers major transfer

A user, going by Treasure David, replied to one of the bot’s posts with a likely sarcastic plea, claiming: “My uncle got tetanus from a lobster like you, need 4 SOL for treatment” and included their Solana wallet address.

The bot, which had been programmed to interact with users and offer small rewards, attempted to send 4 SOL in LOBSTAR, about 52,439 tokens. Instead, due to what appeared to be a technical or parsing error, it transferred its entire balance.

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More than 52 million tokens were sent in a single transaction. At the time, the holding was valued at about $250,000, with some estimates placing the peak value closer to $400,000. Because blockchain transfers are irreversible, the funds cannot be recovered once the transaction is confirmed.

Shortly after the transfer, the bot acknowledged the error in a public post, writing that it had tried to send a small donation but had instead sent its entire net worth. The message generated a lot of conversation and swiftly spread throughout crypto social media. 

Token sell-off and debate over AI custody

In a matter of minutes, the token recipient sold the majority of their holdings. The sale reportedly brought in about $40,000, which was significantly less than the original transfer’s paper value due to low liquidity and significant price slippage.

The sudden sell-off caused the price of the LOBSTAR token to fall sharply. However, trading activity surged following the viral attention.

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Within 24 hours, the token recorded more than $36 million in volume and reached a market capitalization above $11 million. Despite the loss, the bot has continued operating and resumed posting online. 

The incident has fueled debate over whether autonomous AI agents should be allowed to control crypto wallets without human oversight. Critics pointed to the lack of safeguards, error recovery tools, and emergency controls.

Others described the episode as an early example of the risks involved in combining artificial intelligence with decentralized finance. Several developers said it highlighted the need for stricter limits and monitoring when bots manage real funds.

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Crypto World

CME Group to Launch Avalanche and Sui Futures Contracts

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CME Group to Launch Avalanche and Sui Futures Contracts

CME Group is expanding its suite of cryptocurrency futures products, as more traditional finance (TradFi) entities launch regulated crypto trading products.

On Tuesday, CME Group announced plans to launch Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) futures contracts on May 4, pending regulatory review.

Market participants will be able to trade both micro-sized and larger-sized contracts, including AVAX futures sized at 5,000 AVAX and Micro AVAX futures sized at 500 AVAX, as well as SUI futures sized at 50,000 SUI and Micro SUI futures sized at 5,000 SUI.

CME expands altcoin futures lineup

The news follows CME Group’s announcement in January of its plans to launch crypto futures contracts tied to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM).

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The move is the latest sign that traditional financial firms are broadening their regulated crypto product offerings.

CME Group’s continued expansion of its crypto derivatives suite reflects “growing demand for regulated, institutionally-sound products in this asset class,” said Justin Young, CEO and Co-founder of Volatility Shares.

During an earnings call in early February, CME Group CEO Terry Duffy said the exchange is mulling plans to launch its own digital token that could operate on a decentralized network.

CME Group is the largest derivatives exchange by volume, and reported a record average daily trading volume of 28.1 million contracts in 2025, according to a Jan. 7 announcement.

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Related: Crypto exchanges gain as tokenized commodity market climbs to $7.7B

CME Group prepares to launch 24/7 trading for crypto products

More TradFi entities are exploring ways to issue tokenized investment products with 24/7 trading. CME said on Feb. 19 that its cryptocurrency futures and options products will begin trading 24/7 on May 29.

Unlike traditional stocks and equities constrained to trading hours, cryptocurrencies are natively tradable 24/7 through cryptocurrency exchanges and decentralized venues.

On March 24, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced it was partnering with tokenization platform Securitize to mint blockchain-based shares of stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Cointelegraph reported. The initiative is part of its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) plan for a tokenized securities venue designed for 24/7 trading and instant onchain settlement.

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Meanwhile, crypto exchanges are also venturing into tokenized TradFi products. Coinbase launched 24/7 stock perpetual futures for non-US traders on March 20, offering cash-settled exposure to major US stocks and indices, including Apple and Nvidia.

Crypto exchanges Binance and Kraken have also launched tokenized perpetual futures trading for non-US traders, along with other offshore platforms.

Magazine: Can Robinhood or Kraken’s tokenized stocks ever be truly decentralized?

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