Prominent crypto investigator, known industry-wide by their ZachXBT uncovered new evidence linking a suspected fraudulent crypto project, White Rock Finance ($WHITE), to the team behind the ZKasino rug pull that siphoned over $30 million in investor funds in 2024.
In a detailed on-chain analysis posted on X (formerly Twitter), ZachXBT traced laundering paths, marketing wallet activity, and personal identifiers connecting White Rock to former ZKasino operatives, including Ildar Ilham (alias “Prometheus”), who remains under scrutiny following last year’s scandal.
ZachXBT spots familiar patterns
ZKasino marketed itself as a decentralized gambling platform, drawing in over $30 million in presale funds before vanishing in April 2024.
Instead of launching the promised platform, the project team allegedly diverted the funds, prompting the arrest of key member Elham Nourzai by Dutch financial crime authorities (FIOD). While Nourzai was briefly detained, his partners, including Ilham and fellow co-founder Lior Ben Zakan, were believed to have relocated to the Middle East.
Since late 2024, laundering of ZKasino’s funds resumed via multiple blockchains, including zkSync, Starknet, Ethereum, and Solana, ZachXBT reported.
The funds were allegedly routed through instant exchanges and split into several channels: over-the-counter brokers, conversion into Monero (XMR), and high-risk trading on decentralized perpetuals platforms such as Hyperliquid.
White Rock linked to eyebrow-raising findings
White Rock ($WHITE) surfaced later in 2024 and immediately drew skepticism within the crypto community. Despite a polished frontend, its team operated anonymously, claimed exaggerated user figures, and allegedly faked partnership announcements.
Its stablecoin, USDX, also raised red flags for lacking clear backing or audit trails.
But it was a marketing wallet tied to influencer payouts that provided the most damning clue. According to ZachXBT, wallet address 0xfd978bcb706133403cf2fe0e07d872342c81266b, used by White Rock for promotions, showed direct interaction with addresses known to have handled ZKasino’s stolen funds.
What’s more, a pattern emerged in late February to early March 2025: significant ZKasino-linked funds were moved into instant exchanges, and soon afterward, matching amounts appeared in White Rock wallets—suggesting a money-laundering loop via privacy-focused Monero transactions.
The final connection came from an unexpected source—a leaked personal email, “[email protected],” tied to the deployer address of White Rock’s smart contracts. When cross-checked, ZachXBT discovered the same email was used on Chess.com under the alias “IldarTheGrandMaster,” a username that goes back to ZKasino’s Ildar Ilham.
This revelation, supported by on-chain analytics and wallet clustering, directly ties White Rock’s deployment activity to a key ZKasino figure.
A history of deception?
ZachXBT warned that the same actors linked to White Rock were previously associated with other questionable projects such as Syncus and ZigZag, both of which were marred by a lack of transparency, insider enrichment, and user fund mismanagement.
The history, combined with ongoing laundering tactics and deceptive marketing, points to a high rug-pull risk for $WHITE, he stated.
“As the ZKasino team awaits trial,” ZachXBT wrote, “I hope Ildar Ilham, Elham Nourzai, and Lior Ben Zakan face serious legal repercussions for all of the harm they have caused to investors.”
He also called on crypto exchanges such as MEXC and Gate.io to delist the $WHITE token and apply stricter due diligence processes before onboarding assets associated with tainted teams.
While no formal charges have been brought against the White Rock team, and the project remains live, ZachXBT’s findings have already reignited community calls for closer industry vetting and better transparency across emerging DeFi protocols.
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