Blockchain investigator ZachXBT has claimed to unmask the mysterious Hyperliquid whale who made $20 million in profits from leveraged crypto trades. According to ZachXBT’s findings, the trader is William Parker, a British hacker with a history of fraud and cybercrime.
A Convicted Hacker Behind the Whale Trades?
In a detailed March 20 report on X (formerly Twitter), ZachXBT alleged that Parker—previously known as Alistair Packover before legally changing his name—was arrested in 2023 for stealing $1 million from two casinos.
Parker has a history of cyber-related offenses, including hacking and gambling exploits from over a decade ago.
“It is abundantly clear WP/AP has not learned his lesson over the years after serving time for fraud and will likely continue gambling,” said ZachXBT.
The crypto sleuth’s identification of Parker was reportedly based on a phone number linked to a payment received from the whale’s wallet. Further investigation revealed that public wallet addresses associated with the whale had received proceeds from past onchain phishing schemes.
While these claims have sparked widespread discussion, Cointelegraph has not independently verified the allegations.
$20 Million in High-Leverage Trading Profits
The Hyperliquid whale, now allegedly identified as Parker, gained attention after making approximately $20 million from highly leveraged trades—some using up to 50x leverage—on decentralized perpetuals exchanges Hyperliquid and GMX.
On March 12, Parker intentionally liquidated a massive $200 million Ether long position, resulting in a $4 million loss for Hyperliquid’s liquidity pool while securing $1.8 million in personal profits.
Hyperliquid later clarified that the event was not an exploit but rather a consequence of how the platform functions under extreme market conditions. In response, the exchange has revised its collateral rules to prevent similar incidents in the future.
On March 14, Parker reportedly took another multimillion-dollar long position, this time betting on Chainlink (LINK).
The Rise and Risks of Perpetual Futures Trading
The case sheds light on the risks of perpetual futures (perps), which allow traders to open leveraged positions without an expiry date. Platforms like Hyperliquid require traders to deposit margin collateral—often USDC stablecoin—to maintain positions.
With onchain trading becoming increasingly sophisticated, investigations like ZachXBT’s continue to expose the darker side of high-stakes crypto speculation, fraud, and financial manipulation.
As the crypto community reacts to the revelations, questions remain:
- Will authorities take action against Parker based on these new allegations?
- How will decentralized exchanges adapt to prevent such high-risk trades from destabilizing their platforms?
For now, the identity of the Hyperliquid whale may no longer be a mystery—but his trading days might be numbered.