In this article4 sections
An Ethereum address funded during the network’s Genesis block has sent its first outbound payment in more than eleven years, moving roughly 2,155 ETH valued at about $4.6 million, according to Bitcoinist. The transfer took place on November 9, 2026, and the wallet owner avoided a lookalike-address scam that began within minutes of the first test payment.
Whale Alert, cited by Bitcoinist, reported that the dormant pre-mine address holding 2,155 ETH, then worth about $4,575,753, became active after 11.3 years. Blockchain tracker Lookonchain also documented the movement, per Crypto Briefing.
Also readGnosis demos one-signature rollup swap, eyes spring 2027
Key facts
- The address, 0x7dDd57165c87A2707f025DCFC2508c09834759Bc, received its first Ether in Ethereum’s Genesis block in July 2015, according to Crypto Briefing, which listed the initial allocation at 1,400 ETH.
- Bitcoinist reported a second inbound deposit of 755 ETH in March 2016; Crypto Briefing dates it to March 29, 2016, drawing the coins from Bitfinex.
- At approximately 22:04 UTC on November 9, 2026, the wallet sent 0.05 ETH, worth around $106, to a new receiving address as a test.
- At about 22:42 UTC, roughly 38 minutes later, it moved 2,154.94 ETH, approximately $4.6 million, to the intended destination.
- Crypto Briefing put the ETH valuation at approximately $4.57 million to $4.59 million, while Bitcoinist cited $4.6 million.
Address poisoning followed the test payment
Within about three minutes of the 0.05 ETH test, the original wallet began collecting tiny ETH transfers from two suspicious addresses built to resemble the legitimate recipient, Bitcoinist reported. Both copied parts of the destination string, including its final characters, and one initiated 43 small transfers. Etherscan identified the accounts funding the lookalikes as tied to phishing activity.
The tactic is known as address poisoning, which seeds misleading entries into a wallet’s transaction history. Because many interfaces display only the first and last characters of an address, a user copying from that history can pick the wrong recipient. Bitcoinist noted the attempted attack appears to have failed.
Also readVitalik Buterin Details 'Paranoid Mode' AI Agent on Ethereum
After the test, the receiving wallet sent back a 0.01 ETH transfer, with nearly all funds returned, per Bitcoinist. Crypto Briefing reported that no exchange deposit had been confirmed in initial reports and that the coins went to a fresh address rather than a trading venue, which it said points more toward custody housekeeping than an imminent sale. Neither outlet identified the owner or their motive.
Why it matters
For anyone holding a large balance in a wallet untouched for years, the episode shows the risk sits in the transfer itself, not the storage: automated watchers reacted in minutes, before any large payment was made. A test transaction confirms an address can receive funds, but it does not prove the destination is unchanged when the full balance follows. The holder’s identity and intentions remain unknown, and the movement of roughly $4.6 million is small against daily ether trading volume, but the mechanics apply to any long-dormant holder.
What to watch
The next signal is where the coins go from the new address. A later deposit to an exchange would revive questions about selling, Crypto Briefing noted, while continued stillness would suggest a holder who simply wanted fresher custody.
Sources: Bitcoinist, Crypto Briefing
