German Pro Claimed MonkerGuy Scammed Him out of 21k in crypto
A recent incident in the poker world highlights the importance of using caution when sending cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. A high-stakes German poker pro recently sent $21,744 to the wrong address, and the assumed owner of the address has yet to return the funds. This has stirred a ton of controversy in the poker world.
Poker pro, Daniel Smiljkovic, revealed the situation to TopAustralianGambling and the larger poker world on Christmas Day, claiming that MonkerGuy refused to return his money. Many called for MonkerGuy to do the right thing. However, the story took a more positive spin on New Year’s Day as MonkerGuy revealed that Smiljkovic will be refunded in full.
Poker Pro Sends $21k to Wrong Crypto Address
German high-stakes poker pro, Daniel Smiljkovic, recently took to 2+2 forums to accuse MonkerGuy of keeping money sent to the wrong address. According to Smiljkovic, he intended to send $21,744 of USDT to a friend but accidentally sent it to MonkerGuy.
MonkerGuy is a company that provides GTO simulations and rents servers to players wanting to run poker simulations to help them improve their poker strategy. Apparently, the address that Smiljkovic sent the crypto to was a payment address for the company.
Smiljkovic contacted MonkerGuy, and things started to get a bit weird. At first, Smiljkovic claims that MonkerGuy denied that the address received funds. Etherscan showed that the crypto was sent to an exchange about an hour after receiving it.
After confronting MonkerGuy with this information, Smiljkovic claims that he was told that the address belonged to a friend and that the friend’s account was frozen for KYC purposes. Smiljkovic then asked who the friend was or the exchange it was sent to, and MonkerGuy refused to give this information.
In several messages that Smiljkovic shared, MonkerGuy explains that he asked the friend to verify his KYC and withdraw the funds, but the friend was “annoyed.” Afterwards, the only thing that MonkerGuy offered to do was to give a discount on server rentals. Smiljkovic declined this.
Poker Community Puts MonkerGuy on Blast
The reaction to the revelation from Smiljkovic was swift. Many in the poker community are blasting MonkerGuy for not returning the money. The following thread from Doug Poker best sums up how the poker community feels:
MonkerGuy claims that he doesn’t have the money, didn’t ask for the money, and doesn’t owe the money. He also refuses to give the name of his “friend” or the exchange where the server was sent.
There are a few things that don’t quite track. First, most primary exchanges require that you go through some form of KYC verification BEFORE you start sending or receiving crypto. Next, it is improbable that someone would leave a substantial amount of money sitting and not finish KYC verification.
KYC verification for most crypto exchanges involves taking photos of an identifying document and then holding that document in your hand for a video. Some also require facial recognition, which consists of a video or facial scan to verify your identity.
The process generally takes five to ten minutes. If this fails, there are other ways to verify your identity, which can be done through customer support.
New Year’s Resolution Achieved
Just when it seemed that there would be no resolution to the matter, MonkerGuy took to X on New Year’s to announce that an agreement was reached where Smiljkovic would be repaid in full.
Nothing was revealed as to why MonkerGuy resolved the issue. However, it is likely that pressure from the poker community and negative publicity received over the matter contributed to the incident.
Situation Highlights Why You Have to Be Careful With Crypto
The situation between MonkerGuy and Smiljkovic can remind us all to be careful when sending cryptocurrency. Always verify that you’re sending your crypto to the address that you’re intending. Take the time to double and triple-check the address before sending.
Crypto transfers are one-way and irrevocable. Once it is sent, that’s it. The only way to get your crypto back is for the receiver to send it back. If you send it to the wrong address, it can be impossible to get it back.
Of course, there is more going on with the Smiljkovic situation, but you can learn from his mistake and take caution when using crypto to send money to online casinos and poker rooms.
