A cryptocurrency trader turned a $3,000 bet into nearly $2 million within hours after Binance co‑founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao shared a post about a new BNB Chain memecoin called “4” ($4) on X, data from blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain shows.
The trader, identified by wallet address 0x872, was among the first to buy the newly launched token, netting a gain of roughly 650 times their initial investment. Despite the spike, the address has sold only a fraction of the holdings and still holds about $1.88 million worth of tokens.
The token emerged from a phishing incident on BNB Chain, where the attacker reportedly made just $4,000 before the community turned the event into a meme. Zhao’s post amplified the buzz, sending trading volumes sharply higher.
From Meme to Million‑Dollar Trade
Blockchain data shows the trader’s wallet was heavily concentrated in the token, with over 98 % of holdings in “4”, according to CoinStats. The account generated $1.8 million in unrealized profit over the past week. Other wallets tracked as “smart money” by Nansen also entered the trade, making “4” the third‑most‑bought token among top‑performing traders in the past 24 hours, with roughly $100,000 worth of purchases recorded on the BNB Chain.
The momentum mirrors previous memecoin rallies where small initial investments have produced outsized returns. In March, one trader reportedly turned $2,000 into $43 million by buying the frog‑themed Pepe (PEPE) token, though subsequent declines slashed those gains to $10 million. In May 2024, another investor converted $27 into $52 million through early participation in a viral token launch.
Analysts say such trades underscore both the outsized profit potential and the extreme volatility that define the memecoin sector, where liquidity and timing outweigh fundamentals.
CZ’s Post Sparks Buying Frenzy
Interest in “4” surged shortly after Zhao reposted the BNB Chain’s statement on the phishing episode to his 8.9 million X followers. “Interestingly, after the hacker dumped ALL his tokens for a $4k gain, the community took over and bought the meme coin higher, as a mock to the hacker,” Zhao wrote on X on Wednesday.
Minutes before Zhao’s post, another wallet bought a large batch of the tokens and saw its holdings rise to more than $1.5 million in value just hours later, according to data from blockchain visualization platform Bubblemaps. The sequence of trades and timing has fueled speculation among on‑chain analysts about coordinated activity, though no direct links to insiders have been identified.
The surge followed a temporary hack of BNB Chain’s official X account, during which attackers shared phishing links and promoted the same memecoin to the account’s four million followers. The exploit was contained shortly after, but the publicity helped push “4” into broader circulation across Binance’s ecosystem.
Memecoins Keep Drawing Speculators
Despite lacking utility, memecoins continue to draw speculative inflows. Exchanges and on‑chain data providers say social‑driven tokens now account for a rising share of retail trading activity, especially on chains like BNB and Solana where transaction fees are low.
For now, “4” appears to be another example of how community narratives and influencer exposure can briefly reshape market flows. Whether the trader cashes out the remaining $1.88 million stake—or becomes the next example of paper profits evaporating—will depend on how long the meme stays alive.