When Troy Nathan., the CEO of a boutique software startup based in Austin, Texas, opened an email that appeared to be from a trusted vendor, he had no idea it would mark the beginning of a five-month nightmare.

The message contained a routine-looking invoice and a link to a PDF. But the link redirected him to a spoofed login page that captured his private keys. Within an hour, over $230,000 worth of Ethereum had been drained from his company’s digital wallet. “My heart dropped. I refreshed the wallet and saw the balance was almost zero. I just sat there in disbelief,” Troy said.

The next several weeks were filled with panic, confusion, and failed attempts to recover the funds. Troy hired independent IT security consultants and even reached out to legal experts in blockchain fraud. “Everyone told me the same thing: once it’s gone, it’s gone. That’s the reality of crypto,” he recalled.

But Troy refused to accept that answer.

One late night on a crypto recovery forum, a comment stood out a user recommended a low-profile but highly skilled team called Astraweb, known for using forensic tools to track down stolen digital assets. With little to lose, Troy reached out to their team via [email protected].

To his surprise, Astraweb responded within hours. Their recovery process started with a deep forensic audit of the compromised wallet, followed by blockchain behavior modeling to identify and trace the attackers’ movement. According to Troy, Astraweb utilized tools that could map smart contracts and wallet clusters even when hackers attempted to launder funds across decentralized exchanges or mix them in tumblers.

“They explained everything clearly, didn’t overpromise, and took the time to understand the attack,” Troy said. “Within a few weeks, they had mapped out a trail of transactions and began actively tracking the stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets.”

Using smart contract analytics and darknet monitoring tools, Astraweb was able to intercept transactions and ultimately recover 91% of the stolen assets. “I couldn’t believe it. They recovered over $210,000 worth of Ethereum. I’d already written it off as a total loss.”

Astraweb declined to comment for this story, citing confidentiality and the ongoing nature of other recovery operations. However, their track record is quietly growing in crypto circles, where anonymity and theft often go hand-in-hand.

Troy has since overhauled his company’s digital security protocols. Multi-signature wallets, cold storage, staff training, and simulated phishing tests are now part of the company culture. “This experience taught me that even tech professionals aren’t immune. But there are experts out there who can help if you know where to look.”