David Schwartz’s wallet scam warning highlights security risks for XRP holders as Austin Hilton makes a bullish price call.
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Key Takeaways
Austin Hilton says an emerging XRP chart pattern resembles setups he links to gains of 99%, 128%, and 182%.
David Schwartz flagged a suspicious SecuX notification directing users to a recovery-phrase scam.
SecuX has since confirmed that hackers modified an in-app banner to display fraudulent links.
XRP’s price could climb more than 100% if a recurring chart pattern produces another rally, according to crypto commentator Austin Hilton.
His bullish outlook comes as Ripple CTO emeritus David Schwartz warns holders about a different risk: a wallet notification directing users to a phishing page seeking their recovery phrases.
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In his Oct. 16 video, Hilton pointed to three historical moves that he said followed a similar pattern on his XRP chart — gains of 99% in 11 days, 128% in 9 days, and 182% in 10 days.
His argument centers on a green signal dot appearing below a white indicator line, alongside a descending blue wave.
He said a comparable setup was emerging again after last appearing around mid-August.
“We are getting set up for arguably a new run where XRP is going to go up,” Hilton said.
However, the forecast has come against a weak backdrop.
Hilton said XRP’s price was down about 2.5% when he recorded the video, with the broader crypto market also struggling.
He interpreted that weakness as potentially consistent with earlier setups, arguing that XRP was approaching a level from which it could reverse.
However, Hilton acknowledged that a repeat was uncertain.
“Am I guaranteeing you this is going to happen? No, there are no guarantees in life,” he said.
Hilton also disclosed that he had bought more XRP.
“I’ve bought some more personally because I’m seeing what’s happening here and I think that this is going to be something significant,” he said.
“May not develop, but the pattern is emerging.”
Schwartz Flags Recovery-Phrase Scam
While Hilton focused on potential gains, Schwartz highlighted an attempt to obtain the information needed to take control of a crypto wallet.
On Oct. 16, the XRP Ledger architect publicly challenged hardware wallet provider SecuX via an Android notification.
“Hey, @SecuXwallet, it looks like your Android app sent me a notification that’s a scam!” Schwartz wrote on X.
He later explained that tapping the notification did not immediately open the fraudulent website.
“I tapped on it to see what would happen and it launched the app normally. I had to go to my notification history to see the message,” he wrote.
The message’s link, however, led somewhere more dangerous.
“The link goes to a scam page that asks you to input your 12/24 words. (NEVER DO THAT!)”
Those words are a wallet’s recovery phrase.
Someone who obtains them can restore the associated wallet using compatible hardware and potentially move its funds without possessing the original device.
In its Oct. 19 security alert, SecuX said hackers had altered an in-app banner to direct users to fraudulent websites impersonating the company.
The company described the banner as having been “maliciously modified by hackers.”
The warning followed emergency maintenance on Oct. 16.
Although SecuX announced that service had resumed, users continued reporting access difficulties the day after.
Schwartz Has Also Proposed Stronger Trading Protections
Beyond wallet scams, Schwartz has explored ways to protect XRP Ledger users from traders exploiting advance knowledge of their transactions.
On June 29, he outlined a transaction reservation system after the XRPL marketplace XRPresso raised concerns about front-running and sandwich attacks, which can leave users with worse execution prices.
Although Schwartz said he did not consider front-running a major threat on XRPL, he proposed allowing users to reserve a transaction’s execution slot up to 16 ledgers ahead, paying at least twice the standard transaction fee.
The mechanism, he said, “can ensure that a transaction executes before any transaction that was formed after it was disclosed.”
He also suggested increasing reservation fees as slots fill up, making it more expensive for attackers to overwhelm the system.
Concerns have been raised about the possibility of front running or transaction sandwich attacks on XRPL payments and offer crossing.
For the reasons I've explained, I'm not that concerned about this issue. But I have a proposal for a fairly simple scheme that would eliminate… https://t.co/lnhTv1bhBK
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz (@JoelKatz) June 29, 2026
The proposal addresses a different problem from the SecuX phishing incident. Both, however, concern users’ ability to hold and trade crypto safely.
These obstacles sit alongside Schwartz’s recent call for blockchain to become more useful in everyday life.
Speaking from Nasdaq last week, he highlighted tokenized real-world assets as a potential route to wider retail participation.
“I’m tremendously excited, especially what’s going on with the tokenization of real-world assets right now as a key unlock for retail usage,” he said.
🔥 BIG! David Schwartz is excited about the year ahead for $XRP Ledger, with retail RWAs, stronger on/off-ramps and greater connectivity in focus. The goal: bridge traditional finance and crypto, unlock real-world utility to make the XRPL ecosystem more accessible 🤝🏻 https://t.co/BbRMaq39Ekpic.twitter.com/OVenscSugU
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Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
