A mysterious trader, identified as a4385, has reportedly earned $280,000 by exploiting quantitative trading bots in a prediction market over the past 48 hours. The trader capitalized on the bots' vulnerabilities by strategically placing bets on the price movements of XRP, a less popular cryptocurrency, during short-term prediction markets. On January 17, 2026, a4385 placed a bet on XRP rising within a 15-minute window. Despite the market consensus indicating a low probability of an increase, XRP's price surged just before settlement, allowing a4385 to secure significant profits. This pattern repeated several times, leading to suspicions of market manipulation. The trader allegedly used large market buy orders to artificially inflate XRP's price before settlement, ensuring profitable outcomes. The strategy involved substantial financial resources, including transaction fees and maintaining a short position to hedge against price drops. This operation highlights the potential for calculated manipulation in prediction markets, challenging the dominance of quantitative trading bots.