Crypto: Actor Bill Murray Victim of a Spectacular Hack
This is news that is not going to help the reputation of the crypto industry much.
It must even be said that it will tarnish the image of this young industry which is trying to attract the masses by trying to convince that safety is at the heart of its concerns.
The problem is that private investors who are still new to the sector do not have sufficient confidence that their assets will not suddenly disappear. And when a spectacular hack occurs, we can rightly expect distrust of the crypto industry to increase further.
This is what will undoubtedly happen after a hacker(s) stole funds raised by actor Bill Murray to support a charity. In fact, the actor auctioned non-fungible tokens (NFTs) during a special night called “Beer With Bill Murray” NFT collectibles on September 1st.
The sale yielded 119.2 Ether (ETH), the native token of the Ethereum platform on which NFTs are created or minted. Given the current price of ETH ($1,565.88 for one ether), Murray had managed to raise the equivalent of $187,000.
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The actor and his team had promised to donate the funds to a non-profit organization that helps veterans and first responders.
Murray’s personal NFT collection targeted
Just hours after the auction, a hacker or hackers began emptying Murray’s wallet, according to data from Etherscan. The hacker(s) also attempted to steal NFTs from Murray, reports Coindesk.com, which was the first to disclose this information. Murray’s team was able to protect about 800 NFTs in Murray’s collection.
“Last night Bill’s wallet was hacked in a coordinated effort by hackers who stole the money raised in the auction,” Project Venkman, a partner in the NFT auction, confirmed on Twitter. “We will not stand for it. We are raising money to support Evelyn and all the other beneficiaries whose lives we intended to change. https://gofundme.com/f/getting-evelyns-van-back.”
Project Venkman has launched a GoFundMe campaign to try to recover a small portion of the lost money. Chive Charities, the nonprofit that would benefit from the funds raised, announced that they raised $36,990 well over the $25,000 goal.
Murray’s team told Coindesk that they have filed a police report and are working with crypto analysis firm Chainalysis to bring the attacker to justice.
This spectacular hack suggests that no one is safe from hackers in the crypto industry even when you are a celebrity.
