In short
- A person posing as a supply driver robbed a San Francisco home-owner of $11 million in crypto Saturday morning, after pulling a gun and binding the sufferer with duct tape.
- “Figuring out the suspects is normally much more achievable than recovering the stolen crypto,” Cybercrime guide David Sehyeon Baek instructed Decrypt.
- Safety researcher Jameson Lopp’s database has documented over 55 “wrench assaults” globally this yr, averaging one per week.
A person posing as a supply driver robbed a San Francisco home-owner of $11 million in crypto Saturday morning after pulling a gun and binding the sufferer with duct tape.
The suspect used the supply disguise to realize entry earlier than brandishing a weapon and restraining the home-owner, then forcing him handy over his crypto pockets credentials together with a laptop computer and cellphone, in line with a police report seen by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The assault occurred round 6:45 a.m. at a residence close to 18th and Dolores streets within the Mission Dolores neighborhood, the report says.
The incident marks the newest in an alarming surge of “wrench assaults,” bodily assaults focusing on crypto holders, with safety researchers warning that such crimes are reaching new ranges this yr.
The report gave no particulars on accidents or arrests, in line with the SF Chronicle.
San Francisco police didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark from Decrypt.
Bodily threats surge
Cybercrime guide David Sehyeon Baek instructed Decrypt that investigators will possible “transfer on all three fronts without delay: units, blockchain, and sufferer profiling, reasonably than selecting one over the others.”
“Within the first 24–72 hours, they’re going to push laborious on the {hardware} facet,” Baek defined, noting that authorities will in all probability try to trace the stolen cellphone and laptop computer whereas securing remaining belongings in exchanges earlier than attackers can transfer them.
“In parallel, they’re going to attempt to determine the precise wallets and addresses concerned so blockchain specialists can begin tracing outflows in actual time,” he added.
He famous that coerced transfers let attackers transfer crypto “inside minutes,” particularly if routed via privacy-focused companies, whereas digital-only thefts usually tend to be flagged and frozen by exchanges.
Jameson Lopp, co-founder and chief safety officer at self-custody platform agency Casa, who maintains a database monitoring such incidents, has documented over 60 wrench assaults this yr, roughly double the quantity recorded final yr.
Not too long ago, Russian crypto promoter Roman Novak and his spouse have been murdered within the UAE after assembly with males posing as traders who demanded entry to his crypto wallets.
And on Sunday, Thai police arrested a South Korean man and three Thai nationals for allegedly kidnapping and robbing a Chinese language sufferer of over $10,000 in money and crypto, in line with an area media report.
“The laborious fact is that figuring out the suspects is normally much more achievable than recovering the stolen crypto,” Baek stated.
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