Comedian, actor, and philanthropist Bill Murray raised just over 119 ETH in a recent charity auction. Hours later, hackers made off with the funds raised from the Bill Murray NFT. This attack is the latest in a string of high-profile crypto heists.
The Bill Murray NFT collection
The celebrity auctioned off the “Beer With Bill Murray” NFT in collaboration with Chive Charities, a non-profit for military families. The NFT is a one-of-one entry in the Bill Murray 1000, a “unique biographical NFT project” about the comedian’s life. The auction winner, Brant Boersma, also has an opportunity to grab a brewski with the comedian. David Grizzle, the artist behind the collection, will also join the pair to paint the occasion.
Hackers stole 119.2 ETH
Hours after Murray’s wallet received the funds intended for Chive Charities, a hacker made off with the donation. Fortunately, Coinbase user Mishap72, the runner-up at the auction, kindly replaced the stolen funds. The thief sent the stolen ether to a crypto wallet tied to Binance, the popular DeFi exchange.
Though, the digital poacher didn’t just target the newly-raised ETH. They also tried to steal 800 unreleased Bill Murray 1000 NFTs and other pieces in the actor’s personal collection. Luckily, Project Venkman, Murray’s digital security team, moved the digital art pieces into a secure wallet before the thief could steal them. His collection includes high-priced pieces such as two crypto punks and a Damien Hirst NFT.
According to CoinDesk, Murray’s legal team filed a police report and hired crypto analytics firm Chainalysis to find the culprit. This recent string of crypto heists comes amid a heated debate surrounding cryptocurrency regulation.
Though it’s clear protection and regulations are necessary, the SEC’s chairman has received significant backlash for his agency’s actions. Less than half of 200 lawsuits filed by the Securities Exchange Commission target crypto fraud.
