Thief pretends to be a delivery person to steal R$ 59 million in cryptocurrencies

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: Thief pretends to be a delivery person to steal R$ 59 million in cryptocurrencies Original Link: A man pretending to be a delivery person stole US$ 11 million (R$ 59 million) in cryptocurrencies from a resident of San Francisco (USA) on Saturday morning, after pulling out a gun and immobilizing the victim with duct tape.

The suspect used the disguise of a delivery person to gain access to the location before displaying the weapon, tying up the resident, and forcing him to hand over the credentials of his cryptocurrency wallet, as well as a laptop and a cellphone, according to a police report.

The attack occurred around 6:45 AM at a residence near 18th and Dolores streets, in the Mission Dolores neighborhood.

The incident marks the latest case in a worrying wave of “wrench attacks” ( — physical assaults targeted at cryptocurrency holders —, with security researchers warning that this type of crime is reaching new heights this year.

Increase in physical threats

Cybercrime consultant David Sehyeon Baek said that investigators will likely “act on three fronts at the same time: devices, blockchain, and victim profiling, rather than choosing one at the expense of the others.”

“In the first 24–72 hours, they will accelerate on the side of the devices,” Baek explained, noting that authorities will likely try to track the stolen cellphone and laptop while protecting the remaining assets on exchanges before the attackers can move them.

“In parallel, they will try to identify exactly which wallets and addresses are involved, so that blockchain experts can begin to track the outputs in real time,” he added.

He noted that transfers made under coercion allow attackers to move cryptocurrencies “in a matter of minutes,” especially when routed through privacy-focused services, while purely digital thefts tend to be flagged and frozen by exchanges.

Jameson Lopp, co-founder and security director of the self-custody company Casa, which maintains a database tracking these incidents, has documented over 60 “wrench attacks” this year — approximately double the number recorded last year.

Recently, Russian cryptocurrency promoter Roman Novak and his wife were murdered in the United Arab Emirates after meeting with men posing as investors who demanded access to their cryptocurrency wallets.

And on Sunday, the Thai police arrested a South Korean and three Thais accused of kidnapping and stealing over $10,000 in cash and cryptocurrencies from a Chinese victim.

“The harsh truth is that identifying suspects is often much more feasible than recovering stolen cryptocurrencies,” Baek said.