Hacker Steals Bill Murray’s Crypto After $185K NFT Charity Auction

The auction's original runner-up bidder has already offered to replace the stolen funds.

AccessTimeIconSep 2, 2022 at 6:50 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 6:56 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Hours after the closing of Bill Murray’s NFT auction that raised 119.2 ETH (around $185,000) for charity Thursday, a hacker stole the funds.

The hacker started to drain Murray’s personal wallet at around 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to on-chain data from Etherscan and details from Murray’s team. The unknown individual also attempted to take non-fungible tokens from the actor’s personal collection.

  • Running With Crypto: 5 Questions With TRM Labs' Ari Redbord
    00:59
    Running With Crypto: 5 Questions With TRM Labs' Ari Redbord
  • Hacks Involving North Korea Are 'Even Greater Problem': Legal Experts
    09:43
    Hacks Involving North Korea Are 'Even Greater Problem': Legal Experts
  • Breaking Down the State of Hacking in 2024
    02:01
    Breaking Down the State of Hacking in 2024
  • Crypto Hack Volumes Fell by More Than 50% in 2023: TRM Labs
    00:59
    Crypto Hack Volumes Fell by More Than 50% in 2023: TRM Labs
  • The high-profile hack showcases how even well-known celebrities can fall victim to crypto hackers and thieves. In Bill Murray’s case, though, the actor had the benefit of a wallet security team that protected him from the worst of the incident.

    Murray’s wallet security team from NFT consultancy Project Venkman stepped in to shield the actor’s NFTs by moving his high-priced JPEGs – including a Damien Hirst NFT, two CryptoPunks, a Pudgy Penguin, a Cool Cat and numerous Flower Girls – to a pair of safehouse wallets.

    The hacker also tried to steal 800 NFTs from the Bill Murray collection that were sitting in the wallet, though Project Venkman said it foiled that attempt by moving those NFTs to a safehouse, too. They said they ran a script to automatically move the NFTs to safety.

    They were less successful with protecting the funds. A representative confirmed the hacker made off with 119.2 ETH Murray had raised just one day before for a charity auction. The attacker sent the stolen funds to a wallet address tied to the crypto exchange Binance and Unionchain.ai, according to Murray’s team. The culprit has yet to be identified.

    Though the original ETH is gone, a runner-up in the auction, Coinbase user Mishap72, has sent 120 ETH (around $187,500) to Chive Charities to replace what was lost, a representative of the marketplace told CoinDesk.

    Murray’s team says it’s filed a police report and is working with crypto analytics firm Chainalysis to bring the attacker to justice. Chainalysis did not immediately respond to CoinDesk.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Eli Tan

    Eli was a news reporter for CoinDesk. He holds ETH, SOL and AVAX.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.



    Read more about