Fake Delivery Man Steals $11 Million in Crypto From Sam Altman’s Ex’s Home
An armed robber posing as a supply employee stole $11 million in Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) from a San Francisco residence linked to tech investor Lachy Groom, previously the associate of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
This dramatic heist is a part of a rising world pattern of violent assaults towards cryptocurrency holders. Security consultants warn that so-called wrench assaults have escalated, with criminals more and more counting on bodily drive to steal digital belongings.
The San Francisco Crypto Heist: A Calculated Attack
According to the New York Post, the suspect posed as a UPS affiliate to realize entry on the $4.4 million Dorland Street handle. After requesting a pen for a supply, he produced a gun and subdued the sufferer, recognized as Joshua.
Joshua can also be a tech investor who was residing with distinguished enterprise capitalist Groom. The suspect tied Joshua with duct tape, assaulted and poured liquid over him, forcing him to unlock his cryptocurrency wallets through the 90-minute ordeal.
The attacker left with $11 million in Ethereum and Bitcoin, together with the sufferer’s cellphone and laptop computer. Joshua suffered minor accidents. According to sources aware of the matter, an organized crime group orchestrated the incident. The police have made no arrests to this point.
“This wasn’t a smash-and-grab. This was a focused, organized crime extraction – the sort hitting rich crypto holders worldwide. Crypto-security consultants are actually saying what all people thinks: Self-custody is nice till somebody exhibits up at your door with a pretend UPS label and a Glock. San Francisco’s tech elite are about to pivot onerous into vault custody, non-public safety, and 0 public flexing – as a result of this heist wasn’t random. It was a warning shot,” Mario Nawfal said.
Digital Wealth Turns Deadly in Global Surge of Crypto Wrench Attacks
The San Francisco theft mirrors incidents worldwide. An analyst noted that over 60 such assaults had been recorded in 2025. BeInCrypto reported that in France, there have been 10 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings this yr.
In June, a 23-year-old man in Maisons-Alfort was kidnapped whereas procuring. Attackers demanded €5,000 and entry to his Ledger {hardware} pockets.
A month earlier, armed males tried to abduct the daughter and grandchild of a crypto entrepreneur in Paris. Ledger Co-founder David Balland additionally fell sufferer to a kidnapping in January, and the checklist goes on.
Crypto billionaire Tim Heath of Yolo Group narrowly escaped a kidnapping in Tallinn. The Australian entrepreneur bit off a part of his attacker’s finger, permitting him to flee.
More not too long ago, in Israel, a Tel Aviv resident faced extreme violence. On September 7, three attackers restrained him in his own residence and tortured him till he offered his cryptocurrency passwords.
The sufferer was stabbed and misplaced roughly $600,000 in Bitcoin and USDT, plus a $50,000 Rolex watch, a Trezor pockets, a laptop computer, and money. Police arrested the lead suspect, Murad Mahajna, simply days after the incident.
“A Russian crypto dealer, Roman Novak, and his spouse, Anna, had been discovered useless and dismembered in the United Arab Emirates weeks after vanishing following a gathering close to Lake Hatta. The couple had been allegedly kidnapped by Russian nationals who wished entry to Novak’s crypto pockets,” Nafwal highlighted in early November.
Experts imagine that wrench assaults are on the rise because of a number of elements. The anonymity and irreversible nature of blockchain transactions make attackers imagine funds are onerous to hint and recuperate.
Public shows of wealth, particularly on social media, draw undesirable consideration. Meanwhile, simply accessible private info on-line makes it easier for criminals to establish and monitor victims.
“A powerful frequent thread in many wrench assaults is the profiling of victims previous to the offense. Criminals are more and more utilizing social media to construct detailed assessments of potential targets — significantly specializing in indicators of wealth. This is very true for people concerned in peer-to-peer crypto trades or those that are overt about their holdings and way of life. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and different short-form video content material apps are incessantly exploited for malicious functions as soon as a probable ‘mark’ has been recognized,” Phil Ariss, Director, UK Public Sector Relations at TRM Labs, explained.
Users can scale back their threat by enhancing their private and residential safety, being extra cautious about what non-public info they share, and defending their belongings with multi-signature wallets. It can also be important to make sure that members of the family perceive fundamental security practices, as they will additionally develop into targets.
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