Rising Concerns Over Violent Robberies in Crypto Community

According to BlockBeats, a recent armed robbery involving Lachy Groom, the former boyfriend of OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, has stirred the crypto community. Groom was robbed of $11 million in crypto assets last Saturday night. The assailants disguised themselves as delivery personnel, entered his residence, held him at gunpoint, assaulted him, and bound him with tape before emptying his crypto accounts and stealing his phone and computer. This incident is part of a series of recent reports on crypto asset robberies. On November 22, Russian police in Saint Petersburg arrested a man who broke into a trading platform's office, detonated two fake grenades, and ignited a smoke bomb. He demanded the transfer of all crypto assets to his personal wallet but was ultimately apprehended. In another case, a Hong Kong man was sentenced to seven years in prison in Canada for his involvement in a brutal home invasion. Four attackers disguised as postal workers entered a home in British Columbia, subjected a family of three to 13.5 hours of assault, waterboarding, and threats of sexual violence, and stole $1.6 million worth of Bitcoin. On November 4, two men and three women traveling from Oxford to London were attacked. The robbers stole watches and phones and forced one victim to transfer crypto assets from their account. They made off with a watch valued at £450,000 and £1.1 million (approximately $1.44 million) in cryptocurrency. These violent robberies have become a focal point of concern within the crypto community. Steve Krystek, CEO of personal security firm PFC Safeguards, noted an increase in kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency investors. Some have humorously referred to these attacks as "wrench attacks," suggesting that the security of crypto assets depends on whether users can withstand a $5 wrench beating.