'Ghostbusters' Actor Bill Murray's Ethereum Stolen in NFT Auction
Auction Organizer: "Unacceptable. Police Are Tracking the Hacker"
Second-Highest Bidder Pays Winning Amount Instead
[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Jong-min] Comedian and actor Bill Murray, who caught ghosts in Manhattan, New York in the movie 'Ghostbusters,' had $250 million worth of Ethereum cryptocurrency, intended for children suffering from rare diseases, stolen through hacking.
According to U.S. media reports on the 5th (local time), hackers stole 119.2 Ethereum, worth $187,000 (approximately 256.16 million KRW), from Murray's electronic wallet. The stolen Ethereum was the payment received from an auction of a non-fungible token (NFT) collection named 'Bill Murray 1000,' which Murray held for charity donations. The auction proceeds were planned to be used for a 3-year-old child named Evelyn, who is battling genetic mutations and intractable epilepsy.
Just as cheers erupted over the unexpectedly high bid price, a problem occurred. After the auction closed, hackers infiltrated Murray's electronic wallet account and siphoned off the Ethereum.
Cryptocurrency specialized media CoinDesk reported that Murray reported the Ethereum theft to the police and is conducting a separate hacker tracking operation with a professional firm. The hacker attempted to steal other high-value NFTs stored in Murray's electronic wallet as well but failed. Project Benkerman, which conducted the auction, expressed regret, saying, "This is absolutely intolerable."
The proceeds from the NFT auctioned by Bill Murray were intended to be used for Evelyn, a child suffering from a rare disease.
However, the donation for Evelyn will proceed as planned. The bidder who came in second at the auction, upon hearing about the theft of the winning bid, donated 120 Ethereum. The organizers explained that if the stolen Ethereum is recovered, it will also be used for Evelyn.
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