A thief pretending to be a delivery worker robbed a home in San Francisco's Mission Dolores neighborhood, making off with a cellphone, laptop, and $11 million in cryptocurrency. The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, with the suspect brandishing a gun and tying up the victim with duct tape. No arrests have been reported, and it is unclear if the victim was injured.
The robbery took place at approximately 6:45 a.m. on Saturday in the Mission Dolores neighborhood of San Francisco, according to a police report obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. The suspect, disguised as a delivery person, entered the home and quickly escalated the situation by pulling out a gun. The victim was then bound with duct tape, allowing the thief to steal the resident's cellphone, laptop, and access to $11 million worth of digital assets before fleeing.
Details about the suspect remain limited, with no description or additional information released by authorities. The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It is unknown whether the victim sustained injuries during the encounter.
This incident highlights a growing trend of violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders. Such robberies are on the rise, as attackers seek access to hard-to-trace digital wallets often holding millions. For instance, in Los Angeles last December, former LAPD officer Eric Halem and Gabby Ben, who has ties to the Israeli mafia, were charged with kidnapping a teenager in Koreatown to steal $350,000 in cryptocurrency. They allegedly threatened to shoot and waterboard the victim after he initially provided access to an empty wallet.
In New York City in May, John Woeltz, 37, and William Duplessie, 33, faced charges for kidnapping and torturing Italian businessman Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan in a luxury apartment to obtain his Bitcoin password. Woeltz was accused of holding the victim captive for over two weeks, including shocking him with wires and threatening him with a gun.
"Kidnappings of crypto investors are definitely on the rise," said Steve Krystek, CEO of PFC Safeguards, a personal security firm. He attributed the increase to cryptocurrency's difficulty in being traced and the flashy lifestyles of many investors signaling their wealth.