Crypto Streamer Hacked During Cancer Fundraiser, Community Rallies

Raivo Plavnieks, a 26-year-old from Latvia, had turned to the Solana-based platform Pump.fun to finance treatment for a rare high-grade sarcoma. By creating the ‘Help Me Beat Cancer’ (CANCER) token, he could earn a percentage of all trades, converting community engagement into vital medical funds. The scheme was working until Sunday, when a viewer in his livestream chat suggested he download and play ‘Block Blasters,’ a game listed on the popular PC platform Steam. Unbeknownst to Plavnieks, the game was a sophisticated piece of malware designed specifically to drain cryptocurrency wallets.

The moment he launched the game, the attack executed. Viewers watched in real time as the streamer realized his savings were gone, leading to a harrowing on-stream reaction. “I can’t breathe, I can’t think, I’m completely lost on what is going to happen next,” Plavnieks later wrote on X, expressing fear that the loss could leave him homeless. The incident highlights a critical vulnerability for crypto users: the security of a connected wallet can be compromised by seemingly innocuous software downloaded from trusted platforms like Steam.

The response from the crypto and online security communities was swift and overwhelming. Instead of fading into obscurity, Plavnieks’s story became a rallying cry. His CANCER token, initially created for modest gains, experienced an unprecedented pump of 3,000%, skyrocketing to a market capitalization of $2.5 million. This surge generated substantially higher creator fees for Plavnieks, turning the hack into an ironic boon for his fundraiser.

Financial support poured in from prominent figures. Crypto influencer Alex Becker made a single donation of $32,500, effectively covering the entire amount stolen. This was supplemented by an influx of donations to his pre-existing GoFundMe page. The collective action demonstrated a powerful ethos within the niche community: protecting its most vulnerable members from predatory attacks. Plavnieks expressed profound gratitude, stating that he and his family were “left without words” by the support.

While the community provided financial relief, a parallel effort was launched to bring the attackers to justice. Pseudonymous crypto investigator ZachXBT partnered with a team of security researchers, including an expert known as ‘1989,’ to dissect the attack. Their investigation revealed that the ‘Block Blasters’ malware was not an isolated incident but part of a larger campaign that has stolen over $150,000 in crypto from approximately 400 victims.

According to the researchers, the attackers operated as a group, systematically targeting cryptocurrency holders. ZachXBT publicly criticized Valve, Steam’s parent company, for allowing the malicious game on its storefront. The investigators claim to be in contact with the hackers, attempting to negotiate the return of funds to all victims, not just Plavnieks. However, screenshots from Telegram conversations suggest the attackers have been unsympathetic, even claiming Plavnieks would easily recoup his losses—a prediction that, ironically, came true due to the community’s response. The researchers are now compiling evidence with the goal of involving law enforcement.

The Plavnieks incident serves as a stark reminder of the security risks inherent in the crypto space, where a single download can lead to significant financial loss. It underscores the need for heightened vigilance, even on verified platforms. In response, Plavnieks has taken measures to secure his operations, including reporting the crime to police, changing the wallet address for his creator rewards, and replacing his computer’s SSD drive to eliminate any lingering malware.

Ultimately, the story transcends a simple crime report. It encapsulates the dual nature of the cryptocurrency world: a landscape of both extreme vulnerability and profound communal strength. The heinous act of stealing from a cancer patient galvanized a global network to use its resources for good. As security researcher ‘1989’ told Decrypt, targeting society’s most vulnerable compelled experts to “set aside differences and use our skills for the greater good.” For Raivo Plavnieks, the hack was a moment of profound despair that, through collective action, became a testament to human solidarity in the digital age.