On January 4th, 2023, CryptoNovo, a member of the NFT community fell victim to a scam and lost most of his NFTs. He lost $300,000 worth of Cryptopunks, including the highly recognizable and iconic CryptoPunk #3706, which he had been well-known for owning and using as his digital identity.
This story, however, has a positive outcome unlike many other depressing tales of cybercrime. It highlights the power of community, friendship, and the possibility of redemption.
In response, community members and fellow Cryptopunks gwendall & franknft_eth came together to launch a fundraiser in an effort to help Novo regain his lost punk and raise awareness about wallet security.
The collection, named Novo Pixels, consists of 576 on-chain tokens, one for each pixel of punk #3706. Each token was minted for 0.04 ETH. It was then dropped to 0.004 ETH after the 23 ETH goal was met to allow more people to mint the remaining supply.
In addition to Novo Pixels, Cryptopunk Dario De Siena created the “Go Fund Novo” project to also help raise funds. Several Initiatives worked together to raise 85 ETH and buy back punk #3706.
Friends, artists and developers from all over the world came together with their time, energy and resources. Twitter Spaces played a significant role in spreading awareness about the situation.
Many say they were compelled to donate because of Novo's positivity, kindness, and friendship.
Novo is an amazing human and a pioneer of digital identity and world building. The brand he has built with CryptoPunk 3706 is historic, and his "stay positive and love life" message brings more value to Web3 than we can afford to lose. Novo is the ultimate example of someone who always looks to uplift his friends and bring value to the community, so this was our opportunity to reciprocate.
"There are many ways to look at this event. For me it was a great example to show, how we can solve a problem with a creative idea using the power of the Community & Art to showcase our Culture in Web3," Dario said. "We are here for the longterm to build the future, we need to come together and learn from each other, to grow & get stronger every day."
NFT Twitter celebrated after Novo was able to get his beloved punk back.
Novo's tweeted a statement regarding the #GoFundNovo campaign and the return of 3706.
The story of CryptoNovo's hack serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty and power of community. Despite not knowing each other in real life, the people who came together to support CryptoNovo and launch the "Save Novo" campaign displayed the values that are at the core of the web3 community. They showed compassion, generosity, and a willingness to come together to help one of their own. This story is a testament to the strength and resilience of the web3 community and the importance of supporting one another in times of need. The crypto space and the bear market can be dark and depressing, but this story serves as a positive reminder that there is still hope and support to be found.
