You're free to believe that I (the author) made up this story. I'm not a fiction writer; the Bitcoin security space is exciting enough without needing to waste time making stories up.
I'll note that we have seen several folks report being victims of similar attacks since we published this article.
FYI this comment actually had the effect of confirming that the story is all but made up - there is nothing remotely resembling evidence anywhere, including in this ostensibly defensive comment.
Nope, but the value of the educational takeaways from the report are not contingent upon me providing evidence of this specific attack. You are welcome to be skeptical.