Hacker holds alleged Romney tax returns ransom for $1M in Bitcoins Meghan Kelly 2012-09-05 http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/05/romney-tax-returns-hacked/Ready for the most outlandish story of your day? Here we go. Today a hacker allegedly stole Mitt Romney’s tax returns and is demanding $1 million in Bitcoins for silence. The hacker also sent a USB drive and letter to the Republican and Democratic party offices in Williamson County, Tenn. as proof. ... |
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Future of top U.S. Bitcoin exchange in doubt as $250K in virtual currency stolen John Koetsier 2012-09-04 http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/04/bitcoin-future-in-doubt-as-250k-stolen/The future of the top U.S. Bitcoin echange is in doubt after $250,000 in virtual currency was stolen last night. As CNet reports, an unidentified hacker found and absconded with an unencrypted backup of virtual wallet keys, taking 24,000 bitcoins, each worth just over ten U.S. dollars. It’s the virtual equivalent of leaving your wallet on the cafe table as you go to use the restroom. ... On the other hand, other Bitcoin exchanges have gone bankrupt, some have been hacked, and there are trojans and viruses in the wild that can steal Bitcoin digital wallets. It’s not something that engenders trust in something as fundamental as money. |
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BitFloor exchange robbed of US$250,000, all trading halted Summary: BitFloor has been robbed an amount equivalent of a quarter of a million US dollars, and has forced to halt all trading while it assesses whether it can recoup its losses and continue operating. Michael Lee 2012-09-05 http://www.zdnet.com/bitfloor-exchange-robbed-of-us250000-all-trading-halted-7000003736/The fourth largest BitCoin (BTC) exchange market BitFloor has temporarily ceased trading and shut down, following an attack that has seen over US$250,000 stolen from the pool of coins that the organisation uses to execute trades. ... Shtylman said that the loss may result in BitFloor folding its operations; however, that would be a last resort measure. If he decides to take that option, Shytlman has said that he still has logs of all the accounts, trades and transfers, which will allow him to make account repayments to BitFloor customers using the exchange market's remaining funds. ... |
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Anonymous group allegedly hacked Romney tax records via Franklin firm Ken Whitehouse 2012-09-04 http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/anonymous-group-allegedly-hacked-romney-tax-records-franklin-firmAn anonymous individual or group is alleging that they have gained "all available 1040 tax forms" of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney by accessing computers in the Franklin office of the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. ... An excerpt from one message states: ... The deal is quite simple. Convert $1,000,000 USD to Bitcoins (Google if if you need a lesson on what Bitcoin is) using the various markets available out in the world for buying. Transfer the Bitcoins gathered to the Bitcoin address listed below. It does not matter if small amounts or one large amount is transferred, as long as the final value of the Bitcoins is equal to $1,000,000 USD at the time when it is finished. The keys to unlock the data will be purged and what ever is inside the documents will remain a secret forever. ... Original bitcointalk discussion thread: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=105929.0 |
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Future of top US Bitcoin exchange in doubt after hackers grab $250,000 Joel Falconer 2012-09-05 http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/09/05/top-us-bitcoin-exchange-hacked-250000-btc-stolen/BitFloor, a major Bitcoin exchange and the biggest in the US, today suffered a devastating loss after their servers were compromised and 24,000 Bitcoins were taken — a value of roughly $250,000. ... Though Bitcoin continues to grow and stabilize, the platform has seen several such attacks — including a major hit to another exchange, Bitcoinica, in March — and a variety of scandals as best practices and community self-policing develop. In this case, however, the potentially fatal loss was the result of just one silly mistake. |
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Bitcoin Exchange Bitfloor Suspends Operations Following $250K Hacker Heist Molly Oswaks 2012-09-05 http://gizmodo.com/5940507/bitcoin-exchange-bitfloor-suspends-operations-following-250k-hacker-heistLast night, several of the servers belonging to Bitcoin exchange Bitfloor were hacked, $250,000 in Bitcoins (24,000 coins) stolen. An open letter from the Bitfloor's founder (reproduced below) explains what happened—and what action will be taken to compensate those whose accounts were compromised. For now, Bitfloor has been shut completely. ... |
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Bitcoin exchange shuts after heist Bitfloor says 24,000 BTC pinched through unencrypted backup Simon Sharwood 2012-09-05 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/05/bitfloor_heist/Bitcoin exchange Bitfloor has suspended its operations while it tries to figure out who pinched 24,000 units of the virtual currency by accessing an unencrypted backup and using information it contained to transfer 24,000 BTC to destinations unknown. ... Article reproduced at packetstormsecurity.org |
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Hacker steals $250k in Bitcoins from online exchange Bitfloor Irreversible transactions make Bitcoin security a high-stakes business. Timothy B. Lee 2012-09-05 http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/09/hacker-steals-250k-in-bitcoins-from-online-exchange-bitfloor/The future of the up-and-coming Bitcoin exchange Bitfloor was thrown into question Tuesday when the company's founder reported that someone had compromised his servers and made off with about 24,000 Bitcoins, worth almost a quarter-million dollars ... But at least until these new techniques mature, it's wise not to entrust large amounts of Bitcoins to third-party services, even those with excellent reputations. And always encrypt your Bitcoin wallet as soon as you're done using it. |
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Argentina Begins Tracking All Credit Cards Jon Matonis 2012-09-04 http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/09/04/argentina-begins-tracking-all-credit-cards/... For those people in Argentina that want to bypass currency controls and also shelter their money from government-induced inflation, this Buenos Aires exchange community claims to buy and sell bitcoin for Argentine pesos. And, the mercaBit.eu exchange sells bitcoin for Ukash vouchers which are available in Argentina. |
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What is a Bitcoin? Drug Dealers Taking Advantage of 'Legal Gray Area' Andrew Lu 2012-09-04 http://blogs.findlaw.com/technologist/2012/09/what-is-a-bitcoin-drug-dealers-take-advantage-of-legal-gray-area.html... The Bitcoins are an artificial currency that only existed in the digital world. However, drug dealers and money launderers reportedly were able to turn this digital currency into real dough. ... But as use of Bitcoins become more commonplace and the layperson (and politicians) learn what is a Bitcoin, the laws will eventually catch up and the legal gray areas will become black and white. Until then, legal authorities may have to bust drug dealers through means other than Bitcoins. |
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Has Bitcoin Finally Arrived? A New Hampshire state representative recently added a donation option on his website to accept the digital currency. Bryn Yurcan 2012-09-04 http://www.banktech.com/payments-cards/240006657Advocates of Bitcoin were surely elated to hear the virtual currency has gone mainstream -- at least a little. New Hampshire state Representative Mark Warden, a Republican, announced recently that his campaign is accepting Bitcoin donations. ... In many ways, the increasing presence of Bitcoin scammers is even better proof of its potential mainstream acceptance than any politician's announcement. |
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Bitcoin ponzi scheme – investors lose $5 million USD in online hedge fund Russia Today 2012-08-29 http://rt.com/usa/news/investors-currency-digital-fund-868/The decentralized, digital Bitcoin currency has caught the attention of people around the globe who are unhappy with how national bank mismanagement is impacting the world economy. It has also, apparently, caught the eye of one very clever schemer. ... |
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Large Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme Collapses With a Loss of $5.6 Million 2012-08-29 http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/08/29/0349226/large-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-collapses-with-a-loss-of-56-millionDespite the many people calling it out as a Ponzi scheme from the beginning, Pirateat40 was able to collect millions of dollars worth of Bitcoins from thousands of Bitcoin users. At almost every stage Pirateat40 copied the path of the EVE Online Ponzi scheme except on a much larger scale with a far more liquid take. Now, it has shut down, and investors are wondering where their digital currency went. Quoting: 'He claimed that BS&T was sitting on 500,000 BTC on the day of the shutdown, worth more than $5.6 million USD at today's price of $11.38. "Once my process is released you'll understand more of how coins move around," he told members of the Bitcoin community last week. Pirateat40 initially promised to refund his investors' Bitcoin deposits plus interest within a week, effectively admitting that he did not have the Bitcoins on hand. The fund normally paid out on Mondays, but last Monday and today have passed so far without refunds. BS&T investors are complaining loudly and so-called "pass-through" funds that invested with BS&T are shutting down. As of this writing, BS&T says there is "no ETA on payments."' |
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"Pirateat40" Makes Off $5.6M USD in BitCoins From Pyramid Scheme Bitcoin investors fall for classic Ponzi ploy Jason Mick 2012-08-24 http://www.dailytech.com/Pirateat40+Makes+Off+56M+USD+in+BitCoins+From+Pyramid+Scheme/article25538.htmBitcoins, everyone's favorite quasi-legal internet currency, are still lingering around thanks to strong support from the hacker, future, and technopunk communities. ... And of course, the onus for these losses largely rests on those who sent someone named "pirateat40" actual money, and failing to recognize the classic signs of a Ponzi scheme -- inflated interest rates, shadowy management, and unrealistic promises. |
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