I lost coins at bitcoinlaundry.com - is this site a scam?

[MisterOtis]

I've used the tumbling service at http://bitcoinlaundry.com/ for about a year without issue, but over the weekend, I lost coins there. Everything started as usual - the website provided me a bitcoin address to send to funds, and I did, but the coins did not end up at my destination address this time - instead they were sent to two different addresses, one of which was some kind of Edward Snowden donation site.

The admin at bitcoinlaundry, Mike Gogulski, has not responded to email or PM through this forum. Is bitcoinlaundry.com a known scam? If not, does anyone know how to get ahold of anyone who manages it?

Thanks.

[Come-In-Behind]

Yes, and it shows why no one should ever use 3rd party services for anonymity, ever.

[runpaint]

Is bitcoinlaundry.com a known scam?

It's probably an honest mistake.  I don't see how money laundering could be involved with anything dishonest.

[gogxmagog]

yeah OP, maybe if you give us the addy's and tx of those coins' movements we can look at the blockchain and help you out. I would be very interested to see where they came from...

I realize organized crime people are "Strong like bull, smart like streetcar" but proper gangsters should stick to shaking down old ladies and pimping 8 year old girls. Leave the magical internets munies to the people with 23 pairs of chromosomes, ok?

[runpaint]

Is this another fake account by the same guy who "got drunk and accidentally sent 20 bitcoins to the wrong address" the other day?

[TrailingComet]

If you lost coins without satisfactory redressal, then it sounds like a scam
Just thinking aloud

[odolvlobo]

the website provided me a bitcoin address to send to funds, and I did, but the coins did not end up at my destination address this time - instead they were sent to two different addresses, one of which was some kind of Edward Snowden donation site.

That's not how a mixer works. When you send coins through a mixer, they don't end up at your destination. Your coins go to someone else's destination and someone else's coins go to your destination.

[bitbaby]

Don't know what that site is used for but it sounds like a mixer and there is always a risk involved when you send coins to a service like that. If you have some screen-shots or proof, provide them here if you can, so others don't make the same mistake by sending coins to it.

[MineForeman.com]

I never understood why people would use mixers.

I get the concept of doing something illegal or somesuch so you want to hide your tracks but that is what other users are doing, so you're going to get linked to THEIR coins and they may be up to something even worse!

Mix out your marijuana coins for mob hit ones, great.

[Dilemma]

it look a personel mistage only about you
not a general problem
if we heard same problem from other users, it shows us red flag..

[shorena]

I like how you all attack OP for using their right to privacy. /s

Why are you constantly using a tumbling service?

This is no concern of yours.

Why wouldn't you use darkcoin if you're going to be constantly doing illegal shit?

Nice way to declare everyone using Darkcoin a criminal. I am reminded of the PGP witch hunts. Maybe you should turn SSL off, since you such an hoenst citizen.

yeah OP, maybe if you give us the addy's and tx of those coins' movements we can look at the blockchain and help you out. I would be very interested to see where they came from...

I realize organized crime people are "Strong like bull, smart like streetcar" but proper gangsters should stick to shaking down old ladies and pimping 8 year old girls. Leave the magical internets munies to the people with 23 pairs of chromosomes, ok?

 

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a12

--- sweeping swipe against the morrons against privacy finished ---

Lets get to the topic at hand.

-snip-
That's not how a mixer works. When you send coins through a mixer, they don't end up at your destination. Your coins go to someone else's destination and someone else's coins go to your destination.

This^ and also according to the wiki[1] the serivce is not as popular as other services. The information is old, granted, but I doubt it got more popular with other mixers actively advertising. This might have resulted in the operator running with your coins or it might slow the process down. Maybe your coins have been used for the previous transaction and you now have to wait for the next person to make a transaction via the service to make sure they have enough coins.

Raising awareness here might help as someone might know more about mikegogulski or how to contact them.


[1] https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin_Laundry

[MisterOtis]

Just to follow up, the admin just now contacted me, and it appeared that my lost coin was due to some kind of error on the website, but he has refunded me and made things right. thanks all.

[shorena]

Just to follow up, the admin just now contacted me, and it appeared that my lost coin was due to some kind of error on the website, but he has refunded me and made things right. thanks all.

Glad it turned out well. You might want to lock this thread (lower left).

[crazyivan]

Stop dealing with illegal shit and you ll not have any need to use crypto mixers.

[clownius]

Stop dealing with illegal shit and you ll not have any need to use crypto mixers.

Only after you stop beating your wife...

Seriously i have as much proof of this as you have people using mixers are doing illegal things.

Wanting some level of privacy is not illegal.  I would have expected people using BTC would be better at realising this.

[twister]

Is bitcoinlaundry.com a known scam?

It's probably an honest mistake.  I don't see how money laundering could be involved with anything dishonest.

lol

[koinvict]

Stop dealing with illegal shit and you ll not have any need to use crypto mixers.

Why does everybody assume illegal activity?  For some of us, Coinbase (and the lot) is our only option.  Why should the gov't have further information on how much money I have stored?  They already get a considerable amount of my paycheck.