Robbed of BTC at gunpoint -- a real concern?

[bitcoinrocks]

Like it or not, this is a real concern.  Take Argentina for example.  That's a country where BTC is beginning to make good inroads against the pathetic Argentinian peso.  If it gets to the point (hopefully) where anyone in that country with money has that money in BTC, anyone there could be robbed of it quite easily.  If someone has cash under their mattress and a thief finds out about it, they could be robbed.  But here we have a potential situation where everyone has "cash under their mattress" in the form of BTC and so everyone can easily be robbed.  This can't happen to anywhere near the same degree with money in the bank.

BTW, I'm not talking about stealing someone's cell phone for the BTC contained therein, I'm talking about armed home invasion.

[bitcoinrocks]

I need all of that to be a hodler?

[Calculator]

No

[omahapoker]

i would have a 2nd bitcoin wallet with like 0.023btc in it



always have it open. so robber thinks this is a broke ass sucker, take it and leave you be.






no bullet holes in ya

[xarca]

Well no news like that yet in the country I live. And that would be very insane to happen. I mean if you have 300 btc in your phone wallet then it would be a very very very bad day.

[Soros Shorts]

Well no news like that yet in the country I live. And that would be very insane to happen. I mean if you have 300 btc in your phone wallet then it would be a very very very bad day.

You should just load your phone wallet with the coins that you need. Similarly with your desktop wallet that you see by default when you turn on your computer. Long term savings should be stored in hidden wallets that are not linked in any way with your daily use wallets.

If you think that mixing or other forms of obfuscation is only for criminals then you are a fool.

[Gyfts]

It's really uncommon because robbers are usually brain dead therefore they most likely have no knowledge of Bitcoin and it's existence, though I can see it happening. This is why ALL local Bitcoin trades should be done in the daytime at a public like a Library, local fast food restaurant, ect. Being robbed of Bitcoin via a deadly weapon shouldn't discourage you to do so when there are ways to prevent it and virtually eliminate the threat.

[RealBitcoin]

I've never had this happen to me thank goodness despite meeting well over 100 customers. Always meet somewhere where there's other people watching, and encrypt your wallet so only you can send the Bitcoin. For large deals (>~$1.5k) with customers I don't know I don't even bring the Bitcoin with me, so if it's an outright robbery they'd be out of luck.

I thank my lucky stars for the lack of trouble, there are criminals out there who would prey on Bitcoin sellers. Fortunately almost all customers are legitimate and are happy to pay premiums for their Bitcoin.

Obviously, always meet in a cafe or in a park with many people around. Otherwise the risk can be elevated.

Meeting in a dark alley at night to sell bitcoins is almost a certainty of being robbed.

[bitnanigans]

Something that bothers me is how some people who have bitcoin like to announce it to the world and how much they have. I don't go around announcing how much money I have to spend. In any case, it's all a matter of common sense and being careful.

[Herbert2020]

Something that bothers me is how some people who have bitcoin like to announce it to the world and how much they have. I don't go around announcing how much money I have to spend. In any case, it's all a matter of common sense and being careful.

in this case, which i think happened a couple of weeks ago, the guy wanted to sell his bitcoins to a stranger who he met oncraigslist. and that stranger turned out to be two armed robbers who stole his coin.

[Kprawn]

I do not carry a lot of money on my wallet connected to my phone. There is just enough for what I use daily for the small things.

If they hack my phone or if they physically take my phone, they will end up with nothing more than a few dollars.

Split your coins into smaller chunks and do not link your Bitcoin address on your phone to your other Bitcoin adresses with the big amounts.

Some people do what I do, but they feed the wallet on the phone from their main stash.. Big mistake.. they can trace all linked addresses and know exactly what treasures you have.

[RustyNomad]

Everyone here talks about a person being robbed of his/her bitcoin....

I think the real threat will be the other way round i.e. people advertising that they are selling bitcoin and setting up meetings with people who they know will arrive at the meeting with cold hard cash to buy said fictitious coins.

Not saying that there is no threat of you being robbed of your bitcoin but if nobody knows you have any then chances are slim to none. It will however be easy to target people who want to get involved with bitcoin especially when they are looking at buying bitcoin through localbitcoin or similar channels.

[RealBitcoin]

...

Thats not safe enough, i think you should move to a house like this:

[bitbollo]

I think that the "normal street criminality" doesn't know btc and it's difficult you get robbed by a toxic man in a abstinence crisis on the way: "Give me your btc".
It's the same "Give me your platinum (gold / silver) or USD dollars when you live in europe", it's more probably you get fiat stolen!
BTW if the thief know the technology and know that you are a rich bitcoiner, can try stole it and also can be more attractive due to "mixing" opportunity so easy....

[ShetKid]

Its not a real concern unless you are a trader or have openly advertised you use bitcoins everyday and have an app in your wallet. I don't see any thief going to a random stranger and saying give me your Bitcoins, it will only be towards people using it and making it public like traders.

[smith coins]

keep safe Bitcoiners
1) Pick a reputable seller near you.
2) Arrange to meet them in a public place.

[ShetKid]

keep safe Bitcoiners
1) Pick a reputable seller near you.
2) Arrange to meet them in a public place.

Instead just use the escrow feature of local bitcoins for safeguarding the btc and release it only after you get the funds in a face to face deal. This way they can't steal more bitcoins from you than the trade amount.

[Hazir]

I am still amused that people talk about bitcoin robberies at gunpoint like it is something new. It is the same thing as being robbed of your money or credit cards.
You need to be careful like you are with your FIAT and other precious belongings, use common sense: don't keep large amount of BTC on your mobile device and trade with unknown people with caution.

[dollarneed]

sometimes criminals  is not their first purpose even they're not think about it but if there is a chance they will do it,so just keep your bitcoins safe,all i always do i would never let my friends to using my computer or phone

[jt byte]

Bitcoin is a better form of cash. It is more secure than paper money, but it is still cash. In all security contexts it must be considered to be like cash.