Alitin Mint Adam Smith 2BTC coins compromised

[bitenvy]

What happened:  2BTC swept (stolen) on 2/26/17.  There have been at least 3 different coins confirmed to be swept on the same day.

Scammers Profile Link: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=155221

Reference Link:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1814828.0
Amount Scammed: 2 BTC
Additional Notes:

My coin address:  https://blockchain.info/address/1FxH5pJcgX6VrJYb7pweXUjEMSX1naero9

My coin is still in the sealed protective case and has been since 2014.



Here are a few other coin addresses that have been stolen:

https://blockchain.info/address/18t1hPWGT2iLAnK4Nt4wYTbuqUYAD9R9hC
https://blockchain.info/address/1JxjKfA2EhJo4Hd8yD7NQSTqxGjJ4UNBXH
https://blockchain.info/address/1GSrNTwCBJL6TxZm481P12SR1LcHSH1f85

Adding more details ASAP.


UPDATE #1:  I have contacted and talked over the phone with JR and Richard Forsyth over email and they have personally guaranteed me the funds on my coin (coin value only).  

I have found over 50+ addresses that have been stolen.  Please see reference thread for listing of addresses:   https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1814828.msg18079926#msg18079926

[1715108838]

1715108838

[1715108838]

1715108838

[bithalo]

I can confirm my 2BTC funding was stolen as well.

https://blockchain.info/address/17Qn7Y27xpAgtjEefEknwpFcLnpCiK4tSA

[Rmcdermott927]

It's good to know that they are going to guarantee the funds, lets hope the follow through with that promise.  100 BTC+ is a lot of money. 

[bitenvy]

That's why I said "my" coin.  Of course, this was when it looked like only 18 coins were compromised (now looks like 50+ coins).  Hopefully there's not more than the ones I found.  

[Fortify]

So, this is pretty serious for anyone who had Alitin Mint coins really, did they give any indication of how it happened in your discussions with them? I guess bitcoin going so high means a lot more incentive for coin manufacturers to dig out the old wallets that were hidden behind holograms, I can't think of who else could have taken them on this scale if they were properly secured?

[bitenvy]

So, this is pretty serious for anyone who had Alitin Mint coins really, did they give any indication of how it happened in your discussions with them? I guess bitcoin going so high means a lot more incentive for coin manufacturers to dig out the old wallets that were hidden behind holograms, I can't think of who else could have taken them on this scale if they were properly secured?

Sounds like a rogue employee or internal breach.  Please see Richard Forsyth's post here:  https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1815933.0

[BurtW]

This is strange.  I bought two coins.  The first one is an Adam Smith number 60/600.

https://blockchain.info/address/1QLQDk2KotPqqBjQQK9atEqmmmjBZySPwc

It was swept 2017-02-26 02:31:26, so I lost 2 BTC on that deal.

My second coin is a Joan of Arc number 17/600.  But when I went to check on it I found that it had never been funded!  Were we supposed to fund these ourselves? Check it out:

https://blockchain.info/address/1KzvorTcd6W497eYdk7Jc9U1YLNTF1A6LK

When I bought it I assumed it was funded.  I am sure I paid more than 1 BTC for the thing.  What is the deal with that?

[BurtW]

There is a possibility they will catch the thief.  It is a very stupid crime.  There is a very small finite group of people that ever had access to the lists of private keys.  The thief is one of those people.  Since there is such a small group of possible suspects there is a chance the thief will be caught.

They will seize all of the thief's assets so even if he sold the BTC there is a chance we might get paid back.

Of course, I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen.

But in the mean time I am suggesting that any claim on any of the recovered funds will probably involve proving you have the swept or accidentally unfunded coin.

So my suggestion is to keep your coins and do not sell them to all of these people saying they want to buy the silver unless you are aware that you may not be able to make a future claim - the buyer will get any future claim.

Seller beware.  Just a thought.

[Fortify]

There is a possibility they will catch the thief.  It is a very stupid crime.  There is a very small finite group of people that ever had access to the lists of private keys.  The thief is one of those people.  Since there is such a small group of possible suspects there is a chance the thief will be caught.

They will seize all of the thief's assets so even if he sold the BTC there is a chance we might get paid back.

Of course, I am not holding my breath waiting for this to happen.

But in the mean time I am suggesting that any claim on any of the recovered funds will probably involve proving you have the swept or accidentally unfunded coin.

So my suggestion is to keep your coins and do not sell them to all of these people saying they want to buy the silver unless you are aware that you may not be able to make a future claim - the buyer will get any future claim.

Seller beware.  Just a thought.

You're assuming they had proper security in place on the system they used to create the keys and disposed of it correctly. If it was ever connected to a network, anybody on the planet with an internet connection could have downloaded the information - not that it removes their responsibility. Also, if the system was sold off and not properly wiped - recovery of files could have taken place later and they'll never know the culprit.

[BurtW]

You're assuming they had proper security in place on the system they used to create the keys and disposed of it correctly. If it was ever connected to a network, anybody on the planet with an internet connection could have downloaded the information - not that it removes their responsibility. Also, if the system was sold off and not properly wiped - recovery of files could have taken place later and they'll never know the culprit.

We don't have to assume, we know:  they very obviously did not have proper security in place.

You have two good ideas there that they can use in the investigation (was the system connected, were any disk drives thrown away, etc.)  very good lines of inquiry.

As far as responsibility goes they are putting a reimbursement procedure in place and, in fact, have already sent out some reimbursements.  He is taking out a loan to by the BTC necessary to do all the reimbursements.  He has taken full responsibility while working to find the thief or thieves.

[BurtW]

They are reimbursing everyone so maybe we can close this scam thread and remove his negative trust?

My reimbursement:

https://blockchain.info/tx/041b29ee19c31708502389cf1e8e974ec3b2398e91561a9c98b31ec80bac4dde

[bitenvy]

They are reimbursing everyone so maybe we can close this scam thread and remove his negative trust?

My reimbursement:

https://blockchain.info/tx/041b29ee19c31708502389cf1e8e974ec3b2398e91561a9c98b31ec80bac4dde

Someone within the company stole the funds.  This directly reflects trust with JR and Richard because they were responsible for securing the private keys.  They (the company) cannot be trusted.  Yes, they repaid a few of us and only the "value" of the funds stolen on the coins.  I don't know about you, but I paid much more than 2 BTC for coins that don't have the collectability that it once had.  We still don't know a lot of information.  How many were affected?  How many people were refunded (guessing less than a handful of the 66+ coins).  But, until they provide proof that either they caught the thief or they didn't do it, the negative trust remains.  So, I await proof of the above.