How Coinbase stole my life savings.

[Geupper]

Hello, my name is Gabriel, and I'm from Venezuela. My native tongue is spanish so if my English is rubbish, please excuse me.

I'm really new in this whole crypto-currency thing. I only have like one month holding BTC and trading.

I was really excited in this whole world of trading and holding BTC until June 5th of days ago, in which I opened my Coinbase account. One friend told me its the best wallet to keep my BTC in, because a number of reasons I don't remember now. I used to have my BTC in my Bittrex account.

So, to test my new account, and because I was bored and I wanted to see the functions Coinbase had to offer, I send part of my life savings to my Coinbase account, which were 0.10526017 BTC.
I know, I know, for you guys 0.10526017 BTC doesn't sound as much, but for me its a lot. My country is in a deep financial crisis and that amount of money its a lot here.

One hour passes, two, three and I'm getting worried because it doesn't even show as pending.
The day after, I wake up and check my account. The transaction history is empty, no transactions made, not a single transaction as pending.

So I contact Coinbase support and explain the situation, I send them all the information I have, which is the wallet I sent the BTC to, which was 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd, the TXID, which is 43c00c1d392583879e913427d15e80895609dbf2e064a4b7ab8bcc35e39eaafb, and then I wait. They reply 12 hours after saying that they don't have support for my country, as you can see in this mail:

http://imgur.com/e9UAD52

I reply the mail saying I don't find any other way to resolve this issue.

Later that day one friend told me that maybe I sent the BTC to the wrong wallet. But I didn't. I'm really aware of what I'm doing every time I send BTC and I checked a LOT before sending that amount of money because I knew it was a lot to me. Also another friend experimented and sent me 0.005 BTC to the 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd wallet and it happened the same, it never arrived.

I also made sure that my Bittrex wallet, which is 14uSznbSoLJe1pxWXxpVskyAdTBfASV1DT and works PERFECTLY doesn't have the BTC I sent to the full of flaws Coinbase address. And it doesnt.

I'm very sad as I write this post, but what the hell, I guess shit happens.

Stay aware guys, because 0.105 BTC was my fortune, and it could happen to you guys.

Edit: This is also my first post in this community, hi!

[daemonfox]

OK you and others did something wrong...

Look here this is the address you said you sent BTC to Coinbase... this address has over 10 BTc in it... it is not yours lol... you made a mistake somewhere.

https://blockchain.info/address/13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd

[Geupper]

OK you and others did something wrong...

Look here this is the address you said you sent BTC to Coinbase... this address has over 10 BTc in it... it is not yours lol... you made a mistake somewhere.

https://blockchain.info/address/13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd

Impossible, I did everything normally.  Went to my coinbase account, then to my wallets, BTC wallet and I copied the exact same Wallet ID they gave me and pasted it.

[daemonfox]

OK you and others did something wrong...

Look here this is the address you said you sent BTC to Coinbase... this address has over 10 BTc in it... it is not yours lol... you made a mistake somewhere.

https://blockchain.info/address/13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd

Impossible, I did everything normally.  Went to my coinbase account, then to my wallets, BTC wallet and I copied the exact same Wallet ID they gave me and pasted it.

Hey check the link i posted... blockchain does not lie.

Care to link a pic of the wallet QR code and key for comparison?

Also, just to check did you click My Wallet or BTC Vault?

[Geupper]

Hey check the link i posted... blockchain does not lie.

Care to link a pic of the wallet QR code and key for comparison?

Oh noes! I'm not saying that you nor the blockchain are lying, excuse me. But that's what it happened, that's the wallet they gave me.
And I'm willing to show any pic you guys like, of course. By Wallet QR code and key you mean my current Coinbase Wallet QR code and key?

[daemonfox]

Oh noes! I'm not saying that you nor the blockchain are lying, excuse me. But that's what it happened, that's the wallet they gave me.
And I'm willing to show any pic you guys like, of course. By Wallet QR code and key you mean my current Coinbase Wallet QR code and key?

I get it, and I know it is a suck place to be... but yes if you post a pic of what you get from Coinbase... maybe it will reveal what really happened.

Also, I can't help but wonder if you maybe hit a fake site instead of the real Coinbase. There is an awful lot of BTC going to that address the last few days.

[Geupper]

I get it, and I know it is a suck place to be... but yes if you post a pic of what you get from Coinbase... maybe it will reveal what really happened.

Also, I can't help but wonder if you maybe hit a fake site instead of the real Coinbase. There is an awful lot of BTC going to that address the last few days.
[/quote]


It truly sucks, I was going to buy my first GPU with that money.

And your theory its a good ne, about a fake Coinbase address, but that crossed my mind already, and I'm 100% positive I used the correct site. Just checked my website history just in case, and nope, only good ol' original Coinbase.

Here's the pic, btw:
I removed the link.

[daemonfox]

That is odd... at what point did the address change to the one in the pic... obviously you can see what is there now no longer matches the address you sent BTC to.

Coinbase is the only one that can assist any further. While I know it is crap to have to be without that coin for now... you may not be out completely. If Coinbase does determine something went wrong, your coins can be tracked.

[Geupper]

That is odd... at what point did the address change to the one in the pic... obviously you can see what is there now no longer matches the address you sent BTC to.

Coinbase is the only one that can assist any further. While I know it is crap to have to be without that coin for now... you may not be out completely. If Coinbase does determine something went wrong, your coins can be tracked.

4 days passed and no response. I think my money its lost.

The address in the pic is new, I think its from today. My address also changed two hours after I made the first transaction, the one in which I lost my money.

[aTriz]

Hello, my name is Gabriel, and I'm from Venezuela. My native tongue is spanish so if my English is rubbish, please excuse me.

I'm really new in this whole crypto-currency thing. I only have like one month holding BTC and trading.

I was really excited in this whole world of trading and holding BTC until June 5th of days ago, in which I opened my Coinbase account. One friend told me its the best wallet to keep my BTC in, because a number of reasons I don't remember now. I used to have my BTC in my Bittrex account.

So, to test my new account, and because I was bored and I wanted to see the functions Coinbase had to offer, I send part of my life savings to my Coinbase account, which were 0.10526017 BTC.
I know, I know, for you guys 0.10526017 BTC doesn't sound as much, but for me its a lot. My country is in a deep financial crisis and that amount of money its a lot here.

One hour passes, two, three and I'm getting worried because it doesn't even show as pending.
The day after, I wake up and check my account. The transaction history is empty, no transactions made, not a single transaction as pending.

So I contact Coinbase support and explain the situation, I send them all the information I have, which is the wallet I sent the BTC to, which was 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd, the TXID, which is 43c00c1d392583879e913427d15e80895609dbf2e064a4b7ab8bcc35e39eaafb, and then I wait. They reply 12 hours after saying that they don't have support for my country, as you can see in this mail:



I reply the mail saying I don't find any other way to resolve this issue.

Later that day one friend told me that maybe I sent the BTC to the wrong wallet. But I didn't. I'm really aware of what I'm doing every time I send BTC and I checked a LOT before sending that amount of money because I knew it was a lot to me. Also another friend experimented and sent me 0.005 BTC to the 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd wallet and it happened the same, it never arrived.

I also made sure that my Bittrex wallet, which is 1EF8xcVaGixRpzM2saTBBrjEB7sTPtkEWt and works PERFECTLY doesn't have the BTC I sent to the full of flaws Coinbase address. And it doesnt.

I'm very sad as I write this post, but what the hell, I guess shit happens.

Stay aware guys, because 0.105 BTC was my fortune, and it could happen to you guys.

Edit: This is also my first post in this community, hi!

This is odd. I have used coinbase and continue to use it's services. And I have never seen this sort of problem occurring. The most common problem is instead people's accounts getting frozen and they are forced to withdraw their bitcoin because they used the funds to gamble or buy drugs etc.

As daemonfox said, the address doesn't look right. It is highly probable that you sent the bitcoin to another wallet. To verify this go to your account, pretty sure in settings somewhere you can see all the addressed that are associated with your accounts and you can sign messages from them.

Sorry that your first bitcoin experience is so terrible.

[Geupper]

Hello, my name is Gabriel, and I'm from Venezuela. My native tongue is spanish so if my English is rubbish, please excuse me.

I'm really new in this whole crypto-currency thing. I only have like one month holding BTC and trading.

I was really excited in this whole world of trading and holding BTC until June 5th of days ago, in which I opened my Coinbase account. One friend told me its the best wallet to keep my BTC in, because a number of reasons I don't remember now. I used to have my BTC in my Bittrex account.

So, to test my new account, and because I was bored and I wanted to see the functions Coinbase had to offer, I send part of my life savings to my Coinbase account, which were 0.10526017 BTC.
I know, I know, for you guys 0.10526017 BTC doesn't sound as much, but for me its a lot. My country is in a deep financial crisis and that amount of money its a lot here.

One hour passes, two, three and I'm getting worried because it doesn't even show as pending.
The day after, I wake up and check my account. The transaction history is empty, no transactions made, not a single transaction as pending.

So I contact Coinbase support and explain the situation, I send them all the information I have, which is the wallet I sent the BTC to, which was 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd, the TXID, which is 43c00c1d392583879e913427d15e80895609dbf2e064a4b7ab8bcc35e39eaafb, and then I wait. They reply 12 hours after saying that they don't have support for my country, as you can see in this mail:

http://imgur.com/e9UAD52

I reply the mail saying I don't find any other way to resolve this issue.

Later that day one friend told me that maybe I sent the BTC to the wrong wallet. But I didn't. I'm really aware of what I'm doing every time I send BTC and I checked a LOT before sending that amount of money because I knew it was a lot to me. Also another friend experimented and sent me 0.005 BTC to the 13AqmiwoRwR6grdFZSWQ1tDxDN9qkhwaPd wallet and it happened the same, it never arrived.

I also made sure that my Bittrex wallet, which is 1EF8xcVaGixRpzM2saTBBrjEB7sTPtkEWt and works PERFECTLY doesn't have the BTC I sent to the full of flaws Coinbase address. And it doesnt.

I'm very sad as I write this post, but what the hell, I guess shit happens.

Stay aware guys, because 0.105 BTC was my fortune, and it could happen to you guys.

Edit: This is also my first post in this community, hi!

This is odd. I have used coinbase and continue to use it's services. And I have never seen this sort of problem occurring. The most common problem is instead people's accounts getting frozen and they are forced to withdraw their bitcoin because they used the funds to gamble or buy drugs etc.

As daemonfox said, the address doesn't look right. It is highly probable that you sent the bitcoin to another wallet. To verify this go to your account, pretty sure in settings somewhere you can see all the addressed that are associated with your accounts and you can sign messages from them.

Sorry that your first bitcoin experience is so terrible.

I know I'm a newbie in this whole crypto-thingies but I'm 100% confident in my self that I did everything correctly, I copied the same wallet ID they gave me and used it.

Also something really odd is happening right now in my Coinbase Community post (I posted there as well asking for help). There's multiple people (Which I don't know any) saying that they sent me money to that same wallet ID and they want it back.

Like this guy http://imgur.com/dVl6fqF

I don't know any of this guys sending me money, they're all saying that it was a mistake and they want it back. Coinbase is weird, and I can't help but thinking their users are mocking me and my situation.

By the way, thanks for the gentle words! Don't be sorry, its no-ones fault.

[xobloot]

Looks to me more like a malware that changes the address in the web page you used at Coinbase. That particular wallet address shows up on the internet in the strangest places:

Alameda County Foreclosure listings:

https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/CA/Alameda-County/Trustees-Sales

Some random Wordpress blog:

https://supportantivirusblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/13aqmiworwr6grdfzswq1tdxdn9qkhwapd/

Here's a post on a different forum talking about a similar situation involving the exact same wallet:

https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@anubhav/bitcoin-virus-bug-hack-worm-steemitians-you-are-been-warned

[cunicula]

To make the matter worse, I am sure you were victim of clipboard virus.

[Geupper]

To make the matter worse, I am sure you were victim of clipboard virus.

Jesus, this is so devastating, all my savings lost due to a virus.

Looks to me more like a malware that changes the address in the web page you used at Coinbase. That particular wallet address shows up on the internet in the strangest places:

Alameda County Foreclosure listings:

https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/CA/Alameda-County/Trustees-Sales

Some random Wordpress blog:

https://supportantivirusblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/13aqmiworwr6grdfzswq1tdxdn9qkhwapd/

Here's a post on a different forum talking about a similar situation involving the exact same wallet:

https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@anubhav/bitcoin-virus-bug-hack-worm-steemitians-you-are-been-warned

Thanks for being so helpful, guys

[cunicula]

To make the matter worse, I am sure you were victim of clipboard virus.

Jesus, this is so devastating, all my savings lost due to a virus.

Yes its a very interesting Type of virus which only changes the address to the child-parent address of the coder who created that virus.
The first create of the virus was Infinity Technology on Dark net.
Generally people who want to download bitcoin hack tools(which really doesnot exist) become the victim of this.

[cunicula]

Well guys, thanks for being so helpful, I'm just really desperate here and I don't know if you guys find it insulting or against your rules but I really need my 0.1 BTC back, I'm leaving my Bitrex wallet ID at the mercy of you guys generosity and kindness, and thanks again for everything, its been a couple of stressful days.
1EF8xcVaGixRpzM2saTBBrjEB7sTPtkEWt

That's the worst part..

[Geupper]

Well guys, thanks for being so helpful, I'm just really desperate here and I don't know if you guys find it insulting or against your rules but I really need my 0.1 BTC back, I'm leaving my Bitrex wallet ID at the mercy of you guys generosity and kindness, and thanks again for everything, its been a couple of stressful days.
1EF8xcVaGixRpzM2saTBBrjEB7sTPtkEWt

That's the worst part..

I'm sorry. I guess a lot of you guys won't understand my situation.

[daemonfox]

I am very sorry to hear the end result was clipboard virus.

To date, that specific campaign has well over 10 BTC... they have made $30K USD using that virus... ugh.

This is why for the most part, I only send to Coinbase to sell... and Coinbase NEVER changes your address... so that was a super red flag.

I would suggest you be even more careful moving forward by doing the following:

CLEAN THAT PC - fresh install just do it.
You mine? Got an AMD GPU? Find a copy of Vanitygen, follow the directions and hash yourself your own address, pubkey and privkey... it is not hard and once you have that address... copy those keys to paper in triplicate and put them somewhere safe. That is a paper wallet, and if you familiarize yourself with your vanity address... you know you always have a safe place to send BTC for long term storage.
When the day comes that you want to send coins, simply import your privkey to a wallet and the coins will be there for you to send.

[Quickseller]

Looks to me more like a malware that changes the address in the web page you used at Coinbase. That particular wallet address shows up on the internet in the strangest places:

Alameda County Foreclosure listings:

https://www.propertyshark.com/mason/CA/Alameda-County/Trustees-Sales

Some random Wordpress blog:

https://supportantivirusblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/26/13aqmiworwr6grdfzswq1tdxdn9qkhwapd/

Here's a post on a different forum talking about a similar situation involving the exact same wallet:

https://steemit.com/bitcoin/@anubhav/bitcoin-virus-bug-hack-worm-steemitians-you-are-been-warned

I was not able to find that address on the foreclosure listing website, however I would guess that someone creating a listing had the same virus and copied something from their clipboard when they created the listing.

The third site is a warning to others and is somewhat expected.

The Wordpress site seems to be designed for what is likely SEO purposes. It is possible that the creator of the virus created that site in the hopes that people would google that address find that site and call those customer support numbers (assuming those phone numbers are some kind of scam).

[Spoetnik]

I bet it's the clip-board virus too !

I looked on Google and i see another guy bitching about it.

To make sure you are clean now.. as soon as possible do the following.
Copy the Coinbase address into a new blank text file.
COMPARE !
Now does it match what you see on Coinbase ?
If not ? YOU ARE STILL INFECTED !

I heard of this virus before seeing this topic too.

Another thing to watch out for is lots and lots of Ransomware.
Avoid downloading anything ever unless you really need it is my advice.

Also i seen another exploit years ago where a guy got his account cleaned out on Cryptsy.
He used to always use Google to launch the Cryptsy web site.. his big mistake.
He would open his browser then type into Google "Cryptsy" then click on the first search result.
So what happened was is the first result ended up being a fake malicious site..
When he clicked on it.. the bad site stole his session cookie and the hacker broke into his account and stole all his coins.

The cookie attack may not work anymore but it's still a very vulnerable insecure way to get to the exchange.
Create a browser bookmark instead