Created a new address in bitcoin-qt, and it already contains 0,001 BTC ???

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened??  

[btceic]

its got 6+ btc in it now, lucky you!

could this be a bug?

[bradyon]

could it be a hard collision?

[wtfvanity]

its got 6+ btc in it now, lucky you!

could this be a bug?

No it doesn't, he linked you to the transaction, not the coin address.

[btceic]

its got 6+ btc in it now, lucky you!

could this be a bug?

No it doesn't, he linked you to the transaction, not the coin address.

ahh my mistake, thanks for clarifying.

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened?? 

UPDATE:

The address to which I received 0.001 BTC is https://blockchain.info/address/12k71HDvr3me6ttLr43uMgCCAhgLXNJs8T

It seems to be my "change" address (which was "hidden" inside the client from my view, but used for receiving change before??) because the first transaction to it, is at 2013-05-07 23:54:20, from my other address.

BUT! It DOES NOT explain, why, and from where, there is a 2013-07-11 08:00:19 transaction of 0.001 BTC to it. It was about 12 hours ago, and I have not received of sent any BTC for 10 days.

[franky1]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened??  

your randomly created change address seems to be one of the many millions of addresses already in use. you have just won the lottery.

i suggest not using that address as obviously someone else has it too..

i dont think this is the first time a address 'collision' has occured which is why v9 of bitcoin-QT will start using messaged to allow recognition of transactions, to avoid merchants using fresh addresses per transaction. thus reducing the chances of 'collisions' becoming a regular thing.

most people think that there is no chance of a collision unless you create billions of addresses. the actual fact is that you have 1 chance WITHIN those billions of addresses.. so it could be the 10th address you make or the 9,999,999,999th address or so on.

[wtfvanity]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened?? 

UPDATE:

The address to which I received 0.001 BTC is https://blockchain.info/address/12k71HDvr3me6ttLr43uMgCCAhgLXNJs8T

It seems to be my "change" address (which was "hidden" inside the client from my view, but used for receiving change before??) because the first transaction to it, is at 2013-05-07 23:54:20, from my other address.

BUT! It DOES NOT explain, why, and from where, there is a 2013-07-11 08:00:19 transaction of 0.001 BTC to it. It was about 12 hours ago, and I have not received of sent any BTC for 10 days.

Rescan your wallet, there should be over 8 BTC stored on it.

Did you ever backup your wallet and restore it? Bitcoin QT pregenerates a bunch of addresses that you never see. If you restored your wallet, you may not have scanned the whole block chain. You might have 8 more coins that you don't know about. Start bitcoin qt up with the -rescan flag.

[wtfvanity]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened?? 

your random address happen to be one of the many millions of addresses already in use. you have just won the lottery.

i suggest not using that address as obviously someone else has it too..

i dont think this is the first time a address 'collision' has occured which is why v9 of bitcoin-QT will start using messaged to allow recognition of transactions, to avoid merchants using fresh addresses per transaction. thus reducing the chances of 'collisions' becoming a regular thing.

most people think that there is no chance of a collision unless you create billions of addresses. the actual fact is that you have 1 chance WITHIN those billions of addresses.. so it could be the 10th address you make or the 9,999,999,999th address or so on.

wtf are you talking about? Stop spreading FUD.

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

Rescan your wallet, there should be over 8 BTC stored on it.

Did you ever backup your wallet and restore it? Bitcoin QT pregenerates a bunch of addresses that you never see. If you restored your wallet, you may not have scanned the whole block chain. You might have 8 more coins that you don't know about. Start bitcoin qt up with the -rescan flag.

There are over 20 BTC in my wallet, and the 8 BTC are counted in (I believe, but will try to rescan just to be sure).

The weird thing is, that I did not send or receive any transactions in 10 days, so how can there be a transaction to my "hidden" address (which I obviously never gave to anyone) dating just 12 hours ago?

[wtfvanity]

You don't own this address do you?

https://blockchain.info/address/1DSu8QqECJFFx9vmTp1MiT3PqHND6LLyTx

The address was already in the block chain. It is known. Someone sent you 0.001 BTC. You didn't get it as change for yourself. The address you posted, has been public since May.

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

You don't own this address do you?

https://blockchain.info/address/1DSu8QqECJFFx9vmTp1MiT3PqHND6LLyTx

The address was already in the block chain. It is known. Someone sent you 0.001 BTC. You didn't get it as change for yourself. The address you posted, has been public since May.

No, I don't own this address.

I agree, that actually it has been public since May (on the blockchain), but I never gave it to anyone as an address to pay to.

So, the most realistic explanation that seems possible to me, is the same as yours - that someone randomly sent me 0.001 BTC.

Then the question is - WHY?

In the same transaction that sent me 0.001, it also sent 0.001 BTC to hundreds of other addresses (and there were a few larger sums too).

I can only see two possible explanations to this:

1) someone is trying to create confusion and scare people, by trying to make them to believe, that an address collision has happened (because in theory this COULD be an explanation, although much less possible).
2) someone is trying to "launder" bitcoins, and even goes to the extreme of sending BTC to random people, to better hide the money trail.

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

I created a new bitcoin address in my bitcoin-qt client (0.8.2), and suddenly there is a transaction of 0.001 BTC to this address, with 88 confirmations already (although I created this address only a few seconds ago!).

This is the transaction number: https://blockchain.info/tx/f6f2e613f6653a3b47f92fd70ff4d1ccc847811294f734a5e9f310c5b9eb063a

WTF just happened??  

your randomly created change address seems to be one of the many millions of addresses already in use. you have just won the lottery.

i suggest not using that address as obviously someone else has it too..

i dont think this is the first time a address 'collision' has occured which is why v9 of bitcoin-QT will start using messaged to allow recognition of transactions, to avoid merchants using fresh addresses per transaction. thus reducing the chances of 'collisions' becoming a regular thing.

most people think that there is no chance of a collision unless you create billions of addresses. the actual fact is that you have 1 chance WITHIN those billions of addresses.. so it could be the 10th address you make or the 9,999,999,999th address or so on.

Even with trillions of addresses, there would still be no collision. 2^256 is a very big number, almost as all the atoms in the visible universe.

[wtfvanity]

your randomly created change address seems to be one of the many millions of addresses already in use. you have just won the lottery.

i suggest not using that address as obviously someone else has it too..

i dont think this is the first time a address 'collision' has occured which is why v9 of bitcoin-QT will start using messaged to allow recognition of transactions, to avoid merchants using fresh addresses per transaction. thus reducing the chances of 'collisions' becoming a regular thing.

most people think that there is no chance of a collision unless you create billions of addresses. the actual fact is that you have 1 chance WITHIN those billions of addresses.. so it could be the 10th address you make or the 9,999,999,999th address or so on.

Even with trillions of addresses, there would still be no collision. 2^256 is a very big number, almost as all the atoms in the visible universe.

He probably can't understand how big 256 is let alone 2^256. I didn't even think it was worth arguing it's so stupid and has been discussed endlessly.

You don't own this address do you?

https://blockchain.info/address/1DSu8QqECJFFx9vmTp1MiT3PqHND6LLyTx

The address was already in the block chain. It is known. Someone sent you 0.001 BTC. You didn't get it as change for yourself. The address you posted, has been public since May.

No, I don't own this address.

I agree, that actually it has been public since May (on the blockchain), but I never gave it to anyone as an address to pay to.

So, the most realistic explanation that seems possible to me, is the same as yours - that someone randomly sent me 0.001 BTC.

Then the question is - WHY?

In the same transaction that sent me 0.001, it also sent 0.001 BTC to hundreds of other addresses (and there were a few larger sums too).

I can only see two possible explanations to this:

1) someone is trying to create confusion and scare people, by trying to make them to believe, that an address collision has happened (because in theory this COULD be an explanation, although much less possible).
2) someone is trying to "launder" bitcoins, and even goes to the extreme of sending BTC to random people, to better hide the money trail.

I don't have an answer for this. It would be interesting if we could find out who owns it or noticed a pattern with it. Who knows.

I'd still be curious on your rescan though if it turns up an extra 8.

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

Even with trillions of addresses, there would still be no collision. 2^256 is a very big number, almost as all the atoms in the visible universe.

I agree, that collision is (almost) impossible, but this could be used to create panic between those who do not understand bitcoin very well.

I think this could potentially be very serious (a social "attack" to ruin bitcoin's reputation?), and should be looked into further.

There will be (at least) hundreds of bitcoin users, who will think that their "newly created address" already contains BTC (as I thought at first), and if they are not familiar with bitcoin, they may very well decide it must be an address collision (suspicious fact - the first "answers" to my question "what happened?" were exactly that - "collision!"; luckily I myself know about bitcoin too much, to believe that that was the case, but many others could be easily convinced that it was collision).

I said there will be hundreds (of bitcoin users affected), only judging from this one transaction that I know of. In reality, there may have been hundreds of such transactions, ant the number of such users could be tens of thousands.

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

I don't have an answer for this. It would be interesting if we could find out who owns it or noticed a pattern with it. Who knows.

I'd still be curious on your rescan though if it turns up an extra 8.

Rescanned it. As I expected, no "extra" BTC.

[wtfvanity]

I don't have an answer for this. It would be interesting if we could find out who owns it or noticed a pattern with it. Who knows.

I'd still be curious on your rescan though if it turns up an extra 8.

Rescanned it. As I expected, no "extra" BTC.

Then I'm wondering if your first post isn't quite accurate.

In your transaction list, do you see the 8 btc transaction back in May? Did you create a new address and think it was this one by selecting not the newly created one, but this slightly older one? Also coincidentally, this transaction happened and you didn't notice it until after you made the new address?

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

I don't have an answer for this. It would be interesting if we could find out who owns it or noticed a pattern with it. Who knows.

I'd still be curious on your rescan though if it turns up an extra 8.

Rescanned it. As I expected, no "extra" BTC.

Then I'm wondering if your first post isn't quite accurate.

In your transaction list, do you see the 8 btc transaction back in May? Did you create a new address and think it was this one by selecting not the newly created one, but this slightly older one? Also coincidentally, this transaction happened and you didn't notice it until after you made the new address?

I have made an outgoing transaction of 0.16 BTC in 2013-05-07 23:54:20 from 1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftzzmxJvnumK (mine) to another address (not mine).

https://blockchain.info/tx/28151d2b28920bace33463573f25679405cb4658cc0b4fbf73fcd9f04791c28e

0.16 BTC got sent to that address, and 8.12392643 BTC was sent to 12dcw9xbN1sj5FPjTVg5CThXjLbLv5Wu2S as change.

That is all fine, the problem is - who and why sent me 0.001 BTC to this half-hidden address on 2013-07-11 08:00:19

[wtfvanity]

Even with trillions of addresses, there would still be no collision. 2^256 is a very big number, almost as all the atoms in the visible universe.

I agree, that collision is (almost) impossible, but this could be used to create panic between those who do not understand bitcoin very well.

I think this could potentially be very serious (a social "attack" to ruin bitcoin's reputation?), and should be looked into further.

There will be (at least) hundreds of bitcoin users, who will think that their "newly created address" already contains BTC (as I thought at first), and if they are not familiar with bitcoin, they may very well decide it must be an address collision (suspicious fact - the first "answers" to my question "what happened?" were exactly that - "collision!"; luckily I myself know about bitcoin too much, to believe that that was the case, but many others could be easily convinced that it was collision).

I said there will be hundreds (of bitcoin users affected), only judging from this one transaction that I know of. In reality, there may have been hundreds of such transactions, ant the number of such users could be tens of thousands.

Let's toss a number of stars out there per galaxy. 1 trillion. 10^12  (Galaxies range from 10^7 - 10^14) 1,000,000,000
Let's almost halve the number of galaxies in the observable universe and call it a nice round 100 billion or 10^11 100,000,000

That gives us 10^23 stars in the universe.

2^256 always sounded confusing to me. Let's round it down to a nice even 10^77 power.

If you generated as many bitcoin addresses as all the stars in the universe (so the 1 trillion times 100 billion)
Then Sha hashes / number of stars in the universe equals

Your chances of collision are then 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Give or take a few zeroes because I'm not trying too hard here.

So... no, it's not going to happen.

If EVERY single person on this planet (round up to 10 billion just for fun) also generated 10^23 addresses...

The chance of ONE person generating a collision increases all the way to 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Get the point?

[1PFYcabWEwZFm2Ez5LGTx3ftz]

Even with trillions of addresses, there would still be no collision. 2^256 is a very big number, almost as all the atoms in the visible universe.

I agree, that collision is (almost) impossible, but this could be used to create panic between those who do not understand bitcoin very well.

I think this could potentially be very serious (a social "attack" to ruin bitcoin's reputation?), and should be looked into further.

There will be (at least) hundreds of bitcoin users, who will think that their "newly created address" already contains BTC (as I thought at first), and if they are not familiar with bitcoin, they may very well decide it must be an address collision (suspicious fact - the first "answers" to my question "what happened?" were exactly that - "collision!"; luckily I myself know about bitcoin too much, to believe that that was the case, but many others could be easily convinced that it was collision).

I said there will be hundreds (of bitcoin users affected), only judging from this one transaction that I know of. In reality, there may have been hundreds of such transactions, ant the number of such users could be tens of thousands.

Let's toss a number of stars out there per galaxy. 1 trillion. 10^12  (Galaxies range from 10^7 - 10^14) 1,000,000,000
Let's almost halve the number of galaxies in the observable universe and call it a nice round 100 billion or 10^11 100,000,000

That gives us 10^23 stars in the universe.

2^256 always sounded confusing to me. Let's round it down to a nice even 10^77 power.

If you generated as many bitcoin addresses as all the stars in the universe (so the 1 trillion times 100 billion)
Then Sha hashes / number of stars in the universe equals

Your chances of collision are then 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Give or take a few zeroes because I'm not trying too hard here.

So... no, it's not going to happen.

If EVERY single person on this planet (round up to 10 billion just for fun) also generated 10^23 addresses...

The chance of ONE person generating a collision increases all the way to 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Get the point?

Yes, you misread what I wrote.

I KNOW, that collision is impossible.

When I said "there will be hundreds (of bitcoin users affected)" I meant, that there will be hundreds of users who will receive 0.001 BTC randomly, and therefore, there will be hundreds of users who will THINK, that collision happened.