Has my transaction been hacked? reward offered

[ncs]

I transferred 5.xx BTC from exchange to wallet (exodus). It appeared as pending last night, but this morning the balance is zero.

At https://live.blockcypher.com/btc/address/1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g/

there are two unconfirmed transactions, one from my exchange to wallet, and the other to an unknown address. The unknown (unauthorised) transaction id is a0dacd03adade45cd3d31bd95f500c1504fb9d8a5d472b827eb38bf282478467

If I follow the BTC addresses from this transaction it ends up at this address: 15BnKdh67z8QViNot6WSovLEjemeNt27Fs

If anyone could answer the following I would be most grateful:

a. Have I been hacked and are my will my BTC be stolen?
b. If so can someone explain how a transaction for 5.xx BTC can be initiated from an empty wallet/address (there were no BTC at that address when I sent them from the exchange, and the first transaction has not yet been confirmed)
c. Is it possible to cancel this transaction as it is the second one in the list, and the first one (approved one) is yet to confirm.
d. If my BTC has been stolen, can I find out who owns the address and ask them for my BTC back (wishful thinking)

I feel like my $ are being stolen slow time, as I'm watching the first transaction to confirm, only to believe the next one will immediately remove them. Very painful.

I will give a decent reward for anyone who can solve this for me and get me my BTC.

thanks

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[racquemis]

What is your receiving BTC address? Is it 1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g ?

[ncs]

yes; correct. That is my wallet address

[racquemis]

At 2017-12-19 10:15:45 you received 5.2299 BTC but a few minutes later, at 2017-12-19 10:34:50 it was send out again.
Both transactions gave not yet been confirmed however.

[racquemis]

Follow up:

With Exodus you can not do anything... you might be able to recover with Bitcoin core but only if the transaction drops from the mempool if i am correct.

[ncs]

do you know how a transaction can be sent out without first being confirmed?

how does a transaction drop from the mempool(can this be checked?), and how can I recover with Bitcoin core?

thanks for your time, I really appreciate it

[racquemis]

Look here:

https://blockchain.info/address/1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g

This is (according to you) yuor BTC address.

The incoming transaction has to low fees, only 24.67 sat/B
The outgoing transaction has enough fee but can never get confirmed if the incoming does not get confirmed

You will need one of the bitcoin core specialists here to try to resolve this

[ncs]

do you know one? how do I find a bitcoin core specialist?

thanks

[DannyHamilton]

What wallet did you use to create the 1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g address?

If you have access to the private key (for example, if you used Bitcoin Core or Electrum to create that address), then you can sign and broadcast the following transaction.  This will have a chance of moving the bitcoins out of the thief's reach:

Code:

0200000001a8416eb51ec474492de237e7d6c7c8d181e4480fd49004a6efcc63b89e3aba7e0200000000ffffffff0140d40d1f000000001976a91433330dc0339251333874c166688faa40dc0698bc88ac00000000

That transaction will pay a transaction fee of 0.01995866 BTC to the miners to encourage them to confirm that transaction INSTEAD of the thief's transaction. I can change that fee to any amount you prefer before you sign it, but keep in mind that the higher the fee, the more likely that we can get a miner to accept the replacement transaction instead of the thief's.

It will move the remaining 5.21 BTC to the address 15fid4LjGXFpVv8erZA2HcvqgQTcrXyjgk, which is a secure address where I have exclusive access to the private key.

If this replacement transaction confirms, I'll happily forward the 5.21 BTC (minus a small transaction fee for the miner) to any address that you feel is secure.

do you know how a transaction can be sent out without first being confirmed?

It is easy to do.  Happens all the time. As you can see above, I've just created a transaction that spends those same bitcoins. Sending a transaction does not require the funding transaction to confirm.

a. Have I been hacked and are my will my BTC be stolen?

Possibly.  Possibly not. That depends on what wallet you are using.

If you are using an account at a service (such as at Coinbase.com), then that second transaction could just be the service moving the bitcoins to cold storage.  If you are using a software wallet that runs on your own computer, then you probably have malware on your computer that stole the private key as soon as you created the address.

b. If so can someone explain how a transaction for 5.xx BTC can be initiated from an empty wallet/address (there were no BTC at that address when I sent them from the exchange, and the first transaction has not yet been confirmed)

Spending bitcoins doesn't require them to be confirmed.

c. Is it possible to cancel this transaction as it is the second one in the list, and the first one (approved one) is yet to confirm.

It is not possible to cancel a transaction.  It is possible to create a competing transaction that has a good chance of being confirmed.  If the competing transaction confirms then the original will become invalid and will disappear.

d. If my BTC has been stolen, can I find out who owns the address and ask them for my BTC back (wishful thinking)

You can search your computer for malware to determine how the thief gained access to your private keys.  It is unlikely that you'll be able to determine what thief created the malware.

[Thirdspace]

What wallet did you use to create the 1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g address?

If you have access to the private key (for example, if you used Bitcoin Core or Electrum to create that address), then you can sign and broadcast the following transaction.  This will have a chance of moving the bitcoins out of the thief's reach:

I transferred 5.xx BTC from exchange to wallet (exodus). It appeared as pending last night, but this morning the balance is zero.

He said he uses exodus wallet. I'm not familiar with the wallet, can't comment much
but one thing for sure, if you didn't make that transaction you should immediately do what DannyHamilton said
the important thing you should try double spend attempt and move your fund somewhere safe first
you still have a chance to save your 5 BTC by sacrificing some for very high tx fee to get your tx prioritized for confirmation
do it fast and now when network is congested so that your double spend attempt will be queued above the rogue tx

[DannyHamilton]

What wallet did you use to create the 1DCVZer3a9h2oWCHj778e9zWatseehD69g address?

I transferred 5.xx BTC from exchange to wallet (exodus).

He said he uses exodus wallet.

Thanks, I had overlooked that.

ncs,

I don't know if Exodus provides a method of signing raw transactions.  If they do, and you can figure out how, then go ahead and sign and broadcast the transaction above as quickly as possible.  You need to get it out there before the thief's transaction confirms.

If Exodus is not capable of signing raw transactions, or you can't figure out how to sign and broadcast quickly, then I'd be happy to sign and broadcast it for you.  To do that I'd need to private key. It would be best not to share your private key publicly, so you can send it to me via PM, or you can request my email address in PM and I'll share it with you.

Instructions on exporting private keys from Exodus can be found here:
http://support.exodus.io/article/86-how-can-i-view-my-private-keys

It is generally a VERY VERY BAD IDEA to ever give anyone access to your private keys, but since your bitcoins are already being stolen, and you are in a hurry to try to prevent the theft, there isn't much risk and I don't have time to walk you through the process of importing into a wallet that allows you to sign the transaction and then the process of getting it signed and broadcast.

If you prefer to learn how to sign and broadcast transactions yourself, and prefer not to trust me with access to your private key, then after you export your private keys from Exodus, install Bitcoin Core on a computer.  Disconnect that computer from the internet (turn off the WiFi).  Then start up Bitcoin Core. Leave the internet turned off.  Bitcoin Core will be trying to synchronize with the network, and we don't need that to happen to accomplish what you want to do.  Synchronizing would just waste valuable time and eat up resources on your computer. By leaving the internet turned off, we prevent it from being able to synchronize.

Once you've got Bitcoin Core running on an offline computer, let me know and I'll take you through the next steps.

[ncs]

Hi Danny,

you are a legend, thank you.

Exodus support have garunteed me the BTC to my wallet, and have said that transaction had something to do with a shapeshift interface issue.

Exodus seems to have a good reputation, and I can't find any negative news about them.

I really appreciate your time in providing me an answer, and solution. I assume I can trust you as you have a good history with this site. Although I wouldn't have been 100% confident, it certainly appeared like the best solution.

When the BTC come into my wallet I will transfer some to you as a sign of my appreciation of the time you took to help me our

I am very grateful, thank you,

cheers
Nigel

[SKP_Trades]

Hi Guys, I have faced an issue very similar to the above. Hoping to get your views and suggestions on possible resolution.

I sent 2.27 BTC from one my wallet in one exchange (Coinsecure India) to another (Koinex India). However, the receiving exchange (Koinex) only credited 0.327 to my wallet. I have been trying to figure out what happened to the remaining ~1.94, and it appears from blockchain, that these were supposed to have been received at the destination wallet and then sent out to another address (unknown). However, in my Koinex account, I see neither a deposit nor a withdrawal.

All the transactions are in this link: https://blockchain.info/address/15Rvzpv3L4FTMxoVfxqWHrqu9UKzFEo3gy

What do you think might be going on here? How can Koinex not recognise the receipt and allow the withdrawal without my knowledge or authorisation? Is there a way for me to get the missing coins back?

Have tried all the channels to reach out to Koinex (tweets, emails, support requests, Facebook messages), but in vain…

Many thanks in advance for your help!

[DannyHamilton]

When the BTC come into my wallet I will transfer some to you as a sign of my appreciation of the time you took to help me our

I would prefer that you just make a commitment to continue to learn about how Bitcoin works, help others when you are able, and spend bitcoin at merchants and services that are willing to accept it.  That would be MUCH better for the long term success of Bitcoin than any amount you might send to me.

If you really want to go out of your way to do something for me...

The next time you are making a purchase at a small local merchant (hair stylist, barber, bakery, flower shop, etc), before you pull out your cash or credit card...

Make sure you have a mobile wallet with you that is loaded with enough bitcoins for the purchase (in case they surprisingly say "yes") and just ask, "Do you guys accept bitcoin?"

The answer will almost certainly be "No," but it will set the concept in their mind.  If enough people were to do that, then eventually some merchants would start to look into how they might be able to do so.  Those that don't, would still start to think about buying some of their own bitcoins, or finding out where they might be able to spend them.

[SKP_Trades]

On further digging, the bitcoins I lost ended up with https://blockchain.info/address/1NDyJtNTjmwk5xPNhjgAMu4HDHigtobu1s

Would really appreciate any help possible. Many thanks!

[Thirdspace]

Hi Guys, I have faced an issue very similar to the above. Hoping to get your views and suggestions on possible resolution.

I sent 2.27 BTC from one my wallet in one exchange (Coinsecure India) to another (Koinex India). However, the receiving exchange (Koinex) only credited 0.327 to my wallet. I have been trying to figure out what happened to the remaining ~1.94, and it appears from blockchain, that these were supposed to have been received at the destination wallet and then sent out to another address (unknown). However, in my Koinex account, I see neither a deposit nor a withdrawal.

All the transactions are in this link: https://blockchain.info/address/15Rvzpv3L4FTMxoVfxqWHrqu9UKzFEo3gy

What do you think might be going on here? How can Koinex not recognise the receipt and allow the withdrawal without my knowledge or authorisation? Is there a way for me to get the missing coins back?

Have tried all the channels to reach out to Koinex (tweets, emails, support requests, Facebook messages), but in vain…

Many thanks in advance for your help!

15Rvzpv3L4FTMxoVfxqWHrqu9UKzFEo3gy - (Spent) 1.94134309 BTC
15Rvzpv3L4FTMxoVfxqWHrqu9UKzFEo3gy - (Spent) 0.327584 BTC

it's a classic problem of inept deposit system.
your 2 withdrawals were processed and sent in 1 transaction by sender (Coinsecure India)
and the receiver (Koinex India) system failed to acknowledge them and only credited one
you MUST file a complain and send them a screenshot of block explorer showing 2 deposits in 1 txid
tell them their deposit system is flawed and they MUST credit your account accordingly

happened on Coinone Korea system too https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2562219.0

[SKP_Trades]

Thank you Thirdspace. This is certainly relieving. I am curious about this though: why does blockchain show receipt into and withdrawal from my destination wallet. And how do these bitcoins end up in a third-party address - shouldn't they just remain unconfirmed?

[ncs]

If you really want to go out of your way to do something for me...

The next time you are making a purchase at a small local merchant (hair stylist, barber, bakery, flower shop, etc), before you pull out your cash or credit card...

Make sure you have a mobile wallet with you that is loaded with enough bitcoins for the purchase (in case they surprisingly say "yes") and just ask, "Do you guys accept bitcoin?"

Too easy; I will absolutely do that, and tell my many relatives and friends to do the same. Also I have friends who run businesses (in Australia), what process would you recommend for them to accept bitcoin (is there a good link that would explain this?). Also what is the best mobile wallet for spending bitcoin?

Again; I really appreciate your time - thank you

As a follow up to the bitcoin issue: my exchange (independent reserve - an Australian exchange), re-credited all the bitcoins back to my exchange wallet. I don't understand how this happened, but I assume it was along the lines that you explained, but form the exchange address. Will look at a more secure wallet; can you recommend one?

cheers
Nigel

[SKP_Trades]

Hi Thirdspace, many thanks again for your help. Koinex did finally credit the missing bitcoins to me, but only after a lot of follow-up and threatening (which I hate to do to young startups…)! Cheers

[Thirdspace]

Thank you Thirdspace. This is certainly relieving. I am curious about this though: why does blockchain show receipt into and withdrawal from my destination wallet. And how do these bitcoins end up in a third-party address - shouldn't they just remain unconfirmed?

because your destination wallet is not an address owned by you, but owned by Koinex India
it's a receiving address of Koinex India specifically created for you to differentiate your deposit from others
they will periodically gather up all user deposits for consolidation or withdrawal purposes at the same time to save fees
that's how exchange or web wallet works (one that doesn't let you fully control the key/address)

Hi Thirdspace, many thanks again for your help. Koinex did finally credit the missing bitcoins to me, but only after a lot of follow-up and threatening (which I hate to do to young startups…)! Cheers

Good to hear your problem has been solved. Happy Holidays.