[2018-01-28] Masked Gunmen Steal `Fortune` in Bitcoin in Daylight UK Robbery

[ivanpoldark]

The very first UK Bitcoin robbery occurred when four armed men broke into a home and forced a crypto trader to transfer a “fortune” in Bitcoin.

The meteoric rise of Bitcoin over the course of 2017 featured a number of positive effects. A lot of people made a good deal of money, and media and public interest in cryptocurrency reached new heights. However, a downside to such attention is that criminals now see physically stealing Bitcoin or money used to buy crypto as a viable way to make money. A family in the UK found this out the hard way when four armed men broke into their home and forced the husband to transfer his bitcoins.

TERRIFYING ORDEAL

It’s being called the first Bitcoin robbery in the UK, and it took place in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, a wealthy enclave, during the morning hours. The criminals broke into the home belonging to a cryptocurrency trader and his family.

The criminals were armed with handguns and wearing balaclavas. They tied up the trader’s wife and put the couple’s baby outside in a pram before forcing the trader to transfer over a “fortune” in bitcoins. (The exact amount that was stolen has not been disclosed.)

The criminals then fled, and the police manhunt began immediately after. A police helicopter was used in an effort to locate the hoodlums, but to no avail. Nearby schools were put on lockdown. Police are asking for any camera footage that shows four suspicious males in the area during the early morning hours.

One woman apparently saw the criminals. She describes:

I saw four young men in black tracksuits with the hoods pulled up, crossing the road to the property where it took place. They were aged 18 to 25, dark-skinned and super-fit. They jumped over the fence on the other side of the road. I didn’t see any gun, but that’s what people locally are saying – and that the men wore balaclavas which I didn’t see either, just the hoodies pulled up.

Read more: http://bitcoinist.com/masked-gunmen-steal-fortune-bitcoin-daylight-uk-robbery/

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[richardsNY]

Rule nr 1 -- whether it's with Bitcoin or your fiat wealth, don't brag about it publicly. It's mind boggling how some people are stupid enough to film themselves or share their profits and whatnot on social media. It's just a dumb practice, and they are paying a very high price for it. It shouldn't be a secret that we're living in a time where all 'hungry' eyes are pointed at easy targets to quickly obtain a great deal of money or valuable assets. I feel sorry for these people, but they should know better. Best thing is to not even talk with your friends and family about your crypto wealth. Keep your mouth shut and enjoy your wealth silently, that's how it should be....

[hatshepsut93]

Rule nr 1 -- whether it's with Bitcoin or your fiat wealth, don't brag about it publicly. It's mind boggling how some people are stupid enough to film themselves or share their profits and whatnot on social media. It's just a dumb practice, and they are paying a very high price for it. It shouldn't be a secret that we're living in a time where all 'hungry' eyes are pointed at easy targets to quickly obtain a great deal of money or valuable assets. I feel sorry for these people, but they should know better. Best thing is to not even talk with your friends and family about your crypto wealth. Keep your mouth shut and enjoy your wealth silently, that's how it should be....

I think the implications of events like this should be broader than just "don't brag about your coins". I think privacy should be treated as a part of security, so it's not enough to just not talk about your wealth publicly - ideally only you and people who you really trust should know about your coins, but currently there are lots of other entities who can link coins to identities, like exchanges and services. And it's not too far-fetched to think that all that data might get leaked and huge number of identities will get linked to Bitcoin addresses, and after that all sorts of criminals will have a huge list of potential targets to hack or rob. And mixing or native privacy options won't always help - if you have bought your coins on some exchange that has leaked its customers data, then it becomes your burden to prove to adversaries that you no longer own those coins.

[chiggz]

Rule nr 1 -- whether it's with Bitcoin or your fiat wealth, don't brag about it publicly.

I agree with most go your points but what about the massive KYC docs that exchanges like Bittrex insists. If these get hacked and the hackers get their hands on them then they can easily track you down. Though the chances of this is surely slim you never know what is coming. One advice would be to stay away from those shady exchanges. Also stay away from those localbtcoins listings of dealing with cash in public.