First UK's bitcoin robbery. Stay safe.

[KingScorpio]

Sad story from UK, it's all over the news today:

Britain's first Bitcoin heist as trader forced at gunpoint to transfer cyber currency
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/28/britains-first-bitcoin-heist-trader-forced-gunpoint-transfer/

Armed robbers broke into the family home of a city financier turned Bitcoin trader and forced him to transfer the digital currency at gunpoint, in what is believed to be the first heist of its kind in the UK.

Four robbers in balaclavas forced their way into the home of Danny Aston, 30, who runs a digital currency trading firm, before reportedly tying up a woman and forcing Mr Aston to transfer an unknown quantity of the cryptocurrency.
...

Other links:
http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/29/uks-first-bitcoin-robbery-prolific-trader-forced-transfer-fortune-7268576/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5444048/bitcoin-robbery-gunpoint-danny-aston-oxfordshire-amy-jay-baby/


I hope targeting bitcoiners won't become a new trend for criminals.

And seriously, what's the best practice to prevent such cases, when you hold/have access to significant amount of bitcoins? Sure you could hide your private key (or part of it) in some secure place outside of your home, but then the risk of you (or your family) getting tortured or even killed increases. Well organised group as described above unlikely would be happy to leave with nothing.

And what about exchanges? 2FA is a prevention from hacking, but won't work at all if you're held at gunpoint. I'd be very happy to see some extra (opt-in) security features on exchanges, i.e. few days delay in withdrawing BTC above certain amount.

Thoughts?

Disclaimer: I'm just a humble crypto-enthusiast and only hold modest amounts. Plz no raid.

Edit: alternative thread (no signatures allowed): https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=2838558.msg29168004#msg29168004 (thanks vintages)

honestly bitcoin owners wont have much public protection,

because the public has to pay for it with higher electricity bills,

i dont even feel sorry for you because i see you as a propagandistic selfcentered fanatic sect.

there will anyway come a time where there wont be communal currencies anymore its called:

the time beyond prices and the time with the coins of style and leadership

regards

[drwhobox]

Adding some things with your exchanges would not even make anything change. We're running on a peer to peer system there are no middle man(s) to check the transaction or hold the address of the person who robed you.

This may become a new thing when it comes to illegal activities like robbery. The best whay to do is just don't let them know that you're holding cryptocurrencies.

[Geoll29]

This is a very sad news. I think the victim may have known the robbers or the mastermind or the person who tipped them. If we have lots of money in bitcoin don't tell them to anyone. Keep it by yourself or to someone who you trust.

[UAE Seasider]

I first heard about this yesterday, and I suspect it must have been facilitated from a connected person who knew what they were doing. Better to keep your financial activities confidential. The blockchain is however traceable and even savvy thieves moving crypto around will leave a trail on the blockchain that cyber crime can follow when they try to cash out?

[pawel7777]

honestly bitcoin owners wont have much public protection,

They have the same level of protection as any other members of the public.

because the public has to pay for it with higher electricity bills,

Not really. Mining uses shitload of energy but not enough to cause shortage. Electricity prices in UK (and most likely in other European countries) are holding steady since 2009. Small increases are due to inflation and rising network costs, while the 'wholesale price' of electricity are actually dropping.

i dont even feel sorry for you because i see you as a propagandistic selfcentered fanatic sect.

Fair enough. There's a lot of cult-like behaviour here, but yet, the most constructive and harsh criticism of btc/crypto (pointing vulnerabilities, flaws, potential attack vectors etc) is coming from the community itself rather than from the outside.

there will anyway come a time where there wont be communal currencies anymore its called:

the time beyond prices and the time with the coins of style and leadership

I won't even pretend that I understand what you wrote here. It smells like a product of "bullshit generator". I hope I'm not replying to a bot.

[datodota002]

wow a haven't think robbery like that, this is a lesson for us people. From the good there is the bad, bitcoin is something very precious than we thing, and so precious bitcoin bring in evil near us. This robbery, make us to be careful to make some transaction to other people in real world. i hope wallet developer take action to something like this and make a precautionary measure or like a panic button for such a situation

[Mr.Smithers]

And seriously, what's the best practice to prevent such cases, when you hold/have access to significant amount of bitcoins?

That's blooming obvious. Do the same as Satoshi, stay anonymous.

Don't make your face, ID, live in public for the criminals to see.

yes, keep a low profile - that is one.
And two - buy yourself a hardware wallet and configure it to have all your funds safely under one PIN and your "hot wallet" - a fraction of your funds - under another PIN. If you are made to reveal your PIN with a gun against your head, chances are you will be eventually made to reveal both PINs, but still - chances are, you may percevere.

[gcckpxm62308]

This is really a very scary news that gave me a lesson to be a low profile man, not to spread the word about bitcoin holdings, especially about money, or to put money on trustworthy people, such as parents, I can let my parents keep some of my bitcoin.

[Benkortan]

I thought it will happen sooner or later. Very bad news for all.
Earning money in crypto is not so hard at this point, but those bad people only look for the easiest way.

[The_Real_One]

That is why it's so important to keep your privacy and anonymity hidden. We know cryptocurrencies have advantages in term of untraceable currencies, and the ecosystem contains a lot of anonymity. I'm sure keeping your identity private on the internet is essentials.

but apart from telling your wife,

Don't tell the wife. She will want a share when getting divorce.

[jeluhtajem]

This is a lesson for all of us, to better keep our secrecy on the internet in order not to be known to those who want evil.
But this is not the first time it happened, in 2015 in my country there is a bombing terror, and ask for bitcoin as a ransom.
you can see it here
http://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2015/10/29/16441531/Teroris.Peras.Mall.Alam.Sutera.dengan.Minta.100.Bitcoin

[tokexchain]

This was always going to happen, Bitcoin and digital currencies are big mainstream news now, it's a shame to be in such a great era of crossover from the controlling banks to a decentralized trusted network, and here we are with criminals taking a family at gunpoint! Just be aware of your surroundings and people, don't flaunt your wealth and seems the less said about BTC the better, at least around new people - pretty backward really... Seems this guy was a trader and his name and address was on companies house.

[khaled0111]

What a sad story.
I don't know how did the robber know that the man in the house had BTC?
Even robbers became smart these days.
The paradox is that it was a physical agression to steal a digital money

[derago21]

This sounds really scary, with all the technology advancement we still end with stealing using the old school technique. Just weird and those who steal should be given severe punishment.

[Kprawn]

The solution is "Dummy" paper wallets. Create some "dummy" paper wallets and deposit small amounts of coins onto it to fool

these robbers. {Just enough coin to keep them occupied, because they will most probably not have enough time to check all

these wallets. Also create duplicates of paper wallets.... as soon as they leave, sweep those coins to another Bitcoin address.

Never advertise how much coins you have, and do not store your bitcoins in a safe, because that is the first place where they

will look, when they break into your house. 

[Soke]

The solution is "Dummy" paper wallets. Create some "dummy" paper wallets and deposit small amounts of coins onto it to fool

these robbers. {Just enough coin to keep them occupied, because they will most probably not have enough time to check all

these wallets. Also create duplicates of paper wallets.... as soon as they leave, sweep those coins to another Bitcoin address.

Never advertise how much coins you have, and do not store your bitcoins in a safe, because that is the first place where they

will look, when they break into your house. 

I am 100% sure if someone tries to rob you of your bitcoins.  They will sit there and wait until you transfer the bitcoins into their address and it get's confirmed.  They won't be stupid to fall for this and if you're driving a Lambo and live in a mansion and say you only have 10 bitcoins, they won't believe you also. 

[alyssa85]

Update on this case:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5327843/Bitcoin-robbers-left-failed-raid.html

Bitcoin robbers who stormed into a traders house and tied up his girlfriend were left with nothing when his transfer of the crypto-currency failed to reach their account.

Am not sure how nothing reached their account - did the miners not pick up the transaction, did he fake that he had sent it?

[adsadsx]

i wondering why the robbers know this family have huge amount of bitcoin and apparently the robbers was following bitcoin trend and more likely to choose stole digital asset rather than physical asset but indeed this is first time to heards cryptocurrencies robbery but i wish this is could be the first and the last time we heard because will be very dangerous for us as bitcoin users

In physical currency, armed robbers will be able to get their hands more limited money, or the wallet may not have much money, or bank teller machine withdrawal limit every day. But bitcoin is different, and a thief can steal millions of bitcoin in minutes.

[Jannalsieh]

So yes, criminals do use bitcoins in their operations!
This is absolutely the first of its kind in the history of robbery.
So folks, better be careful with identity, most in particular if you have a lot of assets in digital currency.

Stay safe all

[Filmmmakerr]

This is crazy, there was a time people only stole physical goods. Now Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is going to change that lol.