[Bounty] [Currently: 68.7 BTC max] Bitcoinmax / payb.tc / Ian Grice

[Bitsky]

As most might know, Bitcoinmax was a passthrough for investing with Pirate's BS&T.

I'm offering 10% of the retrieved coins which I requested before Pirate defaulted. So far, payb.tc has refused to pay those withdrawal requests and ignored all contact attempts.

I would like to point out that I'm only looking for the amount I requested from him and not for the full balance my account had.

Other investors in the same situation are welcome to join.

[edit]Dec 03: Added the total bounty amount to the topic[/edit]

[1713277361]

1713277361

[someone703]

I'm in and offer 10% of the coins retrieved on my behalf as well.

I can forward any information needed to Bitsky to pass along to anyone who is seriously interested in finding Ian Grice.

[Ente]

Interesting!
So we have two cases here:

1) Ian/Bitcoinmax didn't honor withdrawal requests, even before Trendon/Pirate defaulted
2) Ian/Bitcoinmax not responding, changing nicks and everything, but otherwise saying he lost the coins when Trendon/Pirate defaulted

With 1), I understand this thread, but am asthouned that this comes up now, after years and years of the default?
How can anyone help here, when not having any withdrawal requests before Trendon/Pirates' default? Those regular cases who lost coins should rather work on recovering funds from Trendon/Pirate. But then it looks like he was already in gov custody anyway.

So, I dunno, what's to do here at this time?

Ente

[Bitsky]

With 1), I understand this thread, but am asthouned that this comes up now, after years and years of the default?
How can anyone help here, when not having any withdrawal requests before Trendon/Pirates' default? Those regular cases who lost coins should rather work on recovering funds from Trendon/Pirate. But then it looks like he was already in gov custody anyway.

Reason is that with exchange rates around $1000 a bounty should be more interesting now. I've PM'ed him a few times in the past and before the default he quickly replied; later, he just ignored any PM. The SEC actions against Pirate are/were really slow, so a year doesn't mean much there. In the past months nothing seems to have happened at all even.

In my opinion, there are two cases here:
1. The funds for which Pirate is responsible: I've asked for approx half of my BMax account; the other half I don't want from Ian. They should come from Pirate, but yeah, I don't see much of a chance there and I consider them lost.
2. The funds for which Ian is responsible: several people made withdrawal requests and he decided not to pay those.

[QuestionAuthority]

I'm confused as to why you think he would pay amounts requested before the default or pay just a few of you?  You're offering a bounty for info? Help finding him? A hit squad? How could this possibly help now? If there were a way I would try myself.

[Bitsky]

I'm confused as to why you think he would pay amounts requested before the default or pay just a few of you?

Why should he not? Some users made perfectly fine withdrawal requests, but he just ignored them.
He was always quick to reply before if you wanted to deposit. Then he did everything he could to complicate things. See https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=235823

You're offering a bounty for info? Help finding him? A hit squad? How could this possibly help now? If there were a way I would try myself.

His location is known. Someone in Australia just needs to visit him to earn a share from whatever he returns.
And for the records: I do not support violence.

[Ente]

So someone visits him and manages to speak to Ian. His reply, most likely: "It's all gone, blame Trendon, derp".
If that's the whole plan.. Hmm..
But then, nothing returned, no bounty paid out.

The next interesting situation will be if the SEC extracts any funds from Trendon. This may very well be just 0.1% of what he scored. And may very well be in a few years from now on. But maybe the exchange rate will make those 0.1% a fortune. Now what? Ian never sent a list of his users to anyone, as far as I know. Would everybody have to prove individualy to have lost funds? Or will Ian make up a new list? Will Ian receive the funds, as he was the direct contact to Trendon?
I guess there will be another bounty in that regard ;-)

Ente

[Bitsky]

So someone visits him and manages to speak to Ian. His reply, most likely: "It's all gone, blame Trendon, derp".

Ian has coins. Part of my coins moved last in July this year.

The next interesting situation will be if the SEC extracts any funds from Trendon. This may very well be just 0.1% of what he scored. And may very well be in a few years from now on. But maybe the exchange rate will make those 0.1% a fortune. Now what? Ian never sent a list of his users to anyone, as far as I know. Would everybody have to prove individualy to have lost funds? Or will Ian make up a new list? Will Ian receive the funds, as he was the direct contact to Trendon?

That's why I would like to see the option to download posts or private messages signed with an official forum key. Many investors should have recevied their deposit address via PM from him.

[Bitsky]

bump

[film2240]

The thread is good but how does someone claim this bounty and who is eligible?Anyone or former customers?I'd like this cleared up.Thanks

[Bitsky]

The thread is good but how does someone claim this bounty and who is eligible?Anyone or former customers?I'd like this cleared up.Thanks

If you never had an investment at Bitcoinmax, why should you be able to get a withdrawal?
I only want those requests paid which were made before Pirate defaulted (currently only by someone703 and me). As said, I requested only a part of my investment; for the rest, I still consider Pirate responsible, not Ian.
Whoever convinces Ian to pay can have the promised 10% share. He still should have all the data to verify the requests. It would be very stupid of him to delete that. Assume something is returned from BS&T after SEC is done and he cannot correctly split those coins amongst his investors.

[ehmdjii]

i would also be very interested in getting my funds back from bitcoinmax. at least my initial deposit.

let me know if i can help.

[Bitsky]

Maximum bounty raised from 43 to 58 BTC

[0xAli]

I don't know Bitcoinmax, Pirate, or payb.tc but i would like to try and help.
Care to link to more info about the incident?

[QuestionAuthority]

Pirate@40 is the loser in the whole deal. The passthroughs are the ones that really cleaned up. I seriously doubt you will ever get anything back. Have you thought about turning him in to some three letter agency as revenge? Maybe the SEC is also interested in the passthroughs?

[Bitsky]

I don't know Bitcoinmax, Pirate, or payb.tc but i would like to try and help.
Care to link to more info about the incident?

The forum here offers tons of information.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=235823
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=120119.0
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83904.0
Might be a start.

Pirate@40 is the loser in the whole deal. The passthroughs are the ones that really cleaned up. I seriously doubt you will ever get anything back. Have you thought about turning him in to some three letter agency as revenge? Maybe the SEC is also interested in the passthroughs?

Ian did nothing. No replies to questions, nothing. That's what irks me the most. He was all eager to get deposits but then just ignored everybody. In fact, he did his best not to help by refusing to act on behalf of his investors. As said before, I'm not after my entire balance; but I (and others) made partial requests before things blew up and those requests need to be honored. The amount left is Pirate's business (and we know how this ends). Ian has funds though.
If the SEC by now has not figured out that passthroughs existed (and looks into them) then I have no faith in them.

[zaj]

same. i also offer 10% of the 91.980165 coins i sent the same day the whole thing went under.

[Bitsky]

Bounty raised to 68.7 BTC

[Fortify]

If someone, by some miracle, managed to recover all the funds you'd be lucky to get 10% returned to you.

[zolace]

I actually know who he is, his alias,  He should Pm me before I give his info out to the public.