Warning: Fake Casascius Physical Bitcoins website

[btc_artist]

No, the scammer still controls casascius.net, and did that redirect, and is asking me for a ransom.  Attacker could change it anytime.

Offer him 50 bucks for the domain.  I know it only cost him $8 or so, but it would be worth it to you to have control of the domain.  Also buy the .org version asap and redirect it to your main site.

[casascius]

Doesn't it have to be at least 60 days old first before it can be transferred?

[sadpandatech]

Doesn't it have to be at least 60 days old first before it can be transferred?

  Not real sure on the minimum time for transfer but as long as they handed over the login credentials for controling the site and dns you could chnage them and lock it down. They would still have some limited capacity to regain control IF they have verifiable details with the registrant.

[Vandroiy]

Who issues .net domains? I doubt they like scammers, so there should be some way to take the domain away, no?

I disagree with btc_novice. Do not *ever* negotiate with someone like that, unless to somehow trick him. Doing that can be considered worse than scamming itself, as it helps making such actions profitable. If I was you, I'd be extremely pissed and try to track the scammer. Maybe pay someone adept at security stuff a few BTC to scan him for mistakes that reveal his identity.

The only way to confront scammers in an open market is to retaliate. These guys live off the fact that their shit does not fall back to them, just like everywhere else. If we'd manage to hit one of them, the whole community would benefit. Nothing illegal necessary, just figure out their name and report them to nearby police -- or post a lot of google-ranking information linking their identity to the crimes they did if their country's police turns out unusable. The hatred of Bitcoin users alone should do the job in that case.

If he's talking to you, log everything you can get a hold on, and think outside the box to look for clues.

I think it's safe to assume the scammer reads this thread, so keep that in mind when posting on plans or reactions.

Anyway, it's all game theory; the important point is to deal more damage to the scammer on average than his profits on the activity are. If that means pushing him to use extreme security measures, it's a good start.

[btc_artist]

I disagree with btc_novice. Do not *ever* negotiate with someone like that, unless to somehow trick him. Doing that can be considered worse than scamming itself, as it helps making such actions profitable.

That's actually a very good point. I agree.

[adamstgBit]

I would have been surprised to see a reputable merchant using the Mt.Gox leak list...

Anyway, casascius.net seems to redirect to www.casascius.com for me, so you got to fix the problem?

Yours
David

No, the scammer still controls casascius.net, and did that redirect, and is asking me for a ransom.  Attacker could change it anytime.

is it safe to order coins from https://www.casascius.com??

[casascius]

Yes, https://www.casascius.com (the dot com) is indeed safe.

[adamstgBit]

Yes, https://www.casascius.com (the dot com) is indeed safe.

gr8 i'm going to buy some soon!

[casascius]

The scammer appears to have recently spent some of the funds as of Dec 11.  Anyone recently received a payment of 15.00 BTC?

http://blockexplorer.com/tx/dcd754ba30dddf55c5c2c6fdad1155fdfdb15035823b7705e5e45d2a64907d33

(the 0.25 was more likely the change output, because if it weren't, it wouldn't have combined both of these inputs)