"Bitcoin for Contract Killing"

[so98nn]

You might be wondering what the heck is that title!

Well recently I am watching a series on the Netflix : Salvation. A series based on the political plots against hacker group and taking over the white house meanwhile an asteroid is about to hit the earth in couple of months! Pretty mind twister but coming to the title I will explain what it means.

In the above series, one of the political leader surprsingly use his bitcoin's to pay the contract killers.

Series has shown this in Season 2 EP 6 where one of the good group finds a Bitcoin Hardware Wallet (They have shown it like pendrive). Upon decrypting it, they see huge number of transaction with 1000+ BTC in it.

The episode has shown how the killer getting paid in $ 500,000 USD in no time for next target. They use it so that no one can track such huge transaction and also to hide the identity of person doing all the fishy stuff.


I guess the Bitcoin has served the purpose of data integrity here by protecting the owner's identity and in addition to that end users identity who is getting paid.

However, this could happen in real life as well, it's illegal use of BTC for that matter. 


Very interesting to see BTC is getting showed up in movies/series as well. Producer must be paying the actors in BTC, lolz. 

[NotATether]

There are sites on the darknet that exist to hire contract killers for bitcoin, including joke sites listing just about every famous person along with a bounty, I didn't browse any of them, I got this information from a clearnet blog. Also realistically it depends on the target, someone wouldn't get payed $500K to target an ordinary person.

[HeRetiK]

There are sites on the darknet that exist to hire contract killers for bitcoin, including joke sites listing just about every famous person along with a bounty, I didn't browse any of them, I got this information from a clearnet blog. Also realistically it depends on the target, someone wouldn't get payed $500K to target an ordinary person.

*There are sites on the darknet that exist to hire contract killers for bitcoin scam would-be clients

FTFY

Most (if not all) of those sites are fake, you'll find plenty of articles on the subject matter. IIRC there's only one murder that's actually linked to a hitman that was hired via a hidden service and that one was an amateur that got caught pretty quickly.


Think about it, it's a pretty perfect scam.

You offer murder for hire, but since you're nice you only want 50% up-front. So you take 50% up-front and then... that's it. No one dies, your victim likely is kind of a dick anyway and they sure as hell won't go to the police ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Cnut237]

Regardless of whether or not this particular instance is a scam...bitcoin can be used in criminal activity. But so can fiat. Illegal drugs and arms and people-trafficking existed long before cryptocurrencies. But you might argue that it is easier for people to commit anonymous crimes whilst using bitcoin. Arguably this is true, but we might also - fairly convincingly I think - argue that people who want to commit crime, and particularly big, organised crime, would find an avenue to do so anyway. And we also have to remember that whilst bitcoin can potentially bring anonymity, blockchain also provides a verifiable history of all transactions.

[Charles-Tim]

I will first advice the OP to change the title to what will befit bitcoin. There has been contract killing, money laundering and terrorism financing before bitcoin was created. Bitcoin was created to be a decentralized currency, even the money powerful centralized bodies (governments) created were unable to stop contract killing and the likes, then, why the need to talk about contract killing and the likes to be depicting bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

[Harlot]

There's a lot of tv series mentioning and involving cryptocurrencies especially Bitcoin in one of their story plots such as the Black List and Homeland but the good thing is they don't specifically put any pressure on cryptocurrencies being the bad thing here but the criminals themselves doing the illegal activity I don't know if its because they are against the popular belief of crypto being the money in the dark web or they just want to focus the plot more but the good thing is they avoid creating Bitcoin/Crypto being the bad thing here. We should always remember that cryptocurrencies are just money or a mode of payment, these assets are not actually doing the crime here but the criminals themselves its just that the features and the digital existence of crypto make them more attractive for criminals to use.

[Mpamaegbu]

I just hate to read anything negative about Bitcoin. Pointedly, those who spread such writings aren't doing any objective reporting, IMO. They just want to give a dog a bad name so as to find a reason to hang it

[Jating]

There is a probability that this is happening today, as criminals is really taking advantage of bitcoin's supposedly anonymity. And maybe one day we are going to hear this kind of scenario in the media.

But then again, this is not bitcoin's use case, its just criminals has seen the potential of exploiting bitcoin. Of course this could put bitcoin in bad light and in the spot light as tools being use by criminals. The same argument though can be used against fiat as well. So nothing new, if this 'imitates real life scenario", whether bitcoin or fiat is used.

[gentlemand]

Most (if not all) of those sites are fake, you'll find plenty of articles on the subject matter. IIRC there's only one murder that's actually linked to a hitman that was hired via a hidden service and that one was an amateur that got caught pretty quickly.

Aren't some of them some sort of automated death pool thing? It's been a while since I solicited a murder.

Ah yes - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_market

If it was straightforward darknet Craigslist ad then of course the 'killer' will be a 9yr old in Siberia.

[Lanatsa]

I guess the Bitcoin has served the purpose of data integrity here by protecting the owner's identity and in addition to that end users identity who is getting paid.

However, this could happen in real life as well, it's illegal use of BTC for that matter. 


Very interesting to see BTC is getting showed up in movies/series as well. Producer must be paying the actors in BTC, lolz. 

Nothing new and its always been like this where when in talks about Bitcoin then it do always been tied up with illegal thing. In the series that you had mentioned then it do shows up on how

btc is useable on kind of transaction with ease and fast done but it also give out the negative side which is not surprising.We dont know if their actors paid in btc .lol

Sure thing that they do know about btc and an another day that it is been used nor do elaborate that it can be used in illegal manner.

[CaVO32]

There is a probability that this is happening today, as criminals is really taking advantage of bitcoin's supposedly anonymity. And maybe one day we are going to hear this kind of scenario in the media.

But then again, this is not bitcoin's use case, its just criminals has seen the potential of exploiting bitcoin. Of course this could put bitcoin in bad light and in the spot light as tools being use by criminals. The same argument though can be used against fiat as well. So nothing new, if this 'imitates real life scenario", whether bitcoin or fiat is used.

That is true. Those people can use bitcoin for illegal means but it doesn't mean that it will be the major use case of bitcoin. We don't have to focus our attention on the negative side of it. But unfortunately, the media are blowing up the situation whenever bitcoin or crypto is used in illegal activities. They can always see those kind of scenarios in fiat but sometimes they want to hype the same scenario when it comes to crypto. This is the reason why those noncrypto users have bad impression towards crypto. But in time, they will learn that crypto is not all about these illegal activities.

[stompix]

*There are sites on the darknet that exist to hire contract killers for bitcoin scam would-be clients

FTFY

Most (if not all) of those sites are fake, you'll find plenty of articles on the subject matter. IIRC there's only one murder that's actually linked to a hitman that was hired via a hidden service and that one was an amateur that got caught pretty quickly.

And if I  remember correctly there was another murder when the guy ordering the killing was so pissed off he got scammed he decided to do the killing himself and did not even denied it in court.
I doubt anyone would use the darknet to offer his services for real, this is not Uber to get better ratings, scamming gullible morons is far easier than risking your life.

That aside, I don't doubt that cryptos can be used for such payments, they can break the payment chain, the hitman avoid contact with the guy ordering by not taking cash, there are no bank transfers any anything, and what's more important, it's damn hard to prove you have actually paid for that and that he received that money from you. But the numbers of contract killers hired this way would be insignificant and not though the darkweb.

I just hate to read anything negative about Bitcoin.

And you think that sticking your head in the sand is the solution?
Bitcoin can be used for good things and bad things, just like eveything else, ignoring won't make them go away.

[Oasisman]

I guess the Bitcoin has served the purpose of data integrity here by protecting the owner's identity and in addition to that end users identity who is getting paid.
However, this could happen in real life as well, it's illegal use of BTC for that matter. 

Lol this should be the other way around. Bitcoin's anonymity in transactions supposed to protect a person's personal and financial information from criminals.
It's not for the criminals to protect their identity.
Too much misuses of Bitcoin leads to slow adaption rate.

This has happened in real life maybe, but It doesn't make any sense for not knowing your gunman's basic identity. He could run away with your dirty money without killing anybody.

[nelson4lov]

I'm not really surprised. In fact, I've seen a couple of movies where bitcoin was used for illegal purposes. I've also seen movies where bitcoin was also used in a legal context for payment for a service or product. At the end of the day, It just boils down to how each person decides how to use bitcoin's features. Even fiat currencies are used for similar purposes on daily basis. Talking about real life, Bitcoin might already being used for similar operations same way its used for making purchases and legit transactions.

[meanwords]

I'm not really surprised. In fact, I've seen a couple of movies where bitcoin was used for illegal purposes. I've also seen movies where bitcoin was also used in a legal context for payment for a service or product. At the end of the day, It just boils down to how each person decides how to use bitcoin's features. Even fiat currencies are used for similar purposes on daily basis. Talking about real life, Bitcoin might already being used for similar operations same way its used for making purchases and legit transactions.

True, and fiat money doesn't really differentiate from Bitcoin this way as fiat is also being used in illegal transactions and services way more than Bitcoin but in a much more difficult process. Bitcoin's purpose just depends on how people see it. Others see it as a business while others see it as real money worth holding and using to be used in the future when adoption grows significantly.

[Mpamaegbu]

And you think that sticking your head in the sand is the solution?

Nope, it isn't that way. You sniped the ending part of my comment which explicitly disposed such reports as being subjective. BTW, illegal stuff is also done with Fiat, and I believe so it was with cowries. How old is crime? And how old is Bitcoin? I guess you have the clearer picture now. The SM (may be the press in general) is just out to destroy the reputation of Bitcoin. It's obvious that some institutions are making them do that, and I have chosen not to listen to such reports.

[erikoy]

Meaning bitcoin has influence already even in the movie production. They had already seen the way bitcoin could be use in the future(not only talking about paying contract for killing) as anonymous fully trusted and secure way of doing it. It even a p2p transaction without third party involve.

Anyway, even though btc has been use in the movie that way but for sure it is still good for bitcoin. Good or bad publicity still a publicity for bitcoin.

[pooya87]

bitcoin has been featuring in movies and TV series for a long time now. from small and simple cases where some dude says he will buy bitcoin to get rich (eg. Frank in Shameless trying to fool welfare into giving him money promising to invest it in bitcoin and become a billionaire not needing welfare again) to movies focusing on bitcoin as something only used by criminals (eg. Dope where they use it to sell drugs).

[davis196]

*There are sites on the darknet that exist to hire contract killers for bitcoin scam would-be clients

FTFY

Most (if not all) of those sites are fake, you'll find plenty of articles on the subject matter. IIRC there's only one murder that's actually linked to a hitman that was hired via a hidden service and that one was an amateur that got caught pretty quickly.


Think about it, it's a pretty perfect scam.

You offer murder for hire, but since you're nice you only want 50% up-front. So you take 50% up-front and then... that's it. No one dies, your victim likely is kind of a dick anyway and they sure as hell won't go to the police ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yeah,but in order to access the darknet,you have to use Tor and most of the Tor nodes are tracked by the FBI.
It's true,only amateurs would hire an assassin via the darknet and pay him with Bitcoins.
Anyway,this Netflix series is just BS.The script writers wanted the whole "hiring a hitman and paying him secretly" process to sound cool and "high tech".The "average Joe",who is watching this series,wouldn't know that Bitcoin isn't that anonymous and hard to track,but the viewer wouldn't care about this fact.
Again,Bitcoin gets tagged as a "currency used by the criminals".

[bitbunnny]

It seems that some people have just discovered darknet. Yes, contract killers could also be found on dark web.
And yes, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can be misused for illegal activities and that is nothing new. But so can fiat money and nobody is making such drama because of it.
Of course Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general became popular for illegal activities because it's still harder to track transactions and reveal true identity than when it comes to fiat money.