I found a paper wallet on a beach ... seriously

[cryptosize]

I am not sure if this is directly connected with case of OP finding paper wallet or if this was posted before, but there is very similar situation happening in Melbourne, Australia.
This appears to be scam attempt with QR code with a key to access the account with alleged 0.62 BTC which can be withdrawn.
Printed address starting with 1LMy3... has total deposits of only 0.15 BTC if you look in blockchain explorer, and coins are flagged as fraudulent or scams.
This was posted on Bitcoin reddit channel, it's called “Printkey Wallet” and this is how it looks like:


https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/wuf2ke/scam_found_these_littered_around_my_suburb_in/

Very similar amount and country like in case with OP.

What's the point of this scam? I don't get it.

[1714662503]

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[LoyceV]

Printed address starting with 1LMy3... has total deposits of only 0.15 BTC if you look in blockchain explorer, and coins are flagged as fraudulent or scams.

I don't believe in "taint", that's BS Aside from that, 1LMy3vemjaA46SATjZp9FfVSkUA8QiYjgE holds 0.01528957BTC.

Very similar amount and country like in case with OP.

I'm still curious: does this "wallet" somehow link to an account on a website instead of a private key?

What's the point of this scam? I don't get it.

I'm with ndgoLiberty on Reddit:

Probably hoping people put their funds in this wallet and then the creator wipes the funds.

[dkbit98]

I don't believe in "taint", that's BS Aside from that, 1LMy3vemjaA46SATjZp9FfVSkUA8QiYjgE holds 0.01528957BTC.

That was probably a type made by OP, missing one zer0.

I'm still curious: does this "wallet" somehow link to an account on a website instead of a private key?

I don't know.
I am trying to find more information about this, but I think there is a link to some website inside those paper wallets.
After visiting website they probably show you fake balance, but you need to deposit first to be able to withdraw.
There are similar online scams, but I never saw someone making fake paper wallets like this.

[n0nce]

Printed address starting with 1LMy3... has total deposits of only 0.15 BTC if you look in blockchain explorer, and coins are flagged as fraudulent or scams.

I don't believe in "taint", that's BS Aside from that, 1LMy3vemjaA46SATjZp9FfVSkUA8QiYjgE holds 0.01528957BTC.

Same here. Where I spend my Bitcoin, they will accept these coins, so to me such a wallet would literally be free money. $300 USD can buy a cool new SSD for a node or something. I don't see the scam.
Heck, I could just open a Lightning node with someone and provide some more LN liquidity. I've got to see nodes closing channels that were opened towards them with 'blacklisted' coins.

I find it amusing that the first few Reddit replies don't even mention that 'blacklisted' isn't really a thing in Bitcoin, like at all. 'Which blacklist?', should be the first question popping up.

What's the point of this scam? I don't get it.

I'm with ndgoLiberty on Reddit:

Probably hoping people put their funds in this wallet and then the creator wipes the funds.

But why? Like, anyone finding such a paper wallet would just sweep it. There's no point depositing first, before sweeping it.

On the contrary, that's something which absolutely works and is done in some cryptocurrencies that have a notion of 'gas'.
Example: Assume this is a USDT wallet, that holds $1,000 in Tether, but has no gas (Ether) in it. The scammers wait for the victim to deposit like $1 USD in Ether to be able to move those $1,000 USDT, but the moment Ether are deposited, the scammers swoop it away.

[DireWolfM14]

I am not sure if this is directly connected with case of OP finding paper wallet or if this was posted before, but there is very similar situation happening in Melbourne, Australia.
This appears to be scam attempt with QR code with a key to access the account with alleged 0.62 BTC which can be withdrawn.

This whole time I was under the impression that the OP's has the private key, so I'm sure this is mere coincidence.  But the similarities are striking.

If the OP's wallet turns out to be one of the same batch and it's just some trickery or worse, then we got punked just the same.  It would also mean these last 10 pages and deep discussions of ethics and mushrooms was all for nothing.

How sad that would be.  

I'm still curious: does this "wallet" somehow link to an account on a website instead of a private key?

Apparently so, here's a quote from the reddit OP:

A QR code with a key to access the account. When you get in there it says there is .62 BTC which can be withdrawn. I didn’t go further into withdrawing to see what they ask, but the account 1LM.. has only ever had .15 BTC in it on blockchain records, and they have only ever deposited from accounts that have been flagged as fraudulent or scams. Nothing seemed to flag malware/ransomware on site but I am guessing the details provided on the withdraw page are what the scam is, not malicious software. Anyone heard of “Printkey Wallet” before? That’s where the QR scans to.

*emphasis mine

I think n0nce is right, it seems to direct to a site were they will probably ask for your most recent dental x-rays and then for a deposit of $50 to unlock your $12k.  Lame scammers.  They should be prosecuted for littering.

[LoyceV]

I'm still curious: does this "wallet" somehow link to an account on a website instead of a private key?

Apparently so, here's a quote from the reddit OP:

A QR code with a key to access the account. When you get in there it says there is .62 BTC which can be withdrawn. I didn’t go further into withdrawing to see what they ask, but the account 1LM.. has only ever had .15 BTC in it on blockchain records, and they have only ever deposited from accounts that have been flagged as fraudulent or scams. Nothing seemed to flag malware/ransomware on site but I am guessing the details provided on the withdraw page are what the scam is, not malicious software. Anyone heard of “Printkey Wallet” before? That’s where the QR scans to.

It sounds like OP has the same:

I scanned the initially concealed QR code on my phone, entered the also concealed code and was presented with a web page with info pertaining to a btc balance of 0.6104...ish.

[Pmalek]

Since this thread also touched upon the subject if bitcoins that don't move can be considered lost or if a lack of activity means that the original owner no longer has access to their coins, here is an interesting case I found in the Bitcoin Discussion sub. 12 years ago mined 50 Bitcoin just moved.

Someone who received a 50 BTC block reward in July 2010 moved those coins to a different address on 22 August 2022. Therefore, coins that haven't moved for a decade can't and shouldn't be classified as lost. And those coins don't become yours just because the original owner fails to move them elsewhere.

[DireWolfM14]

It sounds like OP has the same:

I scanned the initially concealed QR code on my phone, entered the also concealed code and was presented with a web page with info pertaining to a btc balance of 0.6104...ish.

Very interesting!  I just went back to re-read the few replies after easternklaas made that post; it seems like all of us missed the implications of the "concealed code" he referenced.  In light of what dkbit98 found on reddit, it seems like the OP's wallet is just a ruse.

Now that it seems this is nothing more than a joke, I hope easternklaas comes back and helps us get to the bottom of this weird event.  At the very least, sharing the public key no longer seems like a privacy risk.

[n0nce]

If the OP's wallet turns out to be one of the same batch and it's just some trickery or worse, then we got punked just the same.  It would also mean these last 10 pages and deep discussions of ethics and mushrooms was all for nothing.
How sad that would be.  

Oh well, we can't say we didn't have fun, right..

I'm still curious: does this "wallet" somehow link to an account on a website instead of a private key?

Apparently so, here's a quote from the reddit OP:

A QR code with a key to access the account. When you get in there it says there is .62 BTC which can be withdrawn. I didn’t go further into withdrawing to see what they ask, but the account 1LM.. has only ever had .15 BTC in it on blockchain records, and they have only ever deposited from accounts that have been flagged as fraudulent or scams. Nothing seemed to flag malware/ransomware on site but I am guessing the details provided on the withdraw page are what the scam is, not malicious software. Anyone heard of “Printkey Wallet” before? That’s where the QR scans to.

*emphasis mine
I think n0nce is right, it seems to direct to a site were they will probably ask for your most recent dental x-rays and then for a deposit of $50 to unlock your $12k.  Lame scammers.  They should be prosecuted for littering.

This would mean that the Reddit OP has no idea about Bitcoin though, right? I mean: 'access the account'? Which account? There are no Bitcoin accounts.
It must be targeted at people who don't actually know this. People who think a website saying: 'here is an address with X Bitcoin on it, send us $50 to access it' isn't something out of the ordinary.

Now I kind of want to see the website..

[DireWolfM14]

If the OP's wallet turns out to be one of the same batch and it's just some trickery or worse, then we got punked just the same.  It would also mean these last 10 pages and deep discussions of ethics and mushrooms was all for nothing.
How sad that would be.  

Oh well, we can't say we didn't have fun, right..

What do you call a mushroom that buys you drinks?  

A fungi to be with!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

This would mean that the Reddit OP has no idea about Bitcoin though, right? I mean: 'access the account'? Which account? There are no Bitcoin accounts.
It must be targeted at people who don't actually know this. People who think a website saying: 'here is an address with X Bitcoin on it, send us $50 to access it' isn't something out of the ordinary.

Now I kind of want to see the website..

I also got the impression that the Redditor isn't very knowledgeable about bitcoin.  The terminology does kind of give it away.

If my imagination is serving me accurately, I picture the inside of this "wallet" as a QR code which directs to a URL, and some access code that allows you to "login" to the website.  And, it's starting to sound like there's only one QR code, not two as I would expect.  Certainly there wouldn't be a private key, but the access code makes it look like there is to a neophyte.  Another purpose the access code may have accidentally served is to confuse a neophyte into thinking it is a private key, even if he were to call a more knowledgeable friend (as has been demonstrated by these last 10 pages.)  The other odd thing I noticed about the wallets in the Reddit photos; there's no QR code for the public key.

If I've got it all pictured correctly, I expect anyone with most basic knowledge of bitcoin would recognize this as ruse.  Even the Redditor who seems to have little knowledge of bitcoin recognized it as a potential scam.

I would really like to see this website too.  At this point, I wish someone would post photos of the inside of the wallet, I'm sure there's nothing to lose.  They probably all have the same codes anyway, just like they have the same address printed on the outside.

[dkbit98]

If the OP's wallet turns out to be one of the same batch and it's just some trickery or worse, then we got punked just the same.  It would also mean these last 10 pages and deep discussions of ethics and mushrooms was all for nothing.

Hey I like good quality mushrooms, they are multipurpose food and you can make pizzas with them, plus I can destroy all evidence of it's ownership really quickly.

Very interesting!  I just went back to re-read the few replies after easternklaas made that post; it seems like all of us missed the implications of the "concealed code" he referenced.  In light of what dkbit98 found on reddit, it seems like the OP's wallet is just a ruse.

You want to hear one of my wild theories?
What if member easternklaas was actually creator and maker of this fake paper wallet, and he used bitcointalk forum just as promotion for his ''product''.
I can't prove anything and it's juts my speculation, maybe because I had a funny (detective) feeling about this subject all the time.

This would mean that the Reddit OP has no idea about Bitcoin though, right? I mean: 'access the account'? Which account? There are no Bitcoin accounts.
It must be targeted at people who don't actually know this. People who think a website saying: 'here is an address with X Bitcoin on it, send us $50 to access it' isn't something out of the ordinary.

There was probably a link or a QR code that was opening some fake exchange with account and fake balance.
Like I said before, something similar is available online for years, and they distribute links with discord, telegram, etc.
Account of this reddit guy is from 2012, so anyone can contact him to find more information about his story.

[LoyceV]

You want to hear one of my wild theories?
What if member easternklaas was actually creator and maker of this fake paper wallet, and he used bitcointalk forum just as promotion for his ''product''.

That's wild indeed
It would be a terrible "promotion", because none of this leads to anyone funding the wallet. We don't even know how we'd have to do that.

[Agbe]

I know how this sounds,.. but I swear it's true... I saw and picked up what I thought was an odd looking piece of card in a dbl sealed plastic pocket whilst walking my dogs! The card inside was wet but legible and after drying it out I discovered it was a paper wallet (I have no idea about bitcoin or wallets aside from what I have discovered over last 24hrs,... which has led me here).
The paper wallet has 0.6 BTC. Some strange things have been known to wash up on this beach.  I suspect it was stolen and dumped by an ignorant burglar. It's there any way to identify from whom it came so I can return it? It seems pointless handing it into the police if they'll just destroy it....
I am in Victoria, Australia.
Thx

So where do you keep the wallet? Is it in your custody or at where. Are you sure you saw it and collect the wallet or you hear the news. Because if you really saw the paper wallet, you would have send the image of the picture here. Ok by then probably you were a newbie but now that you can post picture, can you add the picture which you have over there? Make your story authentic by showing us the image of the wallet.

I am not sure if this is directly connected with case of OP finding paper wallet or if this was posted before, but there is very similar situation happening in Melbourne, Australia.
This appears to be scam attempt with QR code with a key to access the account with alleged 0.62 BTC which can be withdrawn.
Printed address starting with 1LMy3... has total deposits of only 0.15 BTC if you look in blockchain explorer, and coins are flagged as fraudulent or scams.
This was posted on Bitcoin reddit channel, it's called “Printkey Wallet” and this is how it looks like:


https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/wuf2ke/scam_found_these_littered_around_my_suburb_in/

Very similar amount and country like in case with OP.

This want the OP would have done. But the figures in the wallet are different. The OP figure is 0.6 BTC while dkbit98 figure is 0.62 BTC but the country is the same. Therefore, if I may believe, I will believe dkbit98 part of the story. Probably the OP only hear the story and came here and he saw and picked it. If really he does that he should show us the image of his.

Then the last question to everyone, I have read the different comments from users and no solution has given. So how do you do in such case? So that we know what to do next time.

[Cricktor]

... If really he does that he should show us the image of his.

Then the last question to everyone, I have read the different comments from users and no solution has given. So how do you do in such case? So that we know what to do next time.

I agree, with those fake paperwallets floating around, me too would very much like to see a picture of OP's beach finding.

I don't understand what you mean by no solutions were given. There were some possible and sensible actions suggested in case you are an honest finder and it's a true paperwallet or similar you found. One of the best that I liked very much:

• Open a thread about your finding on bitcointalk.org for some additional vivid moral and ethical discussion, show pics (or it didn't happen) but don't disclose any details that might allow the real owner to prove his ownership if that would be needed, eg. hide handwriting and unique details that possibly only the real owner knows if they exist
• Send a small amount to the paperwallet's public address and add an output of OP_RETURN "Some details for the real owner to find thread on bitcointalk.org"
• Spend that small amount you sent and return it to your own wallet, again it's nice to add another comment with an additional OP_RETURN output; you should know how to handle private keys safely and responsibly on a safe computer environment

The advantage of this approach: you don't touch or change the funding transaction(s) of the paperwallet at all.
Any real owner who cares to look "into" his paperwallet should be alarmed by the spending transaction from his paperwallet.
If the owner still has a copy of the private key, (s)he can move funds to a safe new address. If not, well, then things can get complicated.

How you then deal with the situation if nothing happens after some reasonable and generous amount of time waiting for some owner to show up or act is likely depending on one's own moral compass. I'm not going to reiterate what's been said here already.
While a found private key gives you the technical ability to move funds that can be unlocked by that private key, I believe it doesn't grant you the ownership of the funds just because you can move 'em. You didn't do anything to own those funds.

Not sure if every country has rules and/or laws how to deal with lost things and if/how/when the ownership can/may (partially) transfer to a finder if the real owner doesn't show up or object within defined time periods.

Whatever you choose, don't be a dick! Behave like you would want others to behave if you were the one who lost something. Again, YMMV...

[Pmalek]

Ok by then probably you were a newbie but now that you can post picture, can you add the picture which you have over there? Make your story authentic by showing us the image of the wallet.

OP is still a newbie. He/she has collected a decent amount of merits (for a beginner) but the account status has not changed because the required amount of activity points is lacking.

This want the OP would have done. But the figures in the wallet are different. The OP figure is 0.6 BTC while dkbit98 figure is 0.62 BTC but the country is the same.

The balance is not exactly 0.6 BTC. OP mentioned it's 0.6104...ish.

I scanned the initially concealed QR code on my phone, entered the also concealed code and was presented with a web page with info pertaining to a btc balance of 0.6104...ish.

I don't think easternklaas is interested to discuss this matter any further. It's been a week since the account was last seen online. I guess we will never find out what he found on the beach (assuming the story is true). Case closed... for now.

[easternklaas]

So you won't believe it,.. I was walking my dog yesterday,. I came across another paper wallet! This time I took a photo after I pulled it from the seagrass. What are the chances? Have I come across some secret BTC honey hole? What if this one has more than 0.6BTC in it?
Again, I placed the wallet on my demister and carefully unfolded it when it was dry enough. Again, folded origami fashion and stapled, concealing one of the QR codes and a secret code. I couldn't believe my luck! Someone must surely be missing these wallets!?
Pulled 'Shantaram' off the shelf, flicked open to the last page,... the damn paper wallets are identical!! All numbers, QR codes,.. exactly the same! I have photo's of the two paper wallets and will try send them to someone on here as I can't seem to be able to attach the pics to this post.

Rewind about 2wks,.. I did some basic research on the .com site printed on the wallet and noticed it was only a new website and that it has been given a 99.6% chance of it being a phishing website and extremely unlikely to be authentic. But for the sake of a good story I didn't want to let on to you all after all the interest this find had generated. It was after discovering this that I decided to put the story to bed and retire the wallet to Shantaram.  I had, upon finding the first paper wallet, scanned the QR code to be guided to what looked like a completely genuine website, following the links to identify a balance of 0.61xxx? btc,.. which I misquoted here deliberately to maintain a modicum of secrecy. I can't actually even remember now the exact balance,.. but equated it using online btc calculators to be around USD$20k. Scanning the QR code now leads to a dead page.

I checked into this chat every now and then and upon the realisation that I had been duped, thought it best to put aside my embarrassment and provide a conclusion to you all. I apologise if you feel these last 10 pages of chat has been a waste. I don't think it has,.. it's been hugely educational for me, have really enjoyed the banter and even enjoyed the mushroom jokes. I was never going to cash in my find and buy a spores car (*that's the best shroom joke I have).. Even when I initially felt I had stumbled across a windfall, ..it was never my intent to take the btc. It crossed my mind,.. but it's just not something I'd feel comfortable doing. So where does that leave me? With a basic understanding of what a bitcoin wallet is, 2 x really cool bookmarks and a rather interesting tale. Cheers guys!

[nc50lc]

-snip-

Just for the record, a paper wallet rarely has a QRCode of a URL on it
since it's basically a 'cold-storage' wallet, linking a website for "whatever the reason is" doesn't makes sense.
Even the print-format of paper wallets from online paper wallet generators do not contain URLs (do not use them online though).

Usually, it's just the private key, and then the public key or the address.

[LoyceV]

I have photo's of the two paper wallets and will try send them to someone on here as I can't seem to be able to attach the pics to this post.

Feel free to email me: LoyceValenzuela@gmail.com. With your permission, I'll upload the images to my site, and post them here.

[Pmalek]

I am now pretty certain that it's a scam. Whoever keeps leaving those wallets around surely expects that someone who knows about bitcoin will find them. Once they do, they will get curious, scan the QR codes, and be redirected to some sort of fake exchange that will welcome them with a decent-looking balance. Once that happens, the site will ask them to make a deposit for whatever reason. Security deposit, tax payments, etc.

Finding one paper wallet seems odd but finding the same wallet twice is surely a scam in the making. The fact that the site where the QR code takes you is brand new just confirms that theory.

Full disclosure: OP PMed me to send photos of the paper wallets via email. I declined and suggested that photos can be posted on Imgur and the links can be posted in the thread or he can PM me them if he wants to. Now that LoyceV has shown an interest in taking a look, that's even better. I am sure the wallet contains no private keys so it's safe to post them publicly.

[LoyceV]

Yep I'm happy for you to post the photos i took of the wallets I found.

I took the liberty of cropping them a bit (there were other thumbnails visible on the screenshot). This is what I received:




(click for larger size, or click right > "Open Image in New Tab" to view the full size through Bitcointalk's image proxy)

This is the address:

1LMy3vemjaA46SATjZp9FfVSkUA8QiYjgE holds 0.01528957BTC.

Funds moved out of this address on August 29, 2022.
I'd like to know if those funds came from victims who fell for this scam. If it actually works for the scammer, we may see many more scams like this!