Bitcoin Robbery

[akhan1]

Hello Everyone

Im new here, I've come to the bitcoin Community for some help. I've tried on reddit but had everyone just trolling me. So ill just get in to it here.

on the 4th of January around 4oclock I was called out to a job (im self employed) upon arriving 5 mins in to my job I was approached by 2 men in helmets who pepper sprayed me and held me at gunpoint  put me in the back of a van tied me up put a bag over my head and drove me to an unknown location. (Ill spare you all the details in-between) They were after "Crypto"
They asked me for my phone passcodes which I gave, They asked where the ledger was. I told them I have some BTC in a hot wallet on my phone. I had .55 BTC (yes I know about self custody)

So ill skip to the bit where its relevant to Bitcoin

My wallet with .55 btc
bc1qchgf3waww3yv7crz0uymvgun3sczejeu99xwaf, bc1qtrh3sxcg7jyrkhp0w70fp9ve82amwl4ut6yljn

Sent to
3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5, bc1qn7gjwnuvj0u5dzrfq2gvcnsk9840y4v9ruuqtc

Txid
00125d6dbffb88ac24f4b71ed242d0d8151b19d2d87211144f150585eccc1a5e


Transaction id of where .33 was sent (another hot wallet)
988c948d7f8f707d2ba43991b1129c374f11058b477ca3f101ab1a0a36068c26

I've been doing some digging on block explorer and have found that .55 BTC was sent to
3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5

it sat here for a few days and today it moved and I can't see where it went as there were many transactions under one and most of them were .55BTC
What I wanna know is is this a mixer or an exchange or OTC address

also the .33 Btc was sent to
bc1qgpa0uz3ph4076j4f3kjxgzzd6t5298sdtjvwc9

This is address has loads of activity constantly funds being moved in and out currently it has 179 BTC

The reason I've on here is to ask for help if anyone can find any information about the wallets ideally what im hoping is one of these wallets is a KYC exchange in order to catch the perprotators . Police are aware and investigations are ongoing but I when I have provided the above details they have no clue. Their  lines of enquiries are cell site data cctv etc.

Any help would be appreciated

thanks
Bitcoiner

[1714257421]

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[franky1]

lets get things straight
"your wallet"
bc1qchgf3waww3yv7crz0uymvgun3sczejeu99xwaf  0.22727264 BTC
bc1qtrh3sxcg7jyrkhp0w70fp9ve82amwl4ut6yljn 0.17290000 BTC
bc1qtrh3sxcg7jyrkhp0w70fp9ve82amwl4ut6yljn 0.17181000 BTC
                                                             total: 0.57198264 BTC

where .55 was spend to another wallet that is not your wallet.
3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5

ok so it appears that it is a hotwallet for a mixer/service that deals in many lumps of .55

[coolcoinz]

So you weren't screaming, there were no people around, they just took you to a car in broad daylight and drove away? Unless it was 4 am...

I had .55 BTC (yes I know about self custody)

That's a lot of money to be carrying around on your phone. You either are very rich and $20k is nothing, or you're very careless.
I own much more bitcoin than that and I'd never carry even .1 BTC with me. There's just nothing that I'd need to buy in person that costs this much. For larger transactions I'd send bitcoin from home.

When you gave them the phone and password, what happened next? Did they just leave, or drop you off somewhere?

I hope the police finds them, good luck.
All this could be avoided if only people learn not to carry a lot of money with them and not tell others they're bitcoin investors. The attackers knew that you own bitcoin from someone.
These people knew you had bitcoin and how you look like. They recognized you, "called you to a job" so they had your number. It wasn't a random robbery.

[target]

These people knew you had bitcoin and how you look like. They recognized you, "called you to a job" so they had your number. It wasn't a random robbery.

Most probably if he applied for a crypto job then these robbers knew he had some coins, they even asked for his ledger. So they assume he has a ledger with him. Did his employer-to-be know this? Maybe

And it appears he is using his phone as his private wallet. It's good that he gave his passwd without resistance, it be best than being killed by them. Lost of BTC is way better than losing his life.

[Orpichukwu]

This was not an incident but a long-planned robbery, and if you check well within your circle, you might find more information that will help you trace them than trying to scan through the address in an exploration, as it might lead you into a dead end. Once it's moved into a platform with a mixing service, that's where the tracking might end.
 
Just check the people you might have discussed your holdings with who know how much you own and the pattern they use in luring you into the job interview who know the kind of job you do and can use such a job to lure you in. You need to start making small internal investigations within your secure, and maybe you discover a trace.
 
This is the reason why it's always advisable for one to keep their crypto holdings, especially when it's something worth a fortune. Many people can do anything possible to obtain that amount from you. There are a lot of greedy and hungry people on the street, and their getting their hands on such information will put you in danger as you will be their target.

[hd49728]

I told them I have some BTC in a hot wallet on my phone. I had .55 BTC (yes I know about self custody)

If you know about self custody, I feel bad because you decided to store 0.55 BTC on your phone. It is a hot wallet on phone, it's your bad decision.

have found that .55 BTC was sent to
3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5

it sat here for a few days and today it moved

https://www.walletexplorer.com/txid/00125d6dbffb88ac24f4b71ed242d0d8151b19d2d87211144f150585eccc1a5e
https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/address/3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5
https://platform.arkhamintelligence.com/explorer/address/3QEyb7Lk7PE1ZUWLN3CgJTZ735KzZ6yZv5

It was moved 18 hours ago to bc1q0j5eldsznvl82rr82alce9kmhw22sctnjk2zt0vt6g7x2zpj3nus79xvvt

[Poker Player]

Because of these things I don't tell anyone I have bitcoin, unlike some people on the forum, it's a security issue.

Most probably if he applied for a crypto job then these robbers knew he had some coins, they even asked for his ledger. So they assume he has a ledger with him. Did his employer-to-be know this? Maybe

Not exactly. He says he is self-employed. He probably advertises his services saying he accepts payment in bitcoin and that's where the criminals deduced that he would have. They called him to perform a job and the rest we already know. It is a clear risk of "we accept bitcoin here". It's one thing if you have a website, you put it there and nobody knows you are the owner of the website, but if you do work in person it's a risk to even say you accept bitcoin payments.

[adaseb]

Because of these things I don't tell anyone I have bitcoin, unlike some people on the forum, it's a security issue.

Most probably if he applied for a crypto job then these robbers knew he had some coins, they even asked for his ledger. So they assume he has a ledger with him. Did his employer-to-be know this? Maybe

Not exactly. He says he is self-employed. He probably advertises his services saying he accepts payment in bitcoin and that's where the criminals deduced that he would have. They called him to perform a job and the rest we already know. It is a clear risk of "we accept bitcoin here". It's one thing if you have a website, you put it there and nobody knows you are the owner of the website, but if you do work in person it's a risk to even say you accept bitcoin payments.

This is not what caused him to get robbed. Most businesses that accept crypto usually use a service like Coinbase where it automatically converts to fiat and sent to your bank account. People do this because crypto is just too volatile.

It was probably someone that knew he had tons of bitcoins and word got around. Hence why it’s a good idea never to talk about your crypto holdings with anyone.

[pinggoki]

With the police involved, it's going to be difficult for any person outside of that investigation to do their own investigation even if that's to help the investigation, hopefully someone with the skills can help either without pay or with some payment, hopefully you don't mind the payment part for the tracking, it seems that the bitcoins that was stolen from you got through a mixer which is going to make it even more difficult for someone to do the tracking. I also agree with @Orpichukwu, that this was a planned attack and that some form of set up has been done to accomplish this, there's no way that they're also newbies when it comes to this kind of operation, they've probably done it with other people in the past, hopefully the investigation to this will lead to some matches in previous reports with the same modus operandi, hope that you're doing well OP because that's a traumatizing experience and no way that someone survives that encounter to be completely fine, have you tried doing therapy?

Because of these things I don't tell anyone I have bitcoin, unlike some people on the forum, it's a security issue.

If this story is true, it has definitely unlocked a new kind of terror within me, imagine that you can just be kidnapped and have your life on the line just for a paltry amount of satoshi, that's sickening and scary.

[Shamm]

So you weren't screaming, there were no people around, they just took you to a car in broad daylight and drove away? Unless it was 4 am...

I had .55 BTC (yes I know about self custody)

That's a lot of money to be carrying around on your phone. You either are very rich and $20k is nothing, or you're very careless.
I own much more bitcoin than that and I'd never carry even .1 BTC with me. There's just nothing that I'd need to buy in person that costs this much. For larger transactions I'd send bitcoin from home.

When you gave them the phone and password, what happened next? Did they just leave, or drop you off somewhere?

I hope the police finds them, good luck.
All this could be avoided if only people learn not to carry a lot of money with them and not tell others they're bitcoin investors. The attackers knew that you own bitcoin from someone.
These people knew you had bitcoin and how you look like. They recognized you, "called you to a job" so they had your number. It wasn't a random robbery.

That's why it's better to stay quiet and we must don't  post in public that we are investors. cause nowadays there are many scammers, holdappers, rubbers that will come to us once they will know that we are holding some Bitcoins. Or else they will know that person who posted in social media are too rich then they will make a way to have a timing that they can access to that person. Do we must stay vigilant and focus on our investment we should not let that happen to us.  

[SatoPrincess]

Let the police do their job. I believe they have a cyber crime unit that handles crypto related cases. Coming to talk about the case on various crypto platforms is not going to help you recover your bitcoins, even worse you may attract scammers who will try to convince you that it is possible to recover your stolen bitcoins.

I think the police can be of great help in this case since it was a physical robbery and not an online scam like we are used to seeing. I’m guessing they have checked cctv footage from nearby shops and likely have a lead on the van’s plate number. Their process may be slow but it’s worth trying.

[lovesmayfamilis]

OP, are you one of those "lucky" people whose crypto is regularly attacked by robbers? Why were you trolling on Reddit? Probably because they didn't believe your story. Four years ago, your seed phrase was also stolen, but only from home.
You are directly attracting robbers to yourself, although four years ago you could have gained experience and been more careful.

story one: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/s/Mc1lHmTwrm

story two: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/18zkq6a/bitcoin_robbery/?rdt=51628

Will there be a third?

[Lucius]

It seems that the OP is a real magnet for criminals, and in addition, he is quite naive, considering that @lovesmayfamilis found another story that, combined with the recent event, only confirms that some people unfortunately do not even learn from their own mistakes.

What people doing his job should take as precautionary measures is definitely to meet unknown people in public places where there are a lot of people and cameras, but before that they insist on having a video interview with those same people. Furthermore, personal protection should include at least some stun device or a firearm, because walking around with that amount in your pocket is nothing but inviting trouble.

[sokani]

0.55 BTC is quite much to be carrying around on a hot wallet, you'd have stored it on a hardware wallet and kept it somewhere safe, except you're a f*cking rich kid. What happened to you looks like an inside job, someone who knows you've some crypto stach set you up, likely a friend or family member. You just have to hope the thief makes a mistake by sending the fund to a CEX, so that you can get his/her identity after filing a police report.

Experience they say is the best teacher. Though, I don't believe it should be my teacher because I try to learn from other people's mistake, but you my friend have to really learn from your own mistake.

[CryptSafe]

OP I was wondering how they got to know you in person and were able to monitor you. Who called you out for a job? Where did they get your job information to have called you for your services? When you arrived at your job destination, who did you call first to inform them that you had arrived there? How were they able to identify you? Looking at the volume of bitcoin and the dollar equivalent, it is a good sum of money to start with. You could have saved yourself by keeping your assets behind since you are going to a place you have not been before for a job.

Possibly there must have been an insider who could know your activities and is very sure you go about with your assets and funds and decided to take advantage of your ignorance to steal your assets. Aside from that, who knows about your bitcoin investment?

From the looks, it seems you had similar occurrences years ago based on posts I have read here, and you were not able to learn a lesson from them. I just hope you learn from this otherwise you will constantly be their target to always steal from.

[SatoPrincess]

After reading OP’s previous posts on Reddit, I’m starting to have doubts that this story is true. Four years ago, OP posted on Reddit that his house was robbed and the bulgars stole his seed phrase. This raises a lot of questions because burglars usually steal jewelry, cash and electronics. It’s strange that they would be interested in a book (I’m assuming OP wrote his seed phrase on paper) unless they had inside information about the bitcoins.

Four years later and OP is robbed of his bitcoins for the second time tells me that he is a loud person and doesn’t keep his bitcoin savings private.

[Assface16678]

After reading OP’s previous posts on Reddit, I’m starting to have doubts that this story is true. Four years ago, OP posted on Reddit that his house was robbed and the bulgars stole his seed phrase. This raises a lot of questions because burglars usually steal jewelry, cash and electronics. It’s strange that they would be interested in a book (I’m assuming OP wrote his seed phrase on paper) unless they had inside information about the bitcoins.

Four years later and OP is robbed of his bitcoins for the second time tells me that he is a loud person and doesn’t keep his bitcoin savings private.

Well, what do we expect? Many posters here that create topics are costly, made-up stories for the sake of getting the attention of other users. We understand that because they are working for their rank. Anyway, if what you've said is true, how can you prove that the OP's account here is the same as the one you've seen on Reddit? At least provide evidence so that we can assure you that your accusation is true. This kind of scenario is common in this section or any other section, so I'm not surprised by this kind of topic, but in the OP's situation, why would the person who robs him know that he has an asset or crypto currency? And go straight to its asset? This seems too suspicious. Maybe others are right; the person who robs him is also close to him, because if not, then how could they know you have cryptographic assets?

[jrrsparkles]

After reading OP’s previous posts on Reddit, I’m starting to have doubts that this story is true. Four years ago, OP posted on Reddit that his house was robbed and the bulgars stole his seed phrase. This raises a lot of questions because burglars usually steal jewelry, cash and electronics. It’s strange that they would be interested in a book (I’m assuming OP wrote his seed phrase on paper) unless they had inside information about the bitcoins.

Four years later and OP is robbed of his bitcoins for the second time tells me that he is a loud person and doesn’t keep his bitcoin savings private.

Who knows, he was at the wrong place, wrong time so these bad things are mere coincidence.

Let's assume what OP is telling is the truth and what he can do, I don't think it is a mixer possibly the funds moved to an exchange and cashed out by the robbers so every movement after that becomes irrelevant. What OP can do is file a complaint and find the address belongs to an exchange and if it is there is slight possibility to trace the individual behind the theft.

[Zigabel]

Soon the coins may be moved to a mixing service and tracking on the wallet may no longer be possible and every attempt may become futile, looking from the fact that there was a call that prompted your coming out which got you exposed to this guy's should be your first point of call, by this I mean you could possibly track the holders of the number that called you especially if it was a registered number and from there further investigation can be carried out to finding who was responsible because tracking with the various wallet id has got some limitations at some point which will stop you from getting further access to these guys.

Check amongst those who are aware of the possible amount you have got in your portfolio they could have a hand in this and can possibly provide you with much needed information to apprehend the perpetrator.

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

Will there be a third?

Hope that OP will not get a third Bitcoin robbery or more because it's impossible to have luck all times to save his life. Losing bitcoins is bad but saving his life is good enough but if mistakes repeat a few more times, maybe luckiness will no longer stays with OP.

Physical Bitcoin attacks have many stories and OP must read to avoid more mistakes, more robbery.

A presentation with some reasons of robbery. Why things are stolen?