$243M bitcoin scam that led to kidnapping and chaos

[Charles-Tim]

It blows my mind when I think about how a group of18 year olds did this. And even more so considering how stupid they were in getting caught, by not having OPSEC and flashing their riches around so carelessly. What would they be planning to do next? Murder?

It is a lesson that not everyone that you party with is your friend. It was an audio recording taken by someone they did not know he was recording them but the person partied with them in celebration of the successful criminal act.

I am not in support of the crime but it is still a lesson. We should be careful and watchful.

[acroman08]

Glad they all got caught, I feel bad for the parents that got dragged into it because their child decided that having a bright future ahead of him is not enough to be a decent person.

anyway, Its astonishing that this kidnapping connected to another bitcion scam that I read months ago.

[CryptSafe]

Glad they all got caught, I feel bad for the parents that got dragged into it because their child decided that having a bright future ahead of him is not enough to be a decent person.

anyway, Its astonishing that this kidnapping connected to another bitcion scam that I read months ago.

It is very disappointing if their parents got dragged into this mess their children caused; they could have chosen to turn out to be something meaningful and useful to society instead of hackers and criminals, which is not a good thing to say. I'm sorry for the parents who had spent a lot to nurture and train them to that age, and all they could think of doing is to repay them with shame and regret.

The government could handle them better now that they are in its custody. Maybe after they've served their jail term, they will use their lives for a good purpose rather than causing trouble again.

[Zadicar]

Im not that sympathasizing these hackers but they were that noob enough on leaking out even with that name on which it did really lead up into that whole messed up situation.
Well, its good that it did happen considering that those funds were stolen and should be given back but since there's no clear information about on whose the owner of those coins in the first place?
Now that it is already on the hands of the government then recovering with those funds is impossible. 15 years in prison is just that too long. Well shit happens. 

[BABY SHOES]

I've heard this news before... it's even made it to our local media about a hacker who was living the high life and was arrested for his own foolish actions.

He was probably too excited because he managed to hack a large amount of money and ended up cheering to celebrate, because he was too vulgar, this attracted the attention of other criminals so that his parents became kidnapping victims.

Any act of hacking or fraud cannot be justified, it is already a deserved punishment for him for flaunting his unreasonable wealth.

[suzanne5223]

This story tells us that cheaters make mistakes too, and that when they do that will be fatal for them.

This is not to encourage a scam.
Cheaters also make mistakes, but there are some mistakes made out of foolishness. An example is what the adolescents did after stealing BTC worth $243M all they can do is live a lavish lifestyle, spend huge funds in the club.
Although this issue happened last year but I have the privilege of watching the video of the club session of the scammer spending money on drinks and girls in the club

I didn't read the article but based on the summary, they were amateurs, which is why they slipped up and unfolded everything.For sure they are gonna be end up behind bars for a pretty long and this should serve as a lesson for whoever think that they can steal money and hide away from everything.

Not everyone can maintain the professionalism of the Lazarus Group.

I don't know about their professionalism level, but they are not that mature, and when people of 15-20 years have millions of bucks, only a few of them can contain themselves from living a lavish lifestyle.
For the Lazarus group, they are professionally trained for years, so we can't compare them.

[Ever-young]

This story tells us that cheaters make mistakes too, and that when they do that will be fatal for them.

Indeed no matter how perfect they becomes in hiding their tracks their is always one who makes the mistake that will lead the authorities to others or they will perfectly be doing the hiding until they will all think their is no track on them and boom that’s where they will land their self in trouble, which is one thing about group of people getting involve in something. It’s good they where caught and some of the victims where able to get their money back.

[Zigabel]

You don't get to get away with crime all the time and that's one fact some young persons fail to understand, it doesn’t matter how careful you are, you may run out of luck some day and the rest will turn history, your cohorts may be the link to which you may be tracked down joust as we have seen in this story, so don't think you can amd will always get away with it because eyes may be on you and you may not know because you think you are just too smart.

Extravagant lifestyle is another thing we aught to be careful about because you never can tell, you may be thinking it doesn't matter but it's actually one of the biggest acts that will drag attention to you and that could raise suspicions around you even when you may me free of any of such, so even as a Bitcoin trader or investor, a fairly decent lifestyle will do you more good than an Extravagant attention seeking lifestyle.

[ThemePen]

I've heard this news before... it's even made it to our local media about a hacker who was living the high life and was arrested for his own foolish actions.

He was probably too excited because he managed to hack a large amount of money and ended up cheering to celebrate, because he was too vulgar, this attracted the attention of other criminals so that his parents became kidnapping victims.

Any act of hacking or fraud cannot be justified, it is already a deserved punishment for him for flaunting his unreasonable wealth.

Hacker was reportedly showing off money he stole and that looks to have led to something terrible happening to his family. It is showing how dangerous it can be to do illegal things and then attract attention to yourself.
You are right that hacking and cheating people which do not have money are serious crimes and there is no excuse for them. While getting arrested is kind of punishment for what he did fact is that his parents were then kidnapped makes situation even sadder and more complicated. It shows that when someone does something wrong it can make big and unexpected bad effects not only for them but also for innocent people around them. It is strong reminder of how risky these kinds of illegal activities are both legally and personally.

[Zlantann]

Lavish spending and showcasing of wealth on social media are major characteristics of criminals. In my area is it common to see criminals spraying money in clubs, parties and other public occasions just to show that they have enough money to spend. The age of these cybercriminals is also disturbing because they are young and should be focused on their studies rather than pursuing quick and illegal funds.

Associating young rich individuals with criminal activities is not fair. We are living in the online era there are tons of people making hundreds of thousands of dollars in legitimate ways and the best example is Ishowspeed who is a criminal? Nah, they are given more opportunities and who are smart enough utilize it and associating them with crime sends the wrong message to the upcoming generation.

In this case, yes, they are criminals and they were caught due to a flashy lifestyle.

Let me apologize for generalizing my comments about young people. I agree that these days, smart young people are making legitimate money, and the crypto industry offers them such opportunities. Law enforcement agents in my country have the same mentality, which is why they intimidate and arrest young rich people. They usually conclude that these young people are criminals. Making wealth has gone beyond going to brick-and-mortar offices since many people are making serious money online.

But a large number of fraudsters that have been caught usually live lavishly and they always showcase it on social media. There are many young billionaires and you will hardly see them showcasing their wealth on social media platforms..

[0xSlayers]

This incident teaches us an important lesson that is Cybercrime is not as easy or safe as it seems. Despite stealing $243 million worth of Bitcoin these young hackers made many serious mistakes that led to their downfall. One revealed his real name online and another participated in the crime without using a VPN. After the heist, they began living a luxurious life, partying at clubs, driving expensive cars, flaunting money on social media that caught the attention of investigators,  and were betrayed by their own team.

This incident shows that no matter how technically complex the crime, everything in this digital world leaves a mark. The stolen money is now in the custody of the US government, proving that even stolen crypto is not safe.