List of Major Bitcoin Heists, Thefts, Hacks, Scams, and Losses

[Q7]

Though the list is interesting and informative, it can actually puts bitcoin in a negative spotlight. It will give an impression that holding on to btc is not safe but actually is not true which are all based on our own due diligence.

[NotLambchop]

Though the list is interesting and informative, it can actually puts bitcoin in a negative spotlight. It will give an impression that holding on to btc is not safe but actually is not true which are all based on our own due diligence.

Lol.  Judging by Bitcoin's premiere securities exchange, Havelock Investments, all Bitcoin businesses either lose money honestly or run away.  From all the "securities" listed, not a single one proved to be profitable.
Not a one.
Including Havelock itself.
https://www.havelockinvestments.com/fund.php?symbol=HIF

  ~Happy Investing!

[freedomno1]

Adding Mintpal to the list
Amount of Bitcoins is 3700 according to article
https://blockchain.info/address/17ztgkcaZbs4VFrAswMQGvnNDEtn47rsmu

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/23/british-serial-entrepreneur-missing-bitcoin-apparently-stolen

British serial entrepreneur missing as $1.4m bitcoin is apparently stolen
Moolah has gone bust amid questions of its ownership and business practices

[Rewap]

Though the list is interesting and informative, it can actually puts bitcoin in a negative spotlight. It will give an impression that holding on to btc is not safe but actually is not true which are all based on our own due diligence.

And why is that? For me, it just makes bitcoin more usable for everyone.

[erik777]

Though the list is interesting and informative, it can actually puts bitcoin in a negative spotlight. It will give an impression that holding on to btc is not safe but actually is not true which are all based on our own due diligence.

Perhaps we need a thread on dollar heists, thefts, scams and losses.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/law-lets-irs-seize-accounts-on-suspicion-no-crime-required/ar-BBbbfW3?ocid=mailsignout

[JorgeStolfi]

Perhaps we need a thread on dollar heists, thefts, scams and losses.

Sure. Keep denying or minimizing the theft/scam problem, that is a wonderful way to build public confidence.

At least 10% of all the bitcoins in existence must be in possession of thieves and scammers (the MtGOX "theft" alone took 5%).  Only a couple of thieves have been caught and prosecuted.  Few if any of the bitcoins that were stolen, embezzled, or obtained by fraudulent means have been returned to their legitimate owners.  There is no evidence that such crimes are diminishing.

[Zackgeno96]

add mintpal scam to the list i've lost 10+ btc and are stuck on mintpal =-/

[I_IZ_CEO]

One of the best reads on bitcointalk. Thanks for updating it and it should be a must read for all newbs.

[bluemountain]

I haven't seen any specific numbers as of how much bitcoin was seized as part of the SR2 seizure however it would probably make the list.

Also SR2 was apparently hacked late this summer to the tune of 1,600 BTC which had previously been unreported (AFAIK)

[jabo38]

Id like to know the fate of the sr2 coins too.

My guess is the admin learnt enough from the past failures of others to hide and store them better.

[JorgeStolfi]

Id like to know the fate of the sr2 coins too. My guess is the admin learnt enough from the past failures of others to hide and store them better.

Reports say that the FBI had infiltrated his site a year ago.  Now guess again. 

[dontCAREhair]

Id like to know the fate of the sr2 coins too. My guess is the admin learnt enough from the past failures of others to hide and store them better.

Reports say that the FBI had infiltrated his site a year ago.  Now guess again. 

The FBI (I think it was actually homeland security, but this is not the point) was able to get an undercover officer to become a moderator/staff member of the forum of SR2 but I don't think he was able to control any of the actual funds (although the number of "hacks" that SR2 had may be an indication that he did have access to the coins.

I do agree that Blake certainly did not learn any lessons from the downfall of SR1 as he made much worse mistakes

[dree12]

BASIC-MINING and MintPal have been added. Preliminary estimates for the Mt. Gox loss are up too. I'm still behind on the backlog though; hopefully I can get a few more updates in before my schedule tightens up again.

Huobi has been in the news. I'm not sure if this is an actual theft or a misunderstanding. Can any Chinese users help clear this up?

I also plan to move from January 2014 BTC to a more recent benchmark, probably July 2014 BTC (this is better psychologically, since many of us don't remember what the price was in January). This will hopefully go smoothly.

[Phrenico]

What about the two relatively recent dice sites that absconded with investor dunds, Dice Ninja and Dice Bitcoin?

Surprised they aren't here, because they seem to meet the criteria for inclusion. Anyway, great record OP.

[dree12]

What about the two relatively recent dice sites that absconded with investor dunds, Dice Ninja and Dice Bitcoin?

Surprised they aren't here, because they seem to meet the criteria for inclusion. Anyway, great record OP.

Thanks, noted. They may show up in one of the next updates, which will hopefully not take too long.

[scarsbergholden]

What about the two relatively recent dice sites that absconded with investor dunds, Dice Ninja and Dice Bitcoin?

Surprised they aren't here, because they seem to meet the criteria for inclusion. Anyway, great record OP.

Thanks, noted. They may show up in one of the next updates, which will hopefully not take too long.

I would say that the amount stolen from dicebit.co is difficult to quantify as the ability to verify others' bets was quickly disabled and the amount taken from investors' funds would have been duliated because of the fact they likely invested their own funds in the bankroll.

Also there is not 100% evidence that they actually scammed, although the evidence against them is very strong

[dree12]

There's some Bitstamp drama right now. In particular this address seems to contain stolen coins.

https://blockchain.info/address/1L2JsXHPMYuAa9ugvHGLwkdstCPUDemNCf

[Netzer]

It's a very useful resource for noobs, thanks!

[freedomno1]

There's some Bitstamp drama right now. In particular this address seems to contain stolen coins.

https://blockchain.info/address/1L2JsXHPMYuAa9ugvHGLwkdstCPUDemNCf

Updating with some additional information to the blockchain address
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/05/bitstamp-bitcoin-exchange-hack/

Bitstamp customers can rest assured that their bitcoins held with us as prior to temporary suspension of services on January 5th (at 9am UTC) are completely safe and will be honored in full.

On January 4th, some of Bitstamp’s operational wallets were compromised, resulting in a loss of less than 19,000 BTC. Upon learning of the breach, we immediately notified all customers that they should no longer make deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses. As an additional security measure, we suspended our systems while we fully investigate the incident and actively engage with law enforcement officials.

As an aside it makes the top 3 (Not the best start to 2015)

[altcoin hitler]

ad coinex to the list! https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=265277.0