List of Major Bitcoin Heists, Thefts, Hacks, Scams, and Losses [Old]

[apetersson]

thanks for keeping this list up to date. very good to have this info compiled here.
do you have a donation addr?

[1713909084]

1713909084

[1713909084]

1713909084

[1713909084]

1713909084

[1713909084]

1713909084

[dree12]

thanks for keeping this list up to date. very good to have this info compiled here.
do you have a donation addr?

I will accept donations at 1MLSW1nmYkHqaHWNNkHSAHct6exd8fYYLX. Thanks!

[makomk]

200000 BTC is an even lower estimate than 350000 BTC I gave, but I figure also more accurate. If worse goes to worst, then that is the figure I may preliminarily use.

Well, that estimate's going to be quite a bit lower than the actual total loss because it's based on the assumption that pirateat40 was paying out interest using other investors' deposits. So on top of that 200000 BTC loss, investors will also have lost some of their initial principle in the form of profits gained by other investors.

[paulie_w]

wait, so what % of the total bitcoin has actually been stolen? :-)

[dree12]

wait, so what % of the total bitcoin has actually been stolen? :-)

This is nearly impossible to know because most BTC has been stolen not once, but many, many times.

[Melbustus]

wait, so what % of the total bitcoin has actually been stolen? :-)

This is nearly impossible to know because most BTC has been stolen not once, but many, many times.

Understood, but some (wide) estimate would still be useful. We can probably assume that a good deal of stolen coins were cleaned and then hoarded or converted to fiat, and thus not subject to resteal.

I think it's important to have some sense of the total # of coins likely still in the hands of scammers and thieves. The idea of bitcoin becoming increasingly value when such people own a significant percentage of all coin is quite distasteful. I think I could live with 5% of all bitcoins in such individuals' hands. Over 10% and I start to consider that a huge negative in the economy.

(edit: just shipped you a tiny donation....appreciate the comprehensive list)

[dree12]

wait, so what % of the total bitcoin has actually been stolen? :-)

This is nearly impossible to know because most BTC has been stolen not once, but many, many times.

Understood, but some (wide) estimate would still be useful. We can probably assume that a good deal of stolen coins were cleaned and then hoarded or converted to fiat, and thus not subject to resteal.

I think it's important to have some sense of the total # of coins likely still in the hands of scammers and thieves. The idea of bitcoin becoming increasingly value when such people own a significant percentage of all coin is quite distasteful. I think I could live with 5% of all bitcoins in such individuals' hands. Over 10% and I start to consider that a huge negative in the economy.

(edit: just shipped you a tiny donation....appreciate the comprehensive list)

Around 300000 BTC have been stolen in total (the list lists much less than that, but many thefts are undocumented/unknown). If Pirate is included, this number increases to 500000 BTC, which is your 5%.

Thanks for the donation!

[smoothie]

May want to add a total to all thefts in your OP.

This may be an interesting indicator as to what amount of bitcoins are in the hands of the rest of the community.

[dree12]

May want to add a total to all thefts in your OP.

This may be an interesting indicator as to what amount of bitcoins are in the hands of the rest of the community.

Theft bitcoins are, for the most part, in the hands of the rest of the community. The coins from the largest thefts have been redistributed. Look in your wallet, and you will find MyBitcoin coins, allinvain coins, Linode coins, and probably BS&T coins as well by now. While it's true that Mt. Gox has frozen some funds, the amount is insignificant.

This is not to claim that tainting is not an issue, but it is true that it is no longer feasible to assign special status to robbers.

[dree12]

Please at the 80,000BTC Matthew N Wright scam.

Thanks.

Similar to the method in which I am treating Pirate, thefts of vapour-Bitcoins cannot be included.

[makomk]

You might want to add the Long-Term Offers forum to your list at some point by the way. Yes, all of it - pretty much every scheme in there has now failed, defaulted or otherwise imploded.

[Joe200]

Excellent list. Thank you!

I have a proposal on how to try to stop bitcoin thieves after the fact. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=110749.0 Please discuss / give input there.

I know the proposal is not new in principle. If we want to implement it or something like it, we need to get the community talking about it and asking for it.

Thanks.

[Joe200]

This is not to claim that tainting is not an issue, but it is true that it is no longer feasible to assign special status to robbers.

After some time has passed, you are right. But let's be ready for the next theft and act quickly. See my post here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=110749.0

[dree12]

I have a plan for improving this list in the near future. First, I have to sort out the BS&T mess and the Kronos.io hack (which, by the way, I still do not have a date for). After that, I should begin some systematic reanalysis of each theft to revise the estimates into better ones if possible. To aid this, I am planning on an accuracy scale for the estimates:

Scale Category	Definition
Level 0	Exact amount given by official source, third involved party, or blockchain analysis; almost universally accepted. Appropriate references must be included: One reference from an official source, third involved party, or blockchain analyst revealing the approximate amount. One reference from that source, could be the same as the previous, mentioning the exactness of the amount. If the source is a blockchain analyst, two additional reference from a third party confirming the blockchain analysis. Depending on the reliability of the main source, a third party confirmation could be required. This can be one reference from another type of source, types given below, that outlines a value confirming or supporting the main source. Official source Third involved party Blockchain analyst
Level 1	An approximate amount obtained from official source, third party, or blockchain analysis. Amount should not be, within a reasonable doubt, off by over 5%. The following references must be given: One reference from an official source, third party, or blockchain analyst revealing the approximate amount. One reference from that source, could be the same as the previous, mentioning the level of error expected should be low. If the source is a blockchain analyst, one additional reference from a third party confirming the blockchain analysis.
Level 2	Both a lower bound and an upper bound obtained from official source, third party, blockchain analysis, or my personal analysis. The upper and lower bounds should be, within a reasonable doubt, absolute. The upper bound should not be more than three times the lower bound. The following references should be given for each bound, unless it is determined through personal analysis, in which the appropriate references backing the personal analysis must be given: One reference from an official source, third party, or blockchain analyst revealing the bound. One reference from that source, could be the same as the previous, mentioning the absoluteness of the bound. If the source is a blockchain analyst, one additional reference from a third party confirming the blockchain analysis.
Level 3	Only an estimate is obtained from the official source, third party, blockchain analysis, the media, or my personal analysis. Up to one absolute bound is known, but not two. The upper bound should not be more than three times the estimate, or the estimate should not be more than three times the lower bound, if a bound is known. The following references should be given for the estimate, unless it is determined through personal analysis, in which the appropriate references backing the personal analysis must be given: One reference from an official source, third party, blockchain analyst, or media source revealing the estimate. If the source is a blockchain analyst, one additional reference from a third party confirming the blockchain analysis. If an absolute bound is known: One reference from an official source, third party, blockchain analyst, or media source revealing the bound. One reference from that source, could be the same as the previous, mentioning the absoluteness of the bound. If the source is a blockchain analyst, one additional reference from a third party confirming the blockchain analysis.
Level 4	No reliable estimate is known, so one is calculated through a third party or personal analysis. Up to two bounds are known, but they may be far apart. No references are required, however, methodology should be present if no references are included.

Thoughts?

[malevolent]

~Andrew Nolan Scam
Time: February 2012
Victim: Investors of Shades Minoco, creditors of bitcointalk.org user "shakaru", investors of BitArb
Status: Andrew Nolan (thief) known but disappeared, repaid some (not included in amount)
Amount: Lower bound 2211.07786728 BTC, possibly more
Equivalent USD: 10978 $ (wt. avg price, rounded to nearest $)

It is a small detail but I think it is important because Google indexes it: his last name is actually Nollan.

One of his emails that I know of (he uses/used it for Paypal) is andrew.nollan@gmail.com

[dree12]

~Andrew Nolan Scam
Time: February 2012
Victim: Investors of Shades Minoco, creditors of bitcointalk.org user "shakaru", investors of BitArb
Status: Andrew Nolan (thief) known but disappeared, repaid some (not included in amount)
Amount: Lower bound 2211.07786728 BTC, possibly more
Equivalent USD: 10978 $ (wt. avg price, rounded to nearest $)

It is a small detail but I think it is important because Google indexes it: his last name is actually Nollan.

One of his email that I know of (he uses/used it for Paypal) is andrew.nollan@gmail.com

Done.

[Ocean6]

Add GLBSE. Closed down issues because of dislike of issuer. Now BTC and shares are lost to holders.

[PatrickHarnett]

Possibly JRO and his two great vapour-ware assets Rebate and ZIP.A could be included.

[jtibble]

Here's a self-report of a loss from the massive Reddit thread. It wasn't substantial then, but is now. http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/14nwsx/what_is_bitcoin/c7f7g0v


EDIT: Just re-read the first post, and though this wouldn't qualify for inclusion based on the year and severity, it's still good to include it in this thread for safekeeping!   

[Stephen Gornick]

Add BitMarket.eu to the list.  From another thread:

Earlier this year, I had this "genius" idea which led me to making a fatal mistake. I thought I could provide a hedge fund service for Bitmarket users.
[...]
For the record - there are 20161 19980 BTC missing

  [Edit: Fixed the link to the quote.]