2012-08-03 MercuryNews.com Virtual currency comes with real threats

[Stephen Gornick]

Virtual currency comes with real threats

 - http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21228911/virtual-currency-comes-real-threats

In a report in April, the FBI cited two thefts involving bitcoins, a virtual tender accepted as payment by a number of online vendors. One victim in June reported that someone broke into their online wallet -- a data file that stores the currency -- and stole bitcoins worth $500,000 in real money. Three months before that, a similar heist netted more than $5,000, the FBI added, noting that "as long as there is a means of converting bitcoins into real money, criminal actors will have an incentive to steal them.

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[molecular]

Virtual currency comes with real threats

 - http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21228911/virtual-currency-comes-real-threats

In a report in April, the FBI cited two thefts involving bitcoins, a virtual tender accepted as payment by a number of online vendors. One victim in June reported that someone broke into their online wallet -- a data file that stores the currency -- and stole bitcoins worth $500,000 in real money. Three months before that, a similar heist netted more than $5,000, the FBI added, noting that "as long as there is a means of converting bitcoins into real money, criminal actors will have an incentive to steal them.

Bitcoin is real money as opposed to fake fiat, but I guess the majority will only understand this at some distant point in the future. Well, good for us .

[Gabi]

Well FBI cannot say that the dollar is not real money but is just paper