Bitcoin players, beware! Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp recently revealed a disturbing truth: physical attacks against Bitcoin holders have exceeded 100 incidents!
This file records the increasing number of attack cases, including the painful experience of early cryptocurrency pioneer and ALS patient Hal Finney.
Violent threats triggered
In December 2014, Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney and his wife Fran experienced a nightmare. At the time, Fran was caring for a seriously ill Hal when she suddenly received an emergency call stating that a SWAT team was heading to their home due to a false report of a murder-suicide. The rapid police response triggered by a nearby shooting forced Fran to hurriedly leave Hal, who was reliant on a ventilator.
This call was actually part of a year-long extortion scheme. The extortionist demanded 1,000 bitcoins (worth over $400,000 at the time) as ransom and threatened to harm the Finney family.
In August 2017, Lopp himself experienced 'malicious harassment'. An anonymous caller pretended to report a hostage situation at his home, claiming he had shot and killed the hostage, and threatened to detonate explosives if his $60,000 demand was not met. When heavily armed police and emergency services surrounded his house, Lopp had to come out to clarify that it was a hoax. He believed this was retaliation from online enemies.
Cases of attacks are emerging one after another
In recent years, the severity of attacks has continued to escalate. For example, Dwayne Richards was kidnapped and stabbed in New York City, and just a few months later, a cryptocurrency executive was also kidnapped in Lithuania. In November 2017, a businessman in Istanbul was robbed, losing up to $2.83 million in Bitcoin, highlighting the high risks of cryptocurrency ownership.
In the UK, three men armed with machetes broke into a home and forced the owner to transfer over 1,000 ETH. Additionally, from the Pavel Lerner kidnapping case in December 2017 in Kyiv to a series of burglaries in places like Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, New York, Dubai, and Bangkok, the methods employed by criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Even more chillingly, two women kidnapped a toddler in a mall, demanding a ransom of $660,000. Meanwhile, a British cryptocurrency trader was kidnapped and beaten by five attackers, suffering significant losses. Recently, there was a robbery involving $243 million, where the parents of the thieves were carjacked and kidnapped during a failed ransom scheme.
This file reminds us that owning cryptocurrency is not without risks; while enjoying the conveniences brought by digital assets, one must remain vigilant and protect their safety!
