First at Gunpoint Bitcoin Robbery in UK

FrgMstr

Just Plain Mean
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How do you steal Bitcoin with a gun? Break into the guy's house that you know is part of the crypto-wealthy, tie up his wife, take away their baby, then give your mark the option of trading all his crypto over to you or deal with consequences that are likely to make you very amenable. Not many details were given in how the thugs identified the target. Thanks cageymaru.


A mother on the school run told The Mail on Sunday: "I saw four young men in black tracksuits with the hoods pulled up, crossing the road to the property where it took place."
 
He should have just handed him a bag of those symbolic bitcoin you see in pictures as actual coins:

Bitcoin-1.jpg
 
"Bitcoin is favoured by criminals because it cannot be tracked by government officials, making it extremely difficult to track down the raiders.

It exists only in cyberspace and can be exchanged anonymously at the click of a mouse and then exchanged for normal money."

Obviously the anonymous aspect of it didn't work this time.
 
They probably have an inside track at the utility company. Hell its all online now, you can tell which households are consuming mass amounts of juice and go, boom shakalacka Bitcoins!

Thats why you run a line to your neighbors house ;).

"New" thieves motto? "If you have it, I can steal it!"
 
The only safe way moving forward is to supply your own juice via an adequate solar panel setup, me thinks. Robbing coins is obviously the wave of the future, cannot be tracked. That anonymity cuts both ways I guess?
 
not surprising as violent crimes and robberies are skyrocketing in the uk.

they'd be disappointed if they tried to rob me.

just cos i use a lot of juice doesn't mean I grow pot or mine bitcoin.
 
The Great Depression isn't over for sure Bitcoin was a fun game until it became super valuable as you think.
 
I highly doubt this guy was mining at his house. Most wealthy bitcoin folks are investors. Miners have expenses to cover, business to grow -- not exactly the type to hold millions in bitcoin.
 
"Bitcoin is favoured by criminals because it cannot be tracked by government officials, making it extremely difficult to track down the raiders.

It exists only in cyberspace and can be exchanged anonymously at the click of a mouse and then exchanged for normal money."

Obviously the anonymous aspect of it didn't work this time.

Some coins are more anonymous then others. For example with btc if I say anything along the lines of this is my wallet address you know that address is tied to me and you can see balance and money moving. You cant do that in some coins. I would also be surprised if he actually handed over everything. I know If I was in the same situation I would empty one of my wallets but I still have multiple exchange accounts as well as multiple wallets
 
I highly doubt this guy was mining at his house. Most wealthy bitcoin folks are investors. Miners have expenses to cover, business to grow -- not exactly the type to hold millions in bitcoin.
you have miners who have 20k$-100k$ worth of gpus in their homes, honestly it was just a matter of time before burglers gets in the mining craze too, just break in and leave tens of thousands worth of gpus to sell at a high price in B market without tracability, or the ones who are willing to do armed robery take your crypto wallet along with it...
 
This crytocurrency is so out of hand from hackers to now this and complicated tax from Govt.. What a headache and hope it's worth it to those cashing in.
 
They probably have an inside track at the utility company. Hell its all online now, you can tell which households are consuming mass amounts of juice and go, boom shakalacka Bitcoins!


High power usage means this or growing pot.

Either way...win win.
 
High power usage means this or growing pot.

Either way...win win.

Or a really bad HVAC system, or a good HVAC system but poorly insulated house. Or some arsehole that keeps the temperature at 90 in the winter and 60 in the summer. Or a faulty meter. Or any number of things that draw electricity that are unrelated to either. Even faulty wiring (which is very dangerous) can raise your electrical bill.
 
Looks like some of you didn't read the article. The guy is a cryptocurrency trader. It's similar to day-trading stocks, buy low sell high.

I bet he talked about how much he had while he was in public and he was marked as a target.

This makes me think that it would be a good idea to keep multiple cryptocurrency wallets, like how banks of different drawers of cash, in case a robbery happens.
 
Or a really bad HVAC system, or a good HVAC system but poorly insulated house. Or some arsehole that keeps the temperature at 90 in the winter and 60 in the summer. Or a faulty meter. Or any number of things that draw electricity that are unrelated to either. Even faulty wiring (which is very dangerous) can raise your electrical bill.

The local police will actually use the Helicopter and a thermal camera to scan housing estates and in the city to look for homes that glow. Usually gets the result. :D
 
The local police will actually use the Helicopter and a thermal camera to scan housing estates and in the city to look for homes that glow. Usually gets the result. :D

Sure thats an indicator but by no means proof you are doing an illegal grow operation. I am surprised they got warrants based off that. I used to have a family member that kept the temp up and it was an old house so it probably showed up on IR like a grow operation. If they did that to my family member (who had a medical condition that required it) we would be suing. Thats not good probable cause imo.
 
Sure thats an indicator but by no means proof you are doing an illegal grow operation. I am surprised they got warrants based off that. I used to have a family member that kept the temp up and it was an old house so it probably showed up on IR like a grow operation. If they did that to my family member (who had a medical condition that required it) we would be suing. Thats not good probable cause imo.

But they don't just randomly fly the helicopter to look for thermal images. They probably got a tip. The tip + glow = probable cause.
 
Or a really bad HVAC system, or a good HVAC system but poorly insulated house. Or some arsehole that keeps the temperature at 90 in the winter and 60 in the summer. Or a faulty meter. Or any number of things that draw electricity that are unrelated to either. Even faulty wiring (which is very dangerous) can raise your electrical bill.

While any of those would increase your bill, it's nothing like the increase caused by a house full of grow lights.

If the pot growers won't so greedy, and just had a single room, then the increase would likely go unnoticed, but as with most criminals, they get greedy and fill the entire house. Then they get cause either because the huge increased energy bills, or because they overload the circuits and cause a fire.
 
While any of those would increase your bill, it's nothing like the increase caused by a house full of grow lights.

If the pot growers won't so greedy, and just had a single room, then the increase would likely go unnoticed, but as with most criminals, they get greedy and fill the entire house. Then they get cause either because the huge increased energy bills, or because they overload the circuits and cause a fire.

I've seen extension cords run from other residences for the truly inept criminals.
 
Growing pot is so 1990s man when you can buy medical grade pot legally in so many states now. Yay for legal recreational pot in Cali!
 
Growing pot is so 1990s man when you can buy medical grade pot legally in so many states now. Yay for legal recreational pot in Cali!

we are talking about the uk here, weed has to be grown in a warm environment afaik. not something the uk is known for.

back to the topic on hand it does seem he probably wasn't mining, so this is akin to some robbers learning about any other rich family and violently robbing them.
 
Sure thats an indicator but by no means proof you are doing an illegal grow operation. I am surprised they got warrants based off that. I used to have a family member that kept the temp up and it was an old house so it probably showed up on IR like a grow operation. If they did that to my family member (who had a medical condition that required it) we would be suing. Thats not good probable cause imo.

Nah they look for 'Hot Houses' then they turn up and see the house has curtains drawn with tin foil behind them, ask the neighbours and find that they never see anyone since it was rented out 5 months ago, then when they knock on the door and the unusually animated Asian tenants say "you go away now!!"

Busted!

It's not that hard.
 
The local police will actually use the Helicopter and a thermal camera to scan housing estates and in the city to look for homes that glow. Usually gets the result. :D

Supreme Court ruled that illegal around 2000 I believe; had to be a targeted search, not just a blanket search with no probable cause.
 
well if the cops come across a house lit up like a beacon whilst using thermal imaging in the uk, im sure they'll take note of its location.
 
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