Jameson Lopp revealed more than 100 cold attacks on Bitcoin owners

According to the “Known Physical Bitcoin Attacks” registry maintained by Kasa co-founder James Lopp, there have been over 100 physical attacks against Bitcoiners. The archive catalogs a pattern in the crypto landscape: increasing physical attacks on holders of BTC and other digital assets.

While many incidents go unnoticed, this list serves as a reminder of the dangers of owning crypto.

Growing threats

The archive chronicles several violent encounters, starting with cryptocurrency pioneer and ALS patient Hal Finney, who faced a brutal police response at his home in December 2014. His wife, Fran Shaw, helps him, warning that a SWAT team is on the way because of a false report of a 911 operator's murder and suicide.

The incident comes days after a deadly shooting near their Santa Barbara home prompted a heavy-handed police response. When Fran is forced to evacuate Hal, who cannot swallow and relies on a ventilator, she fears for his safety. The harrowing incident was part of a year-long robbery scheme targeting the Finneys, with the caller demanding 1,000 BTC (over $400,000 at the time) and threatening violence against the family.

In the year Lopp himself was the victim of “swatting” in August 2017 when an anonymous caller reported a fake hostage situation at his home. Police received a shocking call with a caller claiming to have shot and killed a man who threatened to detonate explosives if the $60,000 he demanded was not met. With heavily armed officers and emergency services surrounding the area, Lopp exited the house to explain that the situation was a hoax. He said that the attack was carried out by the haters of the website who wanted revenge.

Over the years, the attacks have escalated in severity. Dwayne Richards was kidnapped and stabbed in New York City, and a few months later a cryptocurrency executive was kidnapped in Lithuania. A pattern of attacks, such as the November 2017 robbery of a merchant in Istanbul, where a group stole $2.83 million in BTC, representing a significant stake in crypto ownership.

Home invasions and more.

In England, three men armed with machetes invaded a house and forced the owners to hand over more than 1,000 ETH.

In the year From the Pavel Lerner abduction in Kiev in December 2017 to Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Cummings, Massachusetts, China, New York, Dubai and Bangkok for a series of home invasions and other locations, the list shows the sophisticated tactics used. Criminals.

Meanwhile, two women kidnapped a toddler from a market, demanding a ransom of $660,000. Additionally, a British crypto trader was brutally arrested and attacked by five assailants. Recently, the parents of thieves involved in a $243 million asset were held hostage in a car during an elaborate ransom scheme.