A 28-Year-Old Man Was Robbed at Gunpoint For His Bitcoin

CNBC reported that last Wednesday, a 28-year-old Brooklyn man was robbed at gunpoint of about $1,100 worth of bitcoin in broad daylight.

The victim reported to police that he had posted an ad on Craigslist offering to sell his bitcoin. When he met up with an interested buyer on a street corner at around 11:30 a.m., the buyer led the man to his car to complete the purchase.

When the victim sat down in the car, another man hiding in the backseat pulled a gun on him and ordered the victim to electronically transfer all of his bitcoin to his account.

This is just the latest in a string of bitcoin muggings in the area, according to Observer.

Earlier this year, Williamsburg firefighter Dwayne Richards was held up, robbed of his bitcoin, then stabbed and left bleeding on the street after meeting up with individuals under the pretense of exchanging bitcoin.

Another man, a bitcoin dealer named Dean Katz, was robbed at gunpoint in Queens — the robbers ordered the transfer of $8,500 in bitcoin in addition to taking $3,500 in cash.

Victims are unlikely to ever recoup their bitcoin due to the notoriously anonymous nature of the digital currency which makes it very difficult to trace once the money has been transferred.

If digital currency is all online, wouldn’t it make sense to just Skype someone who wants to buy bitcoin rather than meet like it’s a sketchy drug deal? Just saying.