People have died for owning btc!!!

[Bachan]

While I dont have any issues with been public about the amount of btc you own, I would advice you stay cautious because people have actually been tracked down, almost killed, some killed because of their btc holdings.

In 2022, a very close friend of mine narrowly escaped been killed because he spoke about his bitcoin holding on a Twitter space, this particular incident is not on any media nor was it even reported to the law enforcement agency because I come from a 3rd world country. He went totally off grid by deleting all his social media account since that incidence and rarely even use the internet today. What happened was that after the space, he observed he got some good amount of twitter follower, little did he know that a serial killer was among, he was been trailed and monitored until they got his location and sought him out. Dude was coming back home from the supermarket when he was attacked, he thought it was a usual robbery until the perpetrator demanded for his phone and asked him to open his Xverse wallet(Unknown to them that he had a hard wallet and there was only a little holding in that Xverse wallet). The little amount he had there, about $1k was withdrawn to another wallet immediately and they dealt with him so badly after that, luckily, he was killed but seriously injured and had to take himself to the clinic after the incidence, infact when narrating to me, he said they had guns and one of the guys said he should be killed but the others disagreed and they left him. This is not a fiction, true life story. Begged him several times to come online and share his ordeal but he has refused adamantly every time, I hope one day he can share so others can learn.

I also took time to research incidence across the world of people murdered which was traced to the bitcoin holdings, here's a few:

1. Kyiv, Ukraine (2024):
A 29-year-old Bitcoin trader was kidnapped and murdered after assailants targeted him to steal ~3 BTC (worth ~$200,000). You can find full news on 'The Block'

2. South Africa (2018)
A man named Andrew was lured under false pretenses, tortured (burned with hot irons), and threatened with death until he gave up his btc wallet credentials.

3. Oslo, Norway (2018)
A 24-year-old was found murdered in his apartment after selling a large amount of Bitcoin for cash. Investigations from local security unit suggested that the homicide was connected to that transaction.

4. Manhattan, USA (2025)
A crypto investor was charged with kidnapping and torturing a victim over several weeks to obtain his Bitcoin password. Physical abuse, threats, and use of a gun were said to have been involved

I am sure there are several others like my friend that unaccounted for on the media, some killed and never lived to tell the story like my friend, some badly injured and lost their btc holding . All in all, its a cruel world out there, so as much as possible try stay anonymous especially now that btc is actually worth a fortune.

Are there other incidence you heard about or aware of either through the media or personally?
Can you share with us so we can all learn?

 

[puterases]

It’s sad that something meant to give people freedom can also make them a targets.

 

[Hellion_Blind]

I think it goes back to something my dad's always told me. Which was that, in life it's best to keep your mouth shut. Call it old fashioned, but we were from the Caribbean and I used to talk a lot when I was younger, so he said "you know only girls does talk, only boys don't talk, they rest themselves in the corner and watch."

Obviously some boys/guys would buck that trend heavily.

However, I did ask him why he was so serious all the time, he never really smiled unless I did something funny, or he genuinely saw something in life funny. He told me that people at the core are animals. And they will hunt, fight and ki** for what they want and with crypto soaring do I blame them? No many more people are richer than ever before but many more are in poverty than ever before, and the gap has widened massively.

A story that always plagues my mind was this guy that bought all this crpyto, put it on a flash drive and threw it away in Newport - Wales in the UK. "As of February 2025, the missing Bitcoin was worth £597 million." I see why people would literally take a life for it. It's a life changing amount of money and with the right skills, and being in the right place, you can have a life changing amount of money, and if I did, I would leave the UK and life off Bitcoin, only visit major cities. But besides that life a peaceful life very, very far away from here.

 

[iFreelancer]

It's sickening to read, though I'm not shocked because I've heard many horror stories involving Bitcoin. Most of these incidents occurred during P2P transactions. Con artists post ads offering high prices for Bitcoin, and when you go to their location, you realize it's a trap. You would never expect such things to happen. My prayers go out to all the deceased, and I hope the survivors can recover from their trauma, which is easy to say but incredibly difficult to forget that horrific experience.

 

[Hellion_Blind]

It's sickening to read, though I'm not shocked because I've heard many horror stories involving Bitcoin. Most of these incidents occurred during P2P transactions. Con artists post ads offering high prices for Bitcoin, and when you go to their location, you realize it's a trap. You would never expect such things to happen. My prayers go out to all the deceased, and I hope the survivors can recover from their trauma, which is easy to say but incredibly difficult to forget that horrific experience.

When someone told me, some of the biggest oligarchs in Russia primarily trade in crypto, there are suitcases of literal bitcoin, and people use those to trade with.

I knew, it was basically blood money, like things you'd see in the 60's and 70's with the bank robbers and their huge Jaguars & Cadillac's used, but now access is granted to everyone, it's not illegal to possess it, it's just how you possess it.

 

[iFreelancer]

When someone told me, some of the biggest oligarchs in Russia primarily trade in crypto, there are suitcases of literal bitcoin, and people use those to trade with.

I knew, it was basically blood money, like things you'd see in the 60's and 70's with the bank robbers and their huge Jaguars & Cadillac's used, but now access is granted to everyone, it's not illegal to possess it, it's just how you possess it.

While you might hear about Russia, it's not limited to that country. This is happening in every part of the globe. Some people have chosen to remain wealthy without effort, resorting to unethical actions instead.

 

[Hellion_Blind]

While you might hear about Russia, it's not limited to that country. This is happening in every part of the globe. Some people have chosen to remain wealthy without effort, resorting to unethical actions instead.

I was going to say which is why I'm kind of surprised that so many people have been OFFed for it. But, I'm not because we live in a social media age, and there are some people on my Instagram, I knew what they had for breakfast, lunch & supper today, so not surprised if they've stumbled upon some bitcoin - someone, somewhere might hold them ransom for it.

 

[floqal]

Sad events, but it's no different than shouting “I have gold” on the street. Someone will follow you.

 

[gaiki]

Still to this day things like this still happens.

Always Opsec and never let anybody know you buy/trade crypto even your close ones.

Mostly if you have a large amount you could get targeted, we live in a sick world!

 

[alurosu]

Privacy is king

 

[Builder Dave]

People have been killed or lost their lives for anything of value. Some people are willing to do a lot for some money.

 

[agentsoftwitter]

OMG that's insane