$1.8 million worth of cryptocurrency stolen at gunpoint

18 Dec $1.8 million worth of cryptocurrency stolen at gunpoint

You’d think that if someone wants to steal cryptocurrencies they’d do it through hacking, but apparently, some people still like to do things old school. The New York County District Attorney’s Office has charged a man with grand larceny, kidnapping, and armed robbery after he allegedly stole $1.8 million of the ether cryptocurrency at gunpoint, reports CoinDesk. The thief allegedly knew the victim possessed the ether and arranged a car service hire for them. When the car showed up to pick the victim up, the thief was waiting for him inside of it with a gun.

The thief then demanded the victim hand over his phone, physical wallet, and apartment keys and then went to the victim’s apartment, let himself in, and walked out with a box believed to contain the victim’s digital wallet. The thief then transferred $1.8 million of the victim’s ether to his account shortly after. In a statement, District Attorney Cyrus Vance said: “We can expect this type of crime to become increasingly common as cryptocurrency values surge upward.”

Source: Fast Company