Crime

Crime

SEC charges Texas man for defrauding investors in bitcoin Ponzi scheme

The SEC has charged Trendon Shavers with defrauding investors in a Ponzi scheme known as Bitcoin Savings and Trust.

Policy & regulation  ·  23 July 2013
Crime

Man charged after demanding bitcoin for Mitt Romney tax returns

A man from Tennessee has been indicted for attempting to extort $1 million in bitcoin by claiming that he had undeclared tax records of Mitt Romney.

Markets  ·  28 June 2013
Crime

Bitcoin-accepting Atlantis takes on the Silk Road

Bitcoin-accepting Atlantis is poised to take on the Silk Road, which remains by far the biggest drug sales site.

Policy & regulation  ·  27 June 2013
Bitcoin

Could hackers turn your TV into a zombie bitcoin miner?

Experts say that your Smart TV could be hacked and made to mine bitcoins. So could your PC's browser, for that matter. But how efficient would they be?

Policy & regulation  ·  17 June 2013
Exchanges

Beware of Mt.Gox Scam Sites

A recent slew of phishing sites and advertising has been tricking users into signing up for fake Mt.Gox scam sites. Find out what to look out for.

Policy & regulation  ·  6 June 2013
Crime

Bitcoin community adapts to hackers and fraudsters

The Bitcoin community has adapted to verbal, criminal and cyber attacks on the currency, an academic paper due for release tomorrow, reveals. The attacks – whether from hackers, fraudsters or government regulators – seem to be strengthening the community, the research Breaking Out of the Bank in Europe – Exploring Collective Emergent Institutional Entrepreneurship Through Bitcoin suggests. […]

Policy & regulation  ·  21 May 2013
Crime

Is Bitcoin inherently criminal? We asked a criminal…

Talking to people who use bitcoin on Silk Road reveals the site is likely not creating criminals.

Policy & regulation  ·  14 May 2013
Regulation

Does bitcoin encourage crime?

A look at why bitcoin no more inherently encourages criminal activity than any other form of currency.

Policy & regulation  ·  2 May 2013
Bitcoin

Employees blamed for zombie Bitcoin mining

A rogue employee is getting the blame for putting bitcoin mining code onto unsuspecting users’ machines.

Policy & regulation  ·  2 May 2013
Exchanges

The end for Bitcoin-24 exchange?

Bitcoin-24, the largest bitcoin exchange in Europe, has been offline for the last two weeks after its Polish and German bank accounts were closed.

Policy & regulation  ·  2 May 2013
Crime

Bitcoin ups and downs unraveling Silk Road?

Could bitcoin's recent market volatility threaten the black market website Silk Road?

Policy & regulation  ·  1 May 2013
Exchanges

Blockchain.info gets tough on phishing

Wallet and block exploring service Blockchain.info has upgraded its security, apparently in response to a phishing campaign.

Policy & regulation  ·  29 April 2013
Exchanges

Hackers hit Bitcoin Central exchange

European bitcoin exchange Bitcoin Central has suspended its service temporarily, after it was hacked last week. Bitcoin Central’s website said a few hundred bitcoins had been stolen from a hot wallet after an intruder managed to reset the password for its hosting provider’s web interface, locking the exchange out of its own site. The attacker […]

Policy & regulation  ·  29 April 2013
Exchanges

Financial crime rules ‘choke’ bitcoin exchanges

Forget price volatility and hacker attacks. The biggest threat to bitcoin’s future – at least in the United States – could be the little-known Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Writing in American Banker, Ecoins researcher and Bitcoin Foundation board member Jon Matonis describes how at least three US exchanges that trade bitcoins have shut down […]

Policy & regulation  ·  26 April 2013
Crime

‘Pirate’ file-sharing sites seek bitcoin booty

A growing number of peer-to-peer file-sharing sites — among them the notorious The Pirate Bay — is starting to accept bitcoin donations from their users. The main page of The Pirate Bay’s website now lists a bitcoin address, presumably for donations. OpenBitTorrent has also joined the party, as has PublicBitTorrent. Istole.it  also features a bitcoin […]

Policy & regulation  ·  24 April 2013