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Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

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71–80 of 142 posts

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#71
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably the criminals were upset about their withdrawals taking so long ;p It took me like 2 months to cash out the first time. Seriously, I don't think this will scare off anyone, especially not exchanges. They make so much money right now they can just hire bodyguards.

>they can just hire bodyguards Which won't be able to carry weapons in most places. You'll have a hard time finding people who'll fight back when you're being kidnapped at gunpoint.

> Which won't be able to carry weapons in most places.

Most places? Places like what? Even Germany, with its rather restrictive gun laws, has exemptions for private security companies allowing to carry weapons.

While I don't know any specifics, I doubt that it's gonna be that much more difficult, in Eastern Europe out of all places, to get a legal carry permit.

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#72
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>they can just hire bodyguards Which won't be able to carry weapons in most places. You'll have a hard time finding people who'll fight back when you're being kidnapped at gunpoint.

> Which won't be able to carry weapons in most places. Most places? Places like what? Even Germany, with its rather restrictive gun laws, has exemptions for private security companies allowing to carry weapons. While I don't know any specifics, I doubt that it's gonna be that much more difficult, in Eastern Europe out of all places, to get a legal carry permit.

The current wave of crime in parts of the Ukraine is, I shit you not, grenade violence. I’m inclined to agree with you.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/24/world/europe/ukraine-gren...

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#73
post #27

So it appears criminals are getting wiser and a new wave of home and personal robberies may emerge. Will this push crypto owners to entrust their currency with more secure institutions, leading to these "decentralized" currencies to be once again under control and manipulated by banks and governments?

No

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

winklevoss? Distributing keys doesn't prevent you from having a few "digits" (no pun intended) removed. "Oh you can't get them? Call the other key-holders. Better hope they like your fingers as much as you do."

In "Casino" Robert De Niro's character puts $2M in jewels in a safe-deposit box that even he doesn't have the key for (he naively gives the key to his wife- but that's another part of the plot) He narrates that the jewels are "in case he got in trouble". Ostensibly so he could pay off kidnappers.

I have the "poor man's" version of De Niro's safe-deposit box, a Rolex Submariner. Readily convertible into US$3-5K cash (at least) in pretty much any large city in the world. It's always on my wrist. If I needed the money desperately and couldn't access my accounts, I have my beloved watch.

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#75
post #65
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>they can just hire bodyguards Which won't be able to carry weapons in most places. You'll have a hard time finding people who'll fight back when you're being kidnapped at gunpoint.

With enough armed bodyguards you aren't going to be kidnapped at gunpoint. Why risk your life going after a hardened target when there are so many vulnerable ones. I imagine its quite easy to find mercenaries that are willing to fight back. There is an entire industry for hiring people to fight wars.

>With enough armed bodyguards you aren't going to be kidnapped at gunpoint.

Okay, now the kidnappers dress up as cops and "arrest" you. Perhaps they bribe the actual cops to do it for them?

Armed bodyguards do not seem like a substantial increase in difficulty for someone who intends to kidnap a person.

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now (depending on the country) how do you trust the ex-military guards, if what they are guarding is worth far more than their salaries?

While that sound smart and plausible, I would assume that there is some solution to that problem, otherwise how would private security work at all?

A security guard selling the Mona Lisa has to figure out how to get rid of it. Bitcoin's quite a bit easier in that regard.

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#77
post #43
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best way to not get your car stoken is to leave the engine in a warehouse in Germany, the chassis in a car park in Brazil and the rest in your garage in California. That's super secure but how do you use it every day?

An exchange doesn't have to have all of their assets ready to use at a moment's notice. They could have 95% of their assets locked up in an inconvenient but safe method. If their hot wallet starts running low, then they begin the process to top it up with their hard-to-use multisig protected funds.

Good thing nobody can tell when the hot wallet starts to run low, otherwise they might know the exact moment when the keys need to come together.

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#79
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2018 will be an interesting year for decentralized exchanges and atomic swaps.

2018 will be the year that a major US exchanger gets raided by the FBI/SEC.

Wouldn't be the first time, assuming you mean exchanges in general: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/30/business/fbi-commodities-s...

Re: Exmo Bitcoin exchange chief executive kidnapped in Kiev

#80
post #68
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't believe that Ukraine has safe deposit boxes?

I believe they are saying that Ukraine doesn't have safe deposit boxes that are actually safe .

by definition safe deposit box that is not safe is not a safe deposit box. so yeah, there are no safe deposit boxes in Ukraine.
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