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DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

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Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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My SO's family is from the portion of Gia Lai neighboring Cambodia. Gia Lai itself is fairly poor, but ime the neighboring half of Cambodia is even poorer and desperate. It's the same story in the Mekong Delta as well (having had to go to extended family weddings in rural An Giang). And calling out the relative lawlessness in Cambodia is not racism in any shape or form. Based on your comment history, it seems you are…

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Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#282
post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He has the key written on a piece of paper in his wallet. The US government has his wallet. And his Bitcoin.

So he was effectively carrying $15B in his wallet? That's insane. I don't even carry more than $100 cash.

Rookie numbers

Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#285

The point of bitcoin was that it can't be taken off you by the state. So either this was severe user error, to the tune of why aren't the keys somewhere secure when there's a billion dollars behind them, or the nominal reason for bitcoin existing is nonsense. We thinking user error or crypto is nonsense? On the forum I expect the former.

Crypto is nonsense for a lot of its stated purposes once you strip away the shared delusions that have been propped up by us living in a fairly stable global society that at least goes through the motions of supporting the rule of law (though this is obviously changing quickly in some places recently). But then again holding some piece of paper (or a database entry) that says you own some gold that you don't actually…

If you don't pay your debts or taxes then even items that you own and which are in your possession can be taken from you, thanks to the rule of law. Conversely, if someone comes along and takes it from you without legal justification, the rule of law allows you to claim it back. That same rule of law ensures that you are entitled to the gold you own that isn't in your possession.

Drawing the line at possession is arbitrary. Either way your ownership is governed by law, and is only as good as the strength of that law.

Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#286

Wow. $15 billion is an astronomical, nearly unfathomable amount of money in Cambodia. This must have been a huge operation. It's almost 1/3 of the country's entire GDP! Well done DOJ. Hopefully the victims get their money back.

I'm very curious what happens to that money. I very much doubt any of the actual victims will see it.

To the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve it goes!

Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which just goes to show that custody is a hard and almost always under-estimated problem.

It is, but it's not so hard that you can't figure it out to keep your 15 billion safe.

It's much harder to keep things safe under rule of villains than rule of law.

Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My SO's family is from the portion of Gia Lai neighboring Cambodia. Gia Lai itself is fairly poor, but ime the neighboring half of Cambodia is even poorer and desperate. It's the same story in the Mekong Delta as well (having had to go to extended family weddings in rural An Giang). And calling out the relative lawlessness in Cambodia is not racism in any shape or form. Based on your comment history, it seems you are…

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> How do you know they are “desperate”

Based on the fact that Cambodian day laborers come to work as migrant workers in a region that Vietnamese (Kinh or Jarai) try to leave if they can.

HDI metrics themselves also represents that fact. Gia Lai - one of the poorest provinces in VN - has a higher Human Development Index (HDI) than all of Cambodia.

> Given the recent developments in Bangladesh

Yet the average Bangladeshi earns more money, is significantly more educated, and has a longer life expectancy than the average Cambodian.

Cambodia's HDI remains well below it's LDC peers across Asia, and that divergence only really began in the 2010s.

> Based on your biased opinion given your relative partiality toward Vietnamese...

I have been fairly open on HN about my criticisms about Vietnam, such as the authoritarian regression under To Lam along with VN's increased hallmarks of falling into a real estate and export economy induced middle income trap

> Cambodia has cooperated with the foreign government consistently

South Korea has literally banned Korean nationals from travelling to vast portions of Cambodia today and is considering cancelling aid projects because of non-cooperation from the Cambodian government.

> I see no such thing

In English, "you" is often used in the 3rd person as well, especially when communicating on a forum where conversations and readers are not only the OP

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There is no reason why Cambodia can't pull off a similar developmental story like Vietnam or Bangladesh, yet Cambodian leadership in the 2010s and today has dropped the ball because any attempt at making Cambodia a more open economy would undermine rent seeking activities.

Re: DOJ seizes $15B in Bitcoin from 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia

#290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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> debate and honest exchange of ideas

Yet in your first post in this thread, you accuse your parent of racism and astroturfing. Real honest debate you got there.

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