The emergence of crypto currency over the past few years is enough to give us a surprising experience with Bitcoin. There are various interesting stories because some of them have felt the "roller coaster" Bitcoin. Like what the example? Here are 6 surprising experiences about Bitcoin that ever happened to its users.
- Mugged When Selling Bitcoin Worth $ 1,100
A 28-year-old man from Brooklyn uses "Craigslist" or a classifieds website to sell Bitcoin to his acquaintance. He uses the website to avoid interruption of online Bitcoin exchange. However, unexpectedly this plan does not run smoothly and lead to disaster. The stranger who would buy Bitcoin took her into the car where they were supposed to complete the transaction.
Unexpectedly, a strange man hid in the backseat and immediately pointed a gun. The poor man who became the victim was forced to transfer his Bitcoin. At that time, the amount of Bitcoin handed to the robber was worth $ 1,100. Then, the robbers took the man's cell phone and escaped.
- Biggest Hack of Bitcoin Worth 800,000 BTC
Mt. Gox is the largest Bitcoin bursa in the world when the biggest Bitcoin theft in history takes place. Allegedly, a hacker steals about 800,000 BTC (equivalent to $ 400,000) from the exchange. This incident also makes Mt. Gox out of business. If measured by the current Bitcoin value, then the loss of 800,000 Bitcoin is already worth more than $ 520 million.
CEO of Mt. Gox, Mark Karpeles, issued a statement related to the hacking and theft incident. He said, "We have weaknesses in our system and our Bitcoin is gone.We have caused problems and inconveniences for many people, and I feel very sorry for what has happened."
The investigation led by law enforcement on this incident was highlighted, but there was no continuation for lack of evidence. In the end, Mark Karpeles was accused of embezzlement for the loss of 800,000 BTC.
- People Who "Threw Out" 7,500 Bitcoins
A few years ago when Bitcoin mining was still easy to do and the price was still very cheap, a man named James Howells mine 7,500 Bitcoin and store it on his hard drive. In 2009, Bitcoin was not so valuable to be mined so James did not use the coins he had.
While cleaning his desk a few years later, he found an old hard drive that was thrown into the bin right away, unaware if there was still Bitcoin in it. And when disposed, Bitcoin on the hard drive is already worth more than $ 600,000, and has reached $ 80 million if calculated with the current exchange rate. Fortunately, good fortune still sided with James. Even though his hard drive has been wasted, he still stores the data needed to save his property.
"After I stopped mining, the laptop I was using was broken and some parts still work I sold on eBay, but I kept my hard drive data in the drawer for knowing that one of the contents was my private Bitcoin key so that if Bitcoin became valuable on one day, I will still have the mine's coin, "he told the Telegraph.
- Children Aged 15 Years Can Benefit 100 Times Of Bitcoin
Erik Finman got acquainted with Bitcoin in 2012. Kakanya sent him 0.2 Bitcoin to simply give insight into the crypto currency. When his grandmother gave $ 1,000 for Easter, Erik, then 15 years old, decided to increase his Bitcoin coffers with the money.
A year and a half later, he sold the Bitcoin for $ 100,000; really a great return on investment. The young entrepreneur famous for his shocking story with Bitcoin decided to use his profits on making Botangle [dot] com, an online guidance service for peer-to-peer systems.
- Selling Bitcoin Too Early
The surprising story with Bitcoin comes from Reddit user named SuperDuperDerp's. He told me that: "I first went to Bitcoin in 2012. One Bitcoin at the time was worth $ 4. I was immediately captivated and knew that Bitcoin would be great someday.Unfortunately I am also very poor and only able to buy BTC worth $ 400 ( 100 BTC). "
He continued, "The price does not move much, so I stopped checking it after a few weeks.When I re-monitored the price of Bitcoin a month later, its value continues to rise to $ 8 per coin. soared, I sold 100 BTC for $ 800 and plan to buy again when the price goes down. "
But it never happened. User Reddit said: "I watched the price go up and keep crawling until I finally bought back 8 BTC at the price of $ 100. Now I only have 2 BTC.If course I do not sell 100 BTC that I have at the beginning, of course my life is now change. "
- Risk everything for the sake of Bitcoin
Didi Taihuttu, his wife, and their three children risked all they had for Bitcoin. This startling experience with Bitcoin began in October 2017, when the Dutch family of five was in the process of selling almost all of their possessions.
They sell the house as well as all the possessions, to survive only with Bitcoin. They then moved to a campsite in the Netherlands, waiting for the price of Bitcoin to really soar.
It has only been running for several months, and the father of three, 39, says he does not regret anything. He said, "We only sell our things Sell what we can lose from us Yes we can lose all material things, all money ... But in the end, I think as a family, we will remain happy during the gathering together."
He once mine Bitcoin, but now only trades it along with other cryptools such as Ethereum, Ripple, Neo, Dogecoin and Stellar Lumens. Now, the family is still in the process of liquidating the assets and re-investing in some Altcoin. Revenue from trade is enough for food and daily necessities, which he says is all that is needed right now.
Brother, sister and Taihuttu's father-in-law once called him crazy, but that did not stop him from conducting a social experiment. Taihuttu documents their experience in social media, and they even open fundraising in the form of Bitcoin. "Many people have lost their confidence in the current monetary system, I think crypto currency is a great alternative for everyone," he said.
In response to this, Adam White, general manager of GDAX, the largest US crypto currency exchange, said that Taihuttu's strategy is very risky. He also explained that investors should not take more risks than they can afford.
However, Taihuttu's motivation is more than just cashing in on investment with great ROI. He explained that this action was done to take part in a revolution that changed the financial world. "We are in a revolution that changes the monetary system, we are just lucky to realize that we can be a part of it now," Taihuttu told the media.
Possible By Decentralization Blockchain
Digital assets such as Bitcoin or Ethereum are built on a technology called Blockchain, something that experts believe has changed the way we "interact" with money. The reason why Blockchain, the underlying technology of Bitcoin is so strong is because no one really controls it. That is, you do not need a third party like a bank to complete a transaction. In contrast, decentralized networks around the world are handling this virtual transaction activity.
Decentralization offered by Blockchain also means that the crypto currency is not tied to a single state or government. Some people say this underlying technology has a greater potential than its currency. For Taihuttu and his family, that potential seems worth the risk.