Bitcoin Robbery As New York Man Forced At Gunpoint To Hand Over Cryptocurrency

Robberies in the US have taken on a new technological edge, as a man in New York was relieved of $1,100 (£720) worth of Bitcoin.
 
The cryptocurrency was taken from him in an armed robbery on 27 May in Brooklyn, it has emerged.
 
The victim, 28, was forced at gunpoint to transfer the digital currency to two robbers. He had arranged to meet a man who answered his advert on Craigslist.com to sell the bitcoins.
 
After meeting the male buyer, he was led to a car to finish the transaction, only for another man in the back seat to pull a gun on him.
 
The victim was forced to transfer the bitcoins to the thieves using his smartphone. Once the transaction was over, his assailants stole the phone and drove off.

[ Glastonbury 2015 Festival App Makes It Easier to Find Your Friends ]

[ WWDC 2015: What To Expect From Apple ]

Because of the nature of bitcoin transfers and the anonymity that goes with them, it is difficult to trace sellers and buyers.
 
It is the second reported case of bitcoin robbery in New York this year.
 
In February, the New York Observer reported that bitcoin dealer Dean Katz was robbed at gunpoint in Queens by a man he had arranged to meet. He was forced to transfer $8,500 (£5,500) in bitcoin in the robbery.