- The victim of a malware attack that saw ₿16.45 stolen from him has sued the parents of the alleged teenaged creators
- Andrew Schober downloaded a fraudulent Bitcoin wallet in 2018 which saw his bitcoin siphoned off
- He alleges that two British teenagers created the app and has sued their parents
A Colorado man has served the parents of two British teenagers he alleges stole ₿16.45 through a fake wallet with a lawsuit. Andrew Schober had the bitcoin, worth $220,000 at the time, stolen in 2018 when he downloaded a fraudulent Bitcoin wallet from Reddit. He took it upon himself to investigate the theft and tracked the theft down to two British teenagers. After an attempted reconciliation failed, Schober felt he had no choice but to take legal means to get the bitcoin back and chose to sue the parents due to the age of the accused.
“Man-in-the-middle” Attack Saw Bitcoin Stolen
Schober downloaded the Bitcoin wallet from Reddit which court documents say contained a “man-in-the-middle” attack that intercepted the transfer of his bitcoin to the wallet. Upon discovering that he had been the victim of a malware attack, Schober spent $10,000 tracking down the creators of the wallet, eventually uncovering their names – Benedict Thompson and Oliver Read.
Schober sent a letter to the parents of the two accused, telling them that he wouldn’t take things any further if they returned the bitcoin, which was by now worth some $800,000. The letter was met with silence however, after which Schober did indeed take things further, beginning legal proceedings against the pair’s parents due to the age of the teenagers.
Defendants’ Parents Say Statute of Limitations Has Expired
Read and Thompson’s parents have since responded, claiming that the three-year statute of limitations has expired and so Schober has no claim, although they refrained from denying the claims made against the pair. The case is another reminder to be absolutely sure of the voracity of the Bitcoin wallet you download, and make sure it only comes from official sources.
