Between the hackings and malicious cyberattacks that have been occurring globally over the past week, it almost feels as if no bitcoin, anywhere, is safe…
Now, things have escalated even further, as two bitcoin ATMs in Amsterdam have turned up missing, and thievery is highly suspected.
Over the weekend, a lack of activity was noticed from both ATMs through Coin ATM Radar, which took to Twitter to explain the news:
“Two bitcoin ATMs have been stolen from @MRBitc0in in #Amsterdam @generalbytes @BitAccess So against Bitcoin spirit”
So against bitcoin spirit indeed… This almost feels like that scene from the movie “Barbershop,” in which two bumbling robbers drag what later turns out to be an empty ATM machine halfway across the city, regardless of the trouble and problems they cause themselves along the way. When someone is bent on stealing to secure their future (even if it means ruining the future of other people), there’s no telling what they’ll do or what they’ll hit, and bitcoin enthusiasts are responding with shock at the news.
Martijn Wismeijer of MrBitco.in says that he was truly horrified by what he heard at first, but has since come look at the situation in a positive light, particularly because he and his team expected something like this to occur months ago:
“In a way we see this as the bitcoin market maturing. If thieves start pointing their crowbars at the bitcoin ATMs, we know bitcoin has gone mainstream.”
We can’t help but acknowledge that he has a point. If thieves are going after bitcoin ATMs, then the ideas of getting rich through bitcoin and that cryptocurrency has value is there… Perhaps we would all be a little healthier if we looked at things the way Mr. Wismeijer does.
A police investigation is currently underway.