Two bitcoin traders were robbed at gunpoint at their home in rural England when armed criminals forced them to carry out cryptocurrency transfers.
Danny Aston and his girlfriend Amy Jay, who jointly run a cryptocurrency trading company, were forced to digitally transfer bitcoin by four men who broke into their house in Moulsford, Oxfordshire, The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported.
The balaclava-clad assailants jumped over a fence, kicked down a door, and left the couple’s baby outside in a pram as they forced the traders to transfer their bitcoin on a computer, the paper said.
Crime involving firearms is rare in the UK, especially outside of London, and usually associated with organised criminals.
The incident took place on January 22, but was first reported almost a week later. It’s unclear how much the couple was forced to hand over.
Aston traded cryptocurrency online under the pseudonym “Goldiath,” the Mail said. According to The Times newspaper, he has carried out more than 100,000 cryptocurrency trades with more than 16,300 different accounts, and offers trading tips and analysis online.
Police are trying to figure out how the robbers found the two brokers. They believe that the raid was targeted.
The Times reported that some of Aston’s clients referred to him by his real name, which may have helped thieves identify him and find his home.
Aston and Jay are registered as directors of Aston Digital Currencies, a company incorporated last June, on Companies House. Their home address is listed on the online registry.
The couple, who have a baby, have been staying with relatives since the break-in, The Mail on Sunday quoted neighbours as saying.
While Monday’s raid is believed to be Britain’s first bitcoin heist, it’s not the first in the world: Bitcoin traders and owners have been stabbed, kidnapped, and held at gunpoint, and forced to hand over their cryptocurrency, in cities including Vancouver, New York City, Istanbul, and Kiev, the Daily Beast reported.
A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman told Business Insider:
“Thames Valley Police is investigating an aggravated burglary which occurred at a property in Moulsford on Monday (22/1).
“Officers were called at about 9:40 a.m. to a report that offenders had entered a residential property off Reading Road and threatened the occupants. No one was seriously injured during the incident. […]
“People in the local community may notice an increased presence of officers in the area while our enquiries are ongoing. The investigation is in its early stages however initial enquiries suggest this may be a targeted incident.
“No arrests have been made at this stage.”