So has anyone, even one single person, actually done ANYTHING like calling the relevant authorities and/or reporting fraud or has this all just been a massive exercise in e-penis size comparison?
AFAIK, I'm the only one who's done anything so far (I MAY BE WRONG), little though it is. I sent a description of the problem and issues and a and link to this forum to ALL the reporters/admins at cryptocointalk.com and coinbase.com . No interest. I guess they either feel it isn't of large enough importance or that they don't want to roil the bitcoin waters any more and jeopardize the delicate coin environment. Or, it may be that they just didn't read my email at all.
I think there's enough information to go to reporters/newspapers in their locations in Norway and Estonia. I think that's easier than going to police, though I think that that is a necessary route, also. I've just arrived in Thailand from the States and I'm tired and off-hours to Euro. I think somebody Euro based should email/call the local news in Oslo and wherever in Estonia. Police also.
I'm not out anything, since my account was a collection of small coins (about 4 BTC worth), but I got them out, since they weren't holding back my specific coins. I'm only concerned with this on the macro level, hoping these scams being punished will help solidify the alt-coin world, keeping my mining rigs worth something, anything.
Let's go Euro-people!I'll be 100% behind you, or anyone else who can help prove that there was any crime committed here.
BUT....
The police will still think we're just complaining that someone stole our secret sword in some abstract WoW world. There is no crime here. There never was. The fact is: if BTC is the same as fiat currency, then we have a case. If it is not, and it is a revolutionary way of holding value and wealth, then the established means of law enforcement is USELESS. Learn your lesson. That is all.
-d
Not sure you're right, but you probably are, regarding "established means of...", and for sure it's a reasonable start to a discussion. That uncertainty is
why I pushed the newspaper/press route, rather than the police. There are so many intricacies in this "alt-world". Now, the IRS (US tax guys) just decided that in their eyes, BTC are not currency, but taxable property. But, given that this exchange is hosted outside the US, run by PERHAPS a Norwegian and/or Estonian, the IRS's take doesn't really matter. The jurisdiction question is way out there on this one, so we agree that if the police were involved, we're looking at unlikely precedent-setting occurrences here.
Newspaper/press notoriety deal is more along the lines of societal/tribal punitive action that might be the only viable means of market regulation, given no government/regulatory hammer.The only place that we disagree is that I believe there IS a crime here. I think you believe there's a crime also, just not one that can be proven in the context of the overlapping jurisdictions and lack of clear rules for an unregulated, intangible commodity. That being said, precedents are set often, and this is a situation that should merit one, but I think we both know it's not happening. Thus, the media route is the only solution, if one exists.