You know things are getting a lot more serious in the world of Bitcoin once people physically threaten others to fork over the digital cash. Even though there has been one such isolated incident in the past few months, it looks like a new “Bitcoin crime wave” is hitting the streets of New York, after a NY firefighter got mugged and stabbed over his digital currency.

Bitcoin has always had a bit of a tarnished reputation since the whole debacle with Silk Road, and then later on with Mt. Gox. Both of these black pages in Bitcoin’s history books turned into hefty feeding frenzies for mainstream media to warn people of this digital currency, and “advise” everyday users not to get involved with Bitcoin or other currencies that aren’t controlled by a government.

However, now that more and more people find themselves physically threatened for owning Bitcoins, things have definitely taken a drastic turn for the worst. New York City firefighter Dwayne Richards is a recent victim of a violent robbin, which left Mr. Richards with several stab wounds to the body. The life of a firefighter is already tough enough it is, and these people deserve a lot more respect than they are getting.

Unidentified assailants decided to pick Mr. Richards as a high-value target, simply because he owns several Bitcoins. In fact, the thugs actually made an appointment with Dwayne Richards in order to buy the Bitcoins from him in a peer-to-peer in-person exchange. Once he met up with these assailants in Brooklyn however, it quickly became clear they were never going to pay him for his digital currency, but just rob and stab the man.

This is not the first time we see Bitcoin being associated with physical violence or death threats. Ranging from clobbering someone to death with a hammer to putting a gun to a Bitcoin user’s head, or even death threats are no longer a strange occurrence in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Just like with fiat currency, Bitcoin is being looked at by hoodlums to quickly make a bit of money.

While none of us wish to see the Bitcoin space turn into a modern version of the Wild West, actions like these will undoubtedly give the mainstream media outlets another chance to completely trash and bash Bitcoin. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done at this point, except for taking precautions when conducting a Bitcoin trade in-person.

Source : http://observer.com/2015/02/bitcoin-crime-wave-breaks-out-in-nyc/