--- title: "Scammers Sent Hoax Bomb Threats Worldwide Demanding Bitcoin" description: "This week, scammers have started emailing hoax bomb threats to schools and hospitals, demanding bitcoin payments in exchange for not setting off explosives." date: "2018-12-14" modified: "2018-12-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/scammers-hoax-bomb-threats-worldwide-bitcoin" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "bitcoin" - "cryptocurrency" - "scams" --- # Scammers Sent Hoax Bomb Threats Worldwide Demanding Bitcoin ![This week, scammers have started emailing hoax bomb threats to schools and hospitals, demanding bitcoin payments in exchange for not setting off explosives.]() *\Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\* ## Bomb Threats Ransomware that demands cryptocurrency payments in exchange for releasing infected computers is an [old phenomenon](). Now that practice has a dark new twist. This week, scammers have started [emailing bomb threats]() to hundreds of schools, hospitals, businesses and other public and private institutions in multiple countries, demanding bitcoin payments in exchange for not setting off seemingly made-up explosives. The threats caused mayhem. [Entire blocks]() were shut down in several cities — a dark testament to the power of online anonymity. ## No Terrorism Here Emergency responders were dispatched in [multiple cities]() across North America to investigate the threats — including a [dozen threats]() in DC alone. Not a single bomb has been found at press time, leading authorities to believe the threats were an elaborate bluff. The advice from the U.S. government: [tell the FBI](), and do not pay the ransom of $20,000 U.S. in Bitcoin. The [cryptic emails]() demanded that victims send the payment to a bitcoin address. "If you are late with the transaction," the email says, "the bomb will explode." ## Hitting Bitcoin While It's Down The value of Bitcoin took a [substantial hit]() in the wake of the bomb threats. That's bad news, since Bitcoin [was already slouching](). Bitcoin Cash also [fell 13 percent](), and many other major cryptocurrencies followed. The takeaway: advocates have long predicted that blockchain technology is about to go mainstream, but to date the technology hasn't strayed far from its [early roots in crime and drug sales](). Only time will tell whether the tech will eventually shed that identity. **READ MORE:** [Bitcoin scammers send bomb threats worldwide, causing evacuations]() \[*The Verge*\] ***More on bitcoin: [Here’s The Conspiracy Tearing Bitcoin Crypto Communities Apart]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()