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Coinbase says cyber crooks stole customer information, demanded $20M ransom payment

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Coinbase says cyber crooks stole customer information, demanded M ransom payment

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., said Thursday that criminals had improperly obtained personal data on the exchange’s customers for use in crypto-stealing scams and were demanding a $20 million payment not to publicly re…

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., said Thursday that criminals had improperly obtained personal data on the exchange’s customers for use in crypto-stealing scams and were demanding a $20 million payment not to publicly release the info.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a social media post that criminals had bribed some of the company’s customer service agents who live outside the U.S. to hand over personal data on customers, like names, dates of birth and partial social security numbers.

“(The stolen data) allows them to conduct social engineering attacks where they can call our customers impersonating Coinbase customer support and try to trick them into sending their funds to the attackers,” Armstrong said.

Social engineering is a popular hacking strategy, as humans tend to be the weakest link in any network. Many large companies have suffered hacks and data breaches as a result of such scams in recent years.

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Coinbase did not specify how many customers had their data stolen or fell prey to social engineering scams. But the company did pledge to reimburse any who did.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase estimated that it would have to spend between $180 million to $400 million “relating to remediation costs and voluntary customer reimbursements relating to this incident.”

The SEC filing said that the company had, “in previous months,” detected some of its customer service agents “accessing data without business need.” Those employees had been fired, and the company said it stepped up its fraud prevention efforts.

Coinbase said it received an email from the attackers on Sunday demanding a ransom of $20 million worth of bitcoin not to publicly release the customer data they had stolen.

Armstrong said the company was refusing to pay the ransom and would instead offer a $20 million bounty for anyone who provided information that led to the attackers’ arrest.

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“For these would-be extortionists or anyone seeking to harm Coinbase customers, know that we will prosecute you and bring you to justice,” Armstrong said. “And know you have my answer.”

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Strategy Faces MSCI Index Heat While Saylor Drives a Deeper Bitcoin Finance Push

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Strategy Faces MSCI Index Heat While Saylor Drives a Deeper Bitcoin Finance Push
Strategy’s market slide and JPMorgan’s index-risk alert intensify focus on MSCI’s review, while the company’s expanding bitcoin-backed financing engine and stable operations sustain its broader positioning, reinforced by Michael Saylor’s pushback.
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Bitcoin Advocate Robert Kiyosaki Sells $2.25 Million in Cryptocurrency | ForkLog

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Bitcoin Advocate Robert Kiyosaki Sells .25 Million in Cryptocurrency | ForkLog

Robert Kiyosaki sold $2.25M in Bitcoin for cash flow, investing in surgery centers and billboards.

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Entrepreneur and author of the bestseller “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” Robert Kiyosaki, announced that he sold his bitcoins worth $2.25 million to generate “additional cash flow.”

The investor noted that he bought the coins “years ago” when they were priced at about $6,000. The selling price was approximately $90,000.

Kiyosaki invested the proceeds in two surgical centers and a billboard business.

“Practicing What I Teach”

This is how the entrepreneur titled his post. He estimates the new investments will bring him a monthly tax-free income of ~$27,500. This is expected to expand his revenue to “hundreds of thousands” per month, considering the existing income from real estate.

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Nevertheless, Kiyosaki assured: 

“I remain very bullish and optimistic about Bitcoin and will start buying more when I have positive cash flow.”

He described his investments from the cryptocurrency sale as a real-life implementation of a “get rich plan.” Kiyosaki stated that his actions align with the teachings of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and his board game “Cashflow.”

In recent years, the entrepreneur has regularly urged the accumulation of bitcoins, gold, and silver as opposed to “fake dollars.” He also predicted “the biggest stock market crash” and the collapse of the global financial system.

However, he concluded his post about selling cryptocurrency with the phrase:

“The world economy is booming.”

Why Not Borrow?

In 2024, Kiyosaki revealed that he owns 15,000 homes, acquired through bank loans. He rents out the properties and, thanks to buying on credit, pays no taxes.

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Around the same time, he admitted that his liabilities to financial institutions amount to $1.2 billion. Kiyosaki stated that he sees no issue with this, as he uses borrowed funds for investments.

The entrepreneur contrasted this approach with the strategy of his friend Dave Ramsey, whose advice is: “live debt-free.”

Ramsey’s family office also built a real estate empire valued at about $600 million, but entirely with available funds.

“For most people with low financial literacy, Dave’s advice is the wiser choice. For financially savvy and experienced investors, my approach might be better,” Kiyosaki stated.

In October 2025, on the podcast The Iced Coffee Hour, the entrepreneur casually responded to a question about his debt size: “a billion, maybe two.” Regarding potential default concerns, he further made a remark that caught the community’s attention:

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“If you owe banks $20 million and can’t repay, you’re in trouble. But if it’s a billion dollars, it’s their problem.”

Earlier in November, Kiyosaki once again warned of an “impending crash.” He emphasized that he continues to buy “gold, silver, bitcoins, and Ethereum, even when they fall.” His forecast for the leading cryptocurrency is $250,000 in 2026.

Given all this, commentators raised reasonable questions about why the sale of a digital asset was necessary for investments of a relatively small amount by Kiyosaki’s standards. Users noted that the entrepreneur could have simply slightly increased his debt, which he sees no problem with.

The anticipated growth of Bitcoin by Kiyosaki would have brought him about $4 million in income over a year on the realized volume of cryptocurrency. The additional cash flow from the new investments he declared will amount to about $300,000 over this period.

On Friday, November 21, Bitcoin prices fell below $83,000. Experts did not rule out a further decline to $70,000.

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Bitcoin Heading to $73K? Max Pain Point Frames Potential Bottom Within Wider Range

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Bitcoin Heading to K? Max Pain Point Frames Potential Bottom Within Wider Range
Bitcoin’s push into the $73,000–$84,000 reset range tied to Strategy and Blackrock’s Ishares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) is concentrating pressure that could flush out sellers and fortify institutional positioning, according to an expert, setting up a stronger base.
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