Quote from: Shadow383 on October 06, 2012, 02:47:00 AM

Tell that to GLBSE and the SEC Roll Eyes

I think you fundamentally misunderstand the role of the SEC. Part of their remit is to deal with unregistered securities. If they had an interest in GLBSE, it would be related to that. The fact that the SEC doesn't want unregistered securities to be sold is in no way an a US government endorsement, acknowledgement or recognition of Bitcoin as a currency, a commodity or a financial instrument. I can't believe I'm having to explain that to you.

Do you think that if the SEC shut down an unlicensed securities exchange that was selling securities using pokemon cards as a currency, that would mean the US government officially acknowledges pokemon cards as a currency? C'mon man, you're not that dumb, surely no one is!

Furthermore, I don't actually believe that the SEC has been involved in GLBSE. GLBSE is based in the United Kingdom, and they are outside of the SEC's jurisdiction. They would be governed under the rules of the UK's Financial Services Authority, but in all honesty I don't think they are involved either. I think that it's most likely a taxation issue of some kind, although no one knows at this stage.

Quote from: Shadow383 on October 06, 2012, 02:47:00 AM

Also, I think a more effective opening statement to Ryan's family would be to state the monetary value of what he's stolen (ie what? $25000?)
That'll make them sit up and take notice.

I'd imagine so. Until you actually explain what Bitcoin is, and how it is supposed to be worth $25k.

I think you might get an answer along the lines of:

"I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound like it could be worth any money, and if anyone does pay that type of money for "Bitcoins" then they are an idiot. Thank you and goodbye."

Honestly, how would you explain what Bitcoin is and how their son has stolen coins worth $25k to someone who had never heard of it before? You think they're just going to take your word for it without fully understanding what it is?

"Yes they are a decentralized peer to peer irreversible, anonymous crypto-currency invented by a mysterious japanese guy who no one has heard of before, or since. They are worth nothing to anyone other than a very small number of computer geeks who seem willing to pay good money for them. They have no practical use that is legal. No business accepts them except one guy sold some beef jerky once and a restaurant in NYC used to take them but in practice it usually wasn't possible to pay with them."

Honestly, any sane person would tell you to fuck off. And I like Bitcoin, I think it is a neat idea, a fun gamble, and I currently hold roughly 5000 of them, but do you have any idea how stupid it sounds to everyone else in the entire world? And you want to phone up some guys parents and tell them that their son stole $25k worth of meaningless (to them), thin air Autism kroners?

If you think any regular person is going to take that phone call seriously, think again.

If something is intangible, non-physical, has no practical use, is unrecognized as a real thing by a court of law, can only be sold to a very small pool of people, and isn't money, then most people would have no problem writing it off as nothing of value. For a lot of people it would be written off as nothing at all, just incomprehensible nonsense.

Quote from: Shadow383 on October 06, 2012, 02:47:00 AM

Let's not forget, the SEC is reading these boards, thanks to the data mining here they probably have his details as is, but it'd be better to make family contact Wink

Again, you fundamentally misunderstand the role of the SEC. If you think they are going to have an interest in an Australian teenager who tricked foolish people out of their Bitcoins, you are sadly mistaken.

Quote from: Shadow383 on October 06, 2012, 02:47:00 AM

And no, I wasn't enough of a blatant retard to give this scammer any coin, I just think that he should be hung upside down by his testicles until he pays everyone back

I don't condone scamming, but c'mon, this is Bitcoin. It's the wild west of currency. People need to learn that they can't run to the government to help them when they lose their coins. But people CAN run to the government if someone tries to be violent, harass someone's family, or otherwise apply that same lawlessness to another situation. If you lose your coins, they are gone. That is Bitcoin. That is the whole point of Bitcoin. If you want government protection, there are lots of government backed currencies. Why not use one of them?