Two students in the UK have been accused of stealing $1 million worth of Bitcoin from a man's digital wallet in Colorado. The lawsuit was filed in a US court.
In the document, it is stated that Benedict Thompson and Oliver Read who are now students, carried out the stunt in 2018 when they were minors.
Plaintiff Andrew Schober stated at the time of the incident that he downloaded a crypto wallet called Electrum Atom when he wanted to transfer 16.4 Bitcoins. However, due to a malware attack that was blamed on the two young men, Bitcoin actually entered the account they controlled.
"Because of the malware, Benedict or Oliver or both intercepted it and altered the communication between Schober and the Bitcoin blockchain," the lawsuit states.
Benedict is currently a Computer Science student at the University of Warwick while Oliver is also majoring in the same at Greenhead College. Schober had written to their parents to return the Bitcoins, but they were not heeded.
"Sounds like your son used malware to steal money online. We have the evidence needed to show his guilt, ask him yourself. He may think he's playing games, but the consequences are serious for my life," Schober wrote.
Because of the theft, Schober admitted that he had difficulty eating and sleeping for the past three years due to stress. Moreover, the stolen Bitcoins accounted for 95% of his total wealth.
Benedict and Oliver's parents did not react to Schober's allegations, so a lawsuit was finally filed. So far, there has been no comment from the students or their parents regarding the alleged Bitcoin theft.
