Bitcoins: today's preferred form of ransom payments.
This happened to a friend. Fortunately he had backed up files so he could just tell them to Fk off.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/business/dealbook/for-ransom-bitcoin-replaces-the-bag-of-bills.html?action=click&contentCollection=DealBook&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article
In a modern day version of a mob shakedown, hackers around the world have seized files on millions of computers, taken down public websites and even, in a few cases, threatened physical harm. The victims — who have ranged from ordinary computer users to financial firms and police departments — are told that their only way out is through a Bitcoin payment that is sometimes more than $20,000.
SNIP
Bitcoin has made the delivery of ransom more seamless and untraceable for criminals because the virtual currency system is run by a decentralized network of computers that collects no personal information about users. Unlike the days of bulging briefcases, Bitcoin payments can be made without an in-person meeting. What’s more, Bitcoin transactions are designed to be irreversible, so victims cannot reclaim their money as they could with a credit card or PayPal transaction.
Early Bitcoin users quickly realized that the currency could be useful for ransom payments. But in late 2013, the threat spread far beyond the virtual currency community when the first version of Bitcoin-fueled ransomware, known as CryptoLocker, began to spread around the globe.
The software encrypted all of the files on a computer and offered a key to unlock the files in exchange for a Bitcoin payment. Victims were directed to several websites where they could buy Bitcoins through a bank transfer.
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Bitcoins, a suitcase full of currency, gold, what does it matter?
All money sucks. We've got to figure out a better way to organize human economies.
