Crypto expert: Kidnapper 'showed his Achilles' with bitcoin address

Nancy Guthrie’s alleged abductor may have revealed a critical clue by giving a real bitcoin address in the ransom note, Bezalel Eithan Raviv, CEO and founder of Lionsgate Network, said. "He showed his Achilles to everyone who understands blockchain forensics," Raviv said.

The ransom note demanded $6 million in bitcoin be sent to that address in exchange for Nancy’s release. Raviv explained that when cyber criminals publish a wallet address they often "basically reveal themselves," and that investigators or recovery services can send a small amount to see where it lands.

Blockchain forensics, he said, is about tracing the blocks generated with each transaction, and data scraped from a single transaction can yield information useful to an investigation. Raviv argued many still wrongly believe crypto cannot be traced or recovered and urged training for law enforcement in blockchain forensics or finding the right specialists.

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