After the monumental jump in the value of Bitcoin in 2013, cryptocurrency gift certificates have gained popularity. The host Matt Miller wanted to surprise his colleagues with one of them. However, he was not familiar with the rules of cyber security and carelessly showed the private key (in the form of a QR code) of his Bitcoin wallet live.
The Reddit user, milywaymasta, decided to teach them a lesson about cryptocurrency security.
“The guy that is hosting the series gave Bitcoin gift certificates to the other two hosts. One of them opens up the certificate to reveal the QR code of the private key,” he wrote. “They then proceeded to show a closeup of the QR code in glorious HD for about 10 seconds. Hilarious… I took it, it was only $20 worth. It was exhilarating nevertheless.”
Milywaymasta did not want to keep the money and offered to return it to Miller. But the host refused: “So freaking classic but also a GREAT lesson in bitcoin security!” he wrote. “You can keep the $20 – well earned.”
Morality: don’t air your crypto wallet’s QR code on a news broadcast, and better use security platforms like Bemnex to keep your crypto.