Teen cryptocurrency trader shot dead in Porsche

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The price of Bitcoin could be impacted by a bill being considered by the United States Congress which would require businesses to report transactions of more than $10,000 which involve the cryptocurrency to the tax office. “What the bill before Congress right now says, is businesses that have any transition, any dealing involving Bitcoin more than $10,000, they’ll have to report it to the tax office, which is the Inland Revenue Service in the US,” The Switzer Report founder Peter Switzer told Sky News Australia. “Now that really changes one of the appeal factors of Bitcoin. “Clearly there’s the people who are criminals and there’s the people who’ve been trying to minimise their tax. “So this will be another challenge for Bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies, and it’s going to be interesting to see whether Congress agrees with it. I suspect they will. “They’re talking about a number of something like $US28 billion they’ll pick up as a consequence of this tax reform and that’s bound to hit the demand for cryptocurrencies and therefore the price.”

The price of Bitcoin could be impacted by a bill being considered by the United States Congress which would require businesses to report transactions of more than $10,000 whic…

A young crypto trader who flaunted his wealth on Instagram has been shot dead at the wheel of his red Porsche Boxster.

Gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets on 19-year-old Wesley Pessano Santarem as he drove through the Brazilian city of Sao Pedro da Aldeia.

Chilling video footage filmed in the aftermath of the broad daylight shooting on August 4 shows Wesley motionless in the driver’s seat of his car with his white T-shirt soaked in blood.

There is a visible bullet wound in his neck.

The shocking killing comes as gangs are increasingly targeting so-called “Insta-bragging” bitcoin traders and influencers after they have flaunted their wealth on social media.

RELATED: Bitcoin boss may have faked death

Despite being just 19-years-old, Wesley had apparently made a fortune as a cryptocurrency trader and investor for at least three years.

On Instagram he flaunted his wealth and expensive lifestyle to his 133,000 followers plus a YouTube channel with 15,600 subscribers where he gave trading tips.

His last Insta post was a photo of him sitting on the red Porsche — in which he was shot — as he flicks through wads of cash.

Riddled with bullets

According to reports, Wesley, who lived in the nearby city of Cabo Frio, was driving to the hairdresser’s to get a haircut when he was ambushed.

The killing took place in front of bystanders, who said the killers were driving a silver Volkswagen Voyage.

RELATED: Bitcoin miner killed in grisly accident

Wesley’s pal was travelling in the passenger seat at the time and was injured in the shooting.

He was taken to hospital in Cabo Frio while Wesley’s body was taken for a post-mortem examination.

The injured man’s identity has not been reported.

The police have not revealed the killers’ identities or the possible motive for the crime.

Some local media are reporting it was a case of mistaken identity.

Experts believe around 8 per cent of people could be targeted by criminals due to what they share on social media — even using pictures to pick out loot, or to find entry points to people’s homes.

UK cryptocurrency trader Kieren Hamilton was stabbed and robbed by a machete-wielding gang after he had boasted about his lifestyle on Instagram.

The two-masked robbers raided his Greater Manchester home in November 2018 and demanded his valuables.

This story originally appeared in The Sun and is reproduced here with permission

Teen crypto trader and investment influencer found shot dead in his Porsche

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A teenage cryptocurrency trader was gunned down while behind the wheel of his sports car.

Wesley Pessano Santarem died in the shooting as he drove his red Porsche Boxster through the streets of Brazilian city Sao Pedro da Aldeia.

The killing of Mr Pessano, who was known for promoting his financial success and lifestyle on social media, took place in front of witnesses in broad daylight.

Mr Passano, 19, had reportedly made his fortune in Bitcoin in the past three years.

His last post on Instagram, where he had 134,000 followers, was of him posing in front of his car with a handful of cash.

And he also ran a YouTube channel with 15,600 subscribers where he gave subscribers investment tips.

He had reportedly been on his way to the hairdressers when he was ambushed and attacked.

Witnesses told authorities that the killers had been driving a silver Volkswagen when the violence unfolded.

Police say that Mr Passano was hit by at least four bullets, including one to the head.

A passenger in the car was also injured in the shooting and taken to hospital for treatment.

Mr Passano hailed from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, but had moved to Cabo Frio in the south east of the country last year,

The police have not revealed the identity of any suspects or the motivation for the killing.

The investigation is ongoing.

Crypto Trader’s Murder Blamed On Social Media Bragging

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Source: _pessano / Instagram

In what some see as yet another cautionary tale, the recent tragic killing of teenage Brazilian crypto trader Wesley Pessano Santarem has been linked to the lavish lifestyle the victim had been showcasing on his social media accounts - reminding crypto holders of the importance of safeguarding not only their funds, but their lives.

The 19-year-old has gained a significant following on Instagram, where he had amassed about 134,000 followers. He also ran an account on YouTube where he published videos in which he offered investment advice.

Pessano was gunned down in broad daylight. He was rolling in his Porsche Boxster sports car through the streets of Sao Pedro da Aldeia, a city in Brazil’s south-eastern state of Rio de Janeiro, to get a haircut, as reported by The Independent, when he was ambushed by a group of killers who travelled in a silver Volkswagen.

Source: _pessano / Instagram

A second passenger who sat in his Porsche was injured in the shooting and later transported to a hospital. The Brazilian police said Passano was hit by a minimum of four bullets, one of which was a headshot. An investigation into the murder has been initiated.

Claiming to have secured financial freedom at the age of 18, Pessano often portrayed himself driving luxury cars, among others a Chevrolet Camaro and a Mercedes-Benz automobile. On one of the pictures, the trader was seen ‘talking’ on the so-called money phone, pretending to be making a call from a thick stack of cash. This type of photos, as is argued, may have potentially attracted unwanted attention to Pessano’s finances.

Source: _pessano / Instagram

The latest violent event joins a worrying string of gruesome attacks on crypto traders that has been observed worldwide.

Last January, a trader in Hong Kong was robbed of nearly half a million dollars worth of bitcoin (BTC). A Norwegian trader was forced to jump from a window of his house last year when an armed man showed up at his door. The same year in the Netherlands, crypto community was shocked by a brutal robbery attempt in which three armed robbers with police vests broke into a residential building and tortured a 38-year-old trader for over an hour using a drill. In 2018, a Norwegian trader was found dead in his apartment in Oslo after selling bitcoins to another person for cash.

And these are just a few of many reported attacks, threatening crypto traders'/holders' personal safety. It is not clear how many crypto-related attacks or attempted attacks have gone unreported.

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