PLEASANT HILL, Calif. (KRON) — Twice in two weeks, thieves targeted bitcoin ATMs in Pleasant Hill. Watch the video player above to see an image of the vehicle police are looking for in the latest burglary.
Early last Thursday morning, a dark-colored pick-up truck in Pleasant Hill backed up to the front of a liquor store on Contra Costa Boulevard, and it appears two suspects hopped out. The business owner says the burglars cut through a lock and side panel to get inside.
“They stole cartons of cigarettes and liquor that were in the store’s part of its normal business,” said Brian Leonard of the Pleasant Hill Police Department (PHPD).
The suspects ransacked the place — causing costly damage to the store which was still recovering from a previous burglary. The thieves also spent time trying to steal the bitcoin ATM inside — giving up because the ATM was too difficult to move and got spooked when the security alarm sounded.
Leonard says it was Pleasant Hill’s second attempted bitcoin machine theft in two weeks. Although headlines about cryptocurrency’s sinking value have dominated the industry in recent months, police say machines like these are still attractive to thieves.
“There’s a perception that exists that bitcoin ATMs are gonna be stocked with cash,” Leonard said. “When you compare it to a traditional cash ATM, people are making withdrawals generally from an ATM. In a bitcoin machine, people are making deposits in there to convert it cryptocurrency and transfer there.”
Police say this crime is typically uncommon. Thieves typically target traditional ATMs. However, with the growth of bitcoin and more of them showing up in businesses, thieves have grown interest.
“It doesn’t happen frequently, but we have had instances of it,” Leonard said. “Throughout the Bay Area, there have been several, yes.”
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Last month, a suspect failed to steal a bitcoin ATM at a laundromat a few blocks away from the liquor store. In the process, it briefly cut the power and phone lines off to businesses nearby.
That suspect is tied to at least four burglaries in Pleasant Hill and Pacheco that night.
Leonard says businesses with bitcoin ATMs can take preventative measures to secure the cash.
“In recent years, these companies have gotten better — the companies that own the ATM, have gotten better about the removal of the cash in a timely manner, so it’s not stockpiled within the machine itself,” Leonard said.
Police say it’s unclear if the suspect from the laundromat incident is connected to the recent liquor store burglary.
Read More: Pleasant Hill bitcoin thefts: Burglars target ATMs