What happened
Taiwan’s Public Television Service report, 21 February 2018, includes a named investigator’s account.
PTS reported that purported buyers offered an above-market price to arrange a bitcoin sale in Taichung. A police investigator said attackers seized the seller’s phone after seeing his account and transferred 18 BTC. [S96]
The report described an assault and four arrests. It did not establish a final judgment or the eventual recovery of the bitcoin. [S96]
The source publication date is not treated as the incident date; the record retains month precision. The exact account controls and later outcome are unknown. This does not show that any particular wallet product failed.
What to take from it
A device can reveal your holdings and provide access to them in the same moment. Decide what an everyday phone should be able to do before a meeting, rather than relying on keeping it in your hand.
Turn it into a plan
Suggested preparation—not a claim about what the people involved should have done. Independent expert review of the guide remains pending.
Review what this phone can reach
Check connected accounts, spending permissions and recovery access. A limited spending wallet does little if the same phone can reset access to the reserves.
Read the practical guidanceDo not turn a meeting into a balance demonstration
Discuss a legitimate verification requirement through an independently checked process. Do not open unrelated accounts or show your overall holdings to satisfy a stranger’s curiosity.
Read the practical guidancePrepare for the phone to be lost
Know how to reach providers and secure accounts from another trusted device. If a phone is taken by force, get to safety first and seek help before dealing with account access.
Read the practical guidanceIf someone held your unlocked phone, what could they see, spend or reset?
Discuss privately with your household using a fictional scenario. Keep actual addresses, routines, custody details and verification phrases out of this site.
Put the lesson into practice