Bitcoin Extortion Strikes Retail Giants As Chilling Hoax Bomb Threats Rattle Walmart, Kroger And Whole Foods

Mystery and danger loom over major U.S. retailers and grocery stores, including Walmart, Kroger, Meijer, and Whole Foods, who have been targeted by an unsettling series of hoax bomb threats. 

What Happened: The Wall Street Journal reported that the calls demand thousands of dollars in gift cards, Bitcoin BTC/USD and cash, with the ominous threat of detonating bombs if the demands aren’t met.

In a Whole Foods store in suburban Chicago, a caller demanded $5,000 in Bitcoin, threatening to detonate a pipe bomb if the demand wasn’t met. 

An employee at a Kroger in New Mexico was reportedly told to wire money to the caller and threatened with a bomb if police were called to the store. 

At a Meijer grocery store in Wisconsin, the demand was for $5,000 in Apple gift cards. It is not clear whether the calls are part of an organized effort, but police say that the callers have concealed their identities by using blocked phone numbers. 

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Why It Matters: The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are investigating the threats, which have so far proved unfounded. 

Law enforcement has urged retailers to call 911 if there is any potential threat, obtain recordings of the call and call records, and get in touch with local FBI offices as a matter of urgency. 

Target stores in at least five states have previously faced threats over the chain’s support for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, but these latest calls to retailers appear to be unrelated. 

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Lisa Bruno, a senior executive vice president at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, described the threats as “another evolving scam” on US retailers.

Price Action: At the time of writing, apex crypto Bitcoin was trading at $30,207, down 1.61% in the last 24 hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro. 

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