Norwegian news site accused of creating crypto holder ‘hit list’

The personal details of some of Norway’s largest crypto investors, who between them hold tens of millions of dollars worth of assets, have been revealed by the Norwegian news site TV2.

TV2 published the list on December 4, tracking the income and overall wealth of prolific crypto holders using Norway’s publicly visible tax return system.

At the top of the wealth list, there are Terje Øvrehus, Kristoffer Daniel Norambuena, and Alexander Leonard Larsen, who hold $32.7 million, $28.8 million, and $28 million in assets respectively.

Øvrehus is known for his bitcoin investments, Norambuena is reportedly unknown to TV2, and Larsen is the co-founder of controversial crypto gaming firm Axie Infinity. Their declared incomes, however, are significantly less. Øvrehus has an income of $57,000, Norambuena has an income of $0, and Larsen has an income of $1.3 million.

Norway’s public tax ledger isn’t for everyone

In Norway, everyone’s tax returns are publicly available on request and will include an individual’s full name and date of birth. This transparent tax system has been around since the 1800s but was made easier to access with the advent of the internet.

For a while, searching for someone else’s tax returns was an anonymous affair. Then, in 2014, tax authorities introduced a notification system that revealed who was looking up whose information. Norway’s media, on the other hand, is reportedly able to view returns without notifying the individual.

According to Bitcoin influencer @Hodlonaut, this is “completely insane,” and “putting a target on the back of all of these people.” Hodlonaut also claimed that the state is publishing, a “hit list.”

Podcast host and Bitcoin supporter Peter McCormack also chimed in, saying, “This is nuts.”

Read more: Police track $200K bitcoin robbery in Scottish first

Norway is known for its low crime rate, which Statista claims has fallen even further over the years. Despite this, the threat of in-person crypto robberies still spooks the community.

This year, a man from the US was convicted of leading a criminal crew that targeted and violently robbed the homes of crypto owners. In 2019, a group of armed thieves attempted to steal from a Norwegian bitcoin millionaire living in Oslo. He escaped after jumping from his balcony.

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