Crypto Ransom in Retail: Exploring Bomb Threat Scams and Blockchain Reputation

US retailers like Kroger, Target, Walmart, and Amazon’s Whole Foods Market have faced a wave of bomb threats from scammers demanding ransoms in Bitcoin, gift cards or money. The extortion attempts, which reportedly target each store only once, raise concerns about the reputation of cryptocurrencies and the potential skepticism around the technology’s safety and legitimacy, despite its widespread legitimate use.