Point Of Sale Hardware and Software
Anonymous conspirators are threatening to cause problems for pizzeria operators if they don’t pay extortion fees in the form of Bitcoins, the online-only currency. A number of pizzerias across the country last week reported receiving letters titled “Notice of Extortion.” A letter sent to 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria in Queen City, New Hampshire read, “Your business … has been targeted for extortion. The selection process is random and was not triggered by any event under your control. Should you fail to pay the one-time monetary tribute by the deadline provided below, your business will be severely and irreparably damaged.” The letter further states that if the operator doesn’t pay the extortion fee—one Bitcoin, worth about $600—by August 15, the fee goes up to three Bitcoins. If the operator fails to pay, the letter writer threatens to post bad reviews on Yelp, file complaints with the Better Business Bureau and file false police reports alleging criminal activity at the restaurant. “At first you think it’s a joke,” Michelle Doucette, general manager of 900 Degrees, told the Nashua Telegraph. “I had to ask one of the people who works here what a Bitcoin is.” Other pizzerias that received the letters so far include GRPD Pizza in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Pizza Pirates in Pomona, California.