Dozens of cryptocurrency-related kidnappings have occurred in 2024, including cases where people had their fingers amputated
There have been many cases, mainly in Europe, of kidnapping influencers and company personnel related to cryptocurrencies in order to steal their cryptocurrencies. In some cases, the kidnappers' fingers were amputated during the ransom negotiation process.
Severed Fingers and 'Wrench Attacks' Rattle the Crypto Elite - WSJ
We have reached the “severed fingers and abductions” stage of the crypto revolution - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/05/we-have-reached-the-severed-fingers-and-abductions-stage-of-the-crypto-revolution/
French police investigate spate of cryptocurrency millionaire kidnappings | France | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/04/french-police-investigate-spate-of-cryptocurrency-millionaire-kidnappings
On May 13, 2025, the daughter and grandson of the CEO of virtual currency company Paymium were nearly kidnapped in Paris. According to reports, at the scene of the incident , masked men brandished tear gas and what appeared to be a gun and tried to force the CEO's daughter and grandson into a van. Fortunately, the daughter's husband noticed and resisted, and neighbors gathered, so the perpetrators gave up on the kidnapping and fled.
Although this attempt was unsuccessful, similar incidents have occurred around the world.
In January 2025, David Berland, co-founder of the cryptocurrency wallet developer Ledger, and his wife were kidnapped in France, and a video of Berland's finger being cut off was sent to the police along with a ransom demand of 10 million euros (approximately 1.62 billion yen). Berland was soon found safe by police investigation, and his partner was found alive the next day.
Founder of virtual currency wallet 'Ledger' kidnapped - GIGAZINE
In May 2025, a man who ran a cryptocurrency marketing company with his son in France was kidnapped and discovered a few days later during a police raid. One finger had been amputated, and police said that 'if he had not been rescued, there is a possibility that further amputations would have occurred.'
France is not alone in this. In Belgium, the wife of an influencer who frequently posts about cryptocurrency on social media was kidnapped , in the US gangs have broken into the home of a man believed to hold large amounts of cryptocurrency, and in Spain a Brit was kidnapped by three other Brits and forced to pay 30,000 euros in cryptocurrency or be tortured to death. So far, most of the reported victims are either working in the cryptocurrency industry or are influencers who flaunt their wealth online.
According to the Wall Street Journal, dozens of kidnappings related to cryptocurrencies have occurred in 2024 alone. The background to these cases is the sudden rise in the price of cryptocurrencies, and it is reported that people who store cryptocurrencies offline are also being targeted.
Because online hacking is a risk factor for virtual currencies, in recent years, more and more investors are storing their virtual currencies offline on their own devices. This makes it extremely unlikely that an account will be hacked and virtual currencies stolen, but it does not prevent the risk of the investor being kidnapped.
The Wall Street Journal points out that this risk has increased since the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase was hacked in May 2025, leaking the personal information of up to 97,000 customers. Jameson Lopp of security company Casa said, 'Many people take security measures such as hiding cryptocurrency in their homes, but if you're a public figure, you have to worry about physical attacks,' warning that people must be wary of theft not only online but also offline.
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