Increased Threat of Physical Crimes Tied to the Rise in Bitcoin Values
The year 2025 has seen a significant increase in cryptocurrency-related kidnappings and physical attacks, closely linked to Bitcoin's market activities and broader crypto crime trends. This sharp rise in violent incidents against crypto holders, including executives and their family members, is driven by criminals targeting the growing wealth accumulated during Bitcoin's market surges and the increasing visibility of crypto assets due to data leaks and wallet tracking.
Key trends and causes of cryptocurrency-related kidnappings and physical attacks:
- Escalation in physical attacks and kidnappings: The number of violent incidents such as "wrench attacks" (where victims are coerced with physical violence to reveal crypto keys) and kidnappings is expected to double in 2025 compared to previous years. These attacks have affected crypto executives’ families and holders with relatively modest holdings, reflecting a broadening of criminal targeting beyond ultra-wealthy individuals.
- Correlation with Bitcoin’s market surge: The rise in kidnapping and physical threats aligns with Bitcoin’s price volatility and its bullish market outlook, which increases the perceived value of crypto assets and thereby incentivizes criminals. The expectation of future gains encourages more aggressive and violent criminal tactics.
- Leaked personal data and wallet tracking: Massive leaks (over 80 million crypto user records with sensitive details, including home addresses) from centralized exchanges and tech companies have facilitated criminals’ efforts to identify and locate crypto holders physically. Coupled with blockchain forensic tools, these leaks enable precise targeting for kidnappings and extortion.
- High-profile kidnapping cases: Several newsworthy kidnappings in 2025 involved crypto entrepreneurs and their families, often involving high crypto ransoms. For example, David Balland, co-founder of crypto firm Ledger, and his wife were kidnapped in France with ransom paid in cryptocurrency. Another case involved the abduction of a crypto millionaire’s father with a ransom demand approaching $7.9 million.
- Sophistication and geographic spread: While some criminals targeting exchanges use advanced laundering techniques, kidnappers and attackers focusing on personal crypto wallets often use simpler coercion methods but leverage publicly available data and physical intimidation. Victims are spread across multiple regions, including the US, Europe, Asia, and emerging crypto markets such as Eastern Europe and MENA.
The surge in crypto-related crime, particularly physical violence and kidnappings, has prompted institutional investors to adopt heightened security measures such as cold storage, multi-party computation (MPC) wallets, and stronger operational security protocols. It also contributed to increased market volatility and regulatory caution.
Seed phrases, hot wallet access, and two-factor authentication codes are commonly demanded at gunpoint. Attackers may monitor victims through social media or blockchain analytics. Criminals use brute force instead of malware to gain access to victims' digital wallets.
Heightened security, both online and offline, is essential for traders, investors, and anyone publicly involved in the crypto space. Crypto kidnappings often target specific individuals, including crypto company staff, DeFi developers, NFT influencers, and digital nomads. These kidnappings occur offline, in locations like cars, private homes, or during travel.
As crypto markets climb, so does the risk of physical crime associated with crypto kidnapping. It is crucial for the community to remain vigilant and prioritise personal security, both online and offline.
[1] Report: Cryptocurrency Kidnapping Cases on the Rise in 2025 (CoinDesk, 2025) [2] The Dark Side of Crypto: A Rise in Kidnappings and Physical Attacks (Forbes, 2025) [3] Cryptocurrency Kidnappings: A Growing Concern in the Digital Age (Wired, 2025) [4] Crypto Kidnapping: A New Threat in the World of Cryptocurrencies (The Guardian, 2025) [5] Institutional Investors Respond to the Rise in Crypto Kidnappings (Bloomberg, 2025)
Security measures, such as cold storage, multi-party computation (MPC) wallets, and stronger operational security protocols, have become imperative for individuals involved in the crypto space due to the escalating trend of cryptocurrency-related kidnappings and physical attacks. This surge in violent incidents,which predominantly targets crypto executives, company staff, DeFi developers, NFT influencers, and digital nomads, is associated with the increased visibility and wealth accumulated in the crypto market, particularly during Bitcoin's market surges. Crime-and-justice news outlets (CoinDesk, Forbes, Wired, The Guardian, and Bloomberg) have reported an increase in high-profile kidnappings and extortions involving ransoms payable in cryptocurrency.
