Ukrainian Man Victim of Armed Crypto Robbery
In a rare case of crypto theft by physical coercion, Ukrainian national Viacheslav Leibov was forced to transfer 250,000 USDT (about 8.56 million baht) to armed robbers in Phuket, Thailand.
A Ukrainian man, Viacheslav Leibov, was robbed in Thailand and was released only after transferring about 250k USDT to the armed robbers. When he was invited by a friend to visit, he was controlled by the robbers in the room and forced to complete the transfer. Devcon, the…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) November 11, 2024
On 11 November, Thai authorities arrested four suspects in connection with the crime.
Local reports state that Leibov's ordeal began when he visited a friend’s hotel room, where 21-year-old Armenian Arman Grigoryan led him to the room.
Initially, they conversed on the balcony, but when Leibov went to the bathroom, two masked assailants ambushed him, restraining him with ropes and cable ties.
Armed with a hammer and knife, the robbers demanded he transfer 500,000 USDT; however, Leibov negotiated the amount down to 250,000 USDT.
A Ukrainian man told police he visited a friend's room on this southern tourist island and was forced to transfer cryptocurrency worth more than 8 million baht to a group of armed men.
Listen to the story or get the full story in the 1st comment.#ukrainian #tourist #phuket… pic.twitter.com/CWIOhV37pw
— Bangkok Post (@BangkokPostNews) November 10, 2024
After the transfer, they tied him to the bed and warned him not to report the crime.
Leibov managed to free himself and reported the incident to the Kamala police.
Among those arrested was a frequent USDT buyer from Leibov, who likely knew of his substantial holdings.
The four arrested suspects
This incident underscores the rising risk of physical attacks targeting digital asset holders as cryptocurrency becomes more mainstream.
Crypto Crimes Running Rampant
As cryptocurrency adoption expands globally, so too does the range and complexity of related crimes.
In 2024 alone, criminals have employed increasingly inventive methods to steal digital assets.
The US Federal Trade Commission reported that scammers stole $65 million via Bitcoin ATM fraud schemes in the first half of the year.
In these scams, criminals impersonate bank or government officials, persuading victims to withdraw cash and deposit it into a Bitcoin ATM.
Great news to share. We just had the honor of returning $106K to a scam victim in Daytona Beach Shores.
The victim got a call from the “FBI” and was told due to her social security and bank accounts being compromised, she needed to withdraw $$ and deposit it in Bitcoin ATMs. pic.twitter.com/gA2FywYE4u
— Mike Chitwood (@SheriffChitwood) October 8, 2024
Meanwhile, Binance recently issued a global alert on "Clipper malware," which modifies wallet addresses during transactions to redirect funds to a scammer's wallet.
In August, reports surfaced of a macOS-targeting malware that attacks crypto wallets such as MetaMask, promoted through fake job offers and Telegram channels.
Established cybercrime groups are also targeting the crypto sector; North Korea's infamous Lazarus group and its affiliates, for example, are now using phishing campaigns to breach crypto firms.
These developments highlight the growing need for heightened security in the evolving landscape of digital finance.
