A Canadian volunteer moderator for a cryptocurrency forum has gone into hiding with his children after narrowly escaping a violent crime attempt. According to a January 6 report by Canadian French-language news outlet La Presse, the man, whose identity has been withheld, claims the assailants planned to torture him to access his crypto wallet.
Family Flees
“The guys had equipment to torture me,” the victim disclosed, describing a chilling scene involving a tarpaulin and surgical tools intended for gruesome use. “It’s incredible violence,” he told reporters, adding that he and his children now live out of Airbnbs to avoid detection.
The alleged motive was a mistaken belief that the moderator possessed 2.5 million Bitcoin, a claim he refuted. “I’m a very ordinary guy. I may have $10,000,” he explained.
The ordeal began on November 4, when two masked men threatened him outside his home but fled after he secured his door. Days later, on November 8, he noticed a black car without plates stalking his residence. A subsequent confrontation escalated as he was followed and held at gunpoint.
Four suspects were arrested, and two faced charges of conspiracy to kidnap and possession of prohibited firearms. Despite crime allegations, the suspects were released on bail pending trial in March, under conditions of house arrest. The victim criticized the court’s decision, saying he has had to drain his savings to evade further attacks.
Crypto Crime Cases Surge Worldwide
This chilling incident underscores a troubling trend of crypto-linked crime cases. According to Bitcoin cypherpunk Jameson Lopp, at least 181 cases of crypto-related robberies, kidnappings, and murders have been reported since 2014.
In November 2024, WonderFi Technologies CEO Dean Skurka endured an abduction and was forced to transfer $720,000 to secure his release. Similarly, in Pakistan, a crypto trader was kidnapped in a police van on Christmas Day and coerced into transferring $340,000. Other high-profile cases include a French influencer’s father being held for ransom and a Belgian crypto influencer’s wife targeted in a car chase that ended in a crash.
Lopp advises the crypto community to practice discretion. “The general premise is that if criminals are less aware of you, they are less likely to target you,” he said. He warned against flaunting wealth on social media or engaging in risky peer-to-peer transactions.
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