Crypto Investor Tortures And Kidnappings: How to Stay Safe and Protect Your Assets in 2025

The crypto industry promises financial freedom and anonymity. Yet in 2025, the threat to investors has grown even more pronounced. Reports from the past two years show a surge in violent kidnappings and shakedown schemes aimed at crypto holders. Criminals are exploiting the public nature of blockchain and careless online behavior to identify who has crypto and where they live. The results are terrifying. Home invasions, abductions, torture, all to force victims to hand over digital wealth.

This article explores the rise in crypto-related kidnappings in 2024-2025, real cases, and practical steps to protect both your assets and, most importantly, your life. Remember: with great riches comes great responsibility for your personal security.

2025: One Kidnapping Per Week

As Chainalysis stated in the “2025 Crypto Crime Mid-year Update”, it is clear that 2025 is well on track to have potentially twice as many physical attacks as the next highest year on record. It is also worth noting that, since many attacks go unreported, the true number of such incidents is likely far higher. We’ve reached the point where crypto kidnappings are practically a weekly event in 2025. And, the frequency has grown in tandem with cryptocurrency prices. Analysis shows a clear correlation between BTC’s rising value and the uptick in violent attacks on holders.

In fact, industry data compiled by analysts count at least 231 physical attacks (robberies, abductions, etc.) against digital asset owners to date, and nearly one-third of those incidents occurred since the start of 2024 alone.

As BTC and other assets hit new highs, criminals see a bigger potential payday and are willing to resort to old-fashioned violence. Law enforcement and crypto insiders now acknowledge that the “illusion of invisibility” around crypto wealth has been shattered. High-net-worth crypto users are investing in personal security measures and staying on guard, knowing that on the public blockchain, anyone can trace big wallets, and some may show up at the owner’s door with a weapon.

Crypto Kidnapping Cases (2024 – 2025)

A series of kidnapping and extortion cases in different countries has put the crypto community on edge. Below are some of the most notorious examples that illustrate how far criminals will go.

France: “Ledger” Co-Founder Kidnapped And More

In January 2025, David Balland, co-founder of crypto wallet firm Ledger, and his partner were kidnapped from their home in central France. This high-profile case of crypto kidnapping Paris made global headlines. The kidnappers even severed one of Balland’s fingers as proof of their seriousness and demanded a €10 million ransom in cryptocurrency. French police raided a location and rescued the couple after 58 hours, preventing the ransom payment.

Notably, this was one of six major crypto-related abductions in France in the first half of 2025 alone. In another French case, a gang kidnapped the father of a crypto entrepreneur, doused him in gasoline, and cut off a finger, sending a video to his son along with a €5 million ransom demand. Police managed to rescue that victim as well.

In May 2025, three masked men staged an attempted kidnapping Paris incident when they tried to abduct the pregnant daughter of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat in broad daylight on a Paris street, targeting both her and her young child. The attackers, reportedly armed, tried to force them into a van, but she fought back, disarming one assailant, while passersby, including a shopkeeper wielding a fire extinguisher, rushed to help. The gang fled, and authorities later arrested multiple suspects.

French investigators later linked these attacks to an organized network active since 2023. The alleged mastermind, 24-year-old French-Moroccan Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, was arrested in Morocco in June 2025, alongside two dozen young recruits involved in ransom kidnappings orchestrated online, evidence of the group’s reach and sophistication.

All these incidents led French media to warn of the “Mexicanisation” of local crime, a clear sign that violent cartel-like methods have arrived in Europe.

United States – Torture in a “Crypto House of Horrors”

In May 2025, 28-year-old Michael Carturan, an Italian crypto millionaire, was lured to a townhouse in New York City in what became one of the most brutal cases of crypto kidnapping New York. He was held captive for 17 days by two men seeking access to his BTC fortune. Captors hung him off a roof, shocked him with electric wires, and even menaced him with a chainsaw — a chilling case of crypto torture — all while demanding he divulge his wallet passwords. They reportedly believed he controlled up to $28 million in crypto. He eventually escaped barefoot and bloodied to alert the police. Two suspects with prior crypto industry connections were arrested. As one commentator noted, “Sign the transfer or lose a finger” is becoming a very real ultimatum in these crimes, echoing headlines such as “man tortured for Bitcoin”.

Further investigation revealed that this crypto kidnapping NY was not an isolated incident but part of an organized gang operating across Florida, Texas, and North Carolina since 2022. The group used stolen personal data to target crypto holders in violent home invasions, binding families and forcing wallet unlocks at gunpoint.

Global Crime Rings and Other Bitcoin Torture Cases

In Spain, a British cryptocurrency trader was allegedly kidnapped and held captive in a hotel by criminals looking to loot his holdings. In Houston, Texas, a crypto influencer was assaulted at gunpoint in her own home, intruders pistol-whipped her and demanded millions in crypto while her family was terrorized. In Canada, Dean Skurka, CEO of a Toronto-based crypto company, was grabbed off the street during rush hour and only released after he paid a $720,000 ransom in November 2024.

In Estonia, Australian crypto billionaire Tim Heath nearly fell victim to a sophisticated plot. Ambushed in his apartment by disguised attackers, he fought back by biting off one assailant’s finger during a 30‑second struggle. Authorities say the seven‑member cell had stalked him for weeks using GPS tracking and false identities, all aimed at forcing his crypto access.

Incidents are also increasing throughout Asia and the Middle East. In one tragic 2024 case from the Philippines, a businessman was abducted for ransom and murdered even after his family paid roughly $3.5 million in hopes of freeing him. Meanwhile, authorities in Thailand recently busted a kidnapping ring that included rogue police officers extorting cryptocurrency from victims by fabricating charges.

Law enforcement faces a challenge because many kidnappers operate in small independent cells or copycat groups, from French gangs to Latin American cartels to opportunistic individuals, making these crimes really hard to predict and prevent. What is clear is that no part of the world is immune: anywhere there are known crypto holders, there is a risk that violent criminals will target them.

How Not to Become a Victim

For investors, the best defense is prevention. While nobody deserves to face such threats, there are concrete steps you can take to reduce your risk. Here are key precautions to protect your crypto assets and your safety.

Reduce Your Digital Footprint 

The more you reveal online about your holdings, the more you expose yourself. Bragging about big wins or showing off expensive new purchases on social media can attract unwanted attention. Criminals scan Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, GitHub, and public blockchain explorers. They also monitor forums, Telegram channels, and group chats to identify wealthy crypto holders.

Never publicly disclose how much crypto you own. Not in posts, not even in casual conversations. Security experts urge investors to use pseudonyms and fresh wallet addresses for transactions so that it’s harder to link your blockchain activity to your real identity.

Stay Discreet in Public

Be extremely careful. Avoid opening your mobile crypto portfolio apps or discussing crypto investments in crowded public places. Someone looking over your shoulder at a café might catch a glimpse of your balances or private information. Attackers have been known to exploit “shoulder surfing” and other simple surveillance. Also, avoid flaunting anything that signals crypto riches, like wearing crypto-branded apparel or boasting of expensive gadgets in public.

Maintain situational awareness: many victims are ambushed when they seem oblivious to who might be watching. For example, one Parisian crypto holder who commuted with flashy tech devices became a target and was kidnapped in a quick “wrench attack” for his hardware wallet. To avoid becoming a statistic, blend in and keep your crypto activities private when out and about.

Fortify Your Crypto Security

Never use services where private keys are stored by third parties, because in that case, access to your assets can be obtained without your knowledge. It’s also important that the solution has built-in IP address protection against tracking. This prevents attackers from discovering the turnover of your crypto wallet or pinpointing your physical location.

Another security factor is additional layers of protection when performing transactions. A reliable crypto wallet should support two-factor authentication, the ability to set transfer limits, and work with multiple addresses so that funds aren’t concentrated in just one.

BitHide Technologies — Safeguarding Businesses

Company-held cryptocurrency is an especially attractive target for criminals due to far larger volumes compared to most individual users. That’s why businesses must take asset protection even more seriously.

The non-custodial BitHide wallet is built specifically for companies. Its security is based on:

• Dark Wing technology (frequent IP address changes, one-time transfer addresses, temporary addresses for blockchain fee payments). This makes it impossible to trace wallet turnover or locate the physical server.
• Multi-user access with role assignment and double approve on transaction. This allows teams to manage assets and transactions without worrying that an employee under pressure could hand over all company funds to attackers.
• Fingerprint technology prevents logins from unfamiliar devices without additional approval from the owner.

All of this makes BitHide not just a crypto wallet, but an infrastructure protected with bank-grade technologies. Most likely, attackers won’t even bother with your company or you, simply because they won’t be able to trace its turnover.

Conclusion: Stay Safe & Stay Private

The terrifying reality of crypto extortion is that digital wealth can lead to real-world danger. In 2025, we’ve seen that everything from your social media posts to public KYC data leaks can put you in the crosshairs. The good news is that by staying vigilant, you can still enjoy the benefits of crypto without painting a bullseye on yourself. Remember: don’t overshare, secure your funds with advanced tools, and always be cautious about who knows what about your crypto.

To learn more about how BitHide can protect your cryptocurrency, and by extension, your life, request a demo. Our team will walk you through how BitHide’s privacy and security features can keep your business and assets safe.

Stay safe out there!