Topic: Increasing kidnapping and ransom. Privacy is important. (Read 961 times)

People are different and there are people who consider privacy is very important but there are other people who don't value privacy and they want to be famous, be recognized by community. They want to be influencers and want to show off their wealth publicly, and it's like their instinct.

With Bitcoin and cryptocurrency influencers, they don't care too much about privacy and they are pride of noise they can make on social media and easy recognition by community. Those people will put all warning about privacy, bad practice in privacy and possible risk aside to chase what they love most, being famous.

There are many people like this with their wealth is made from Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or other different industries, but their similarity is wanting to be as most famous as possible.

I don't even think it is necessary to share your personal crypto information on the media because you will get to answer some crazy questions that may likely put you into danger, once you mention that you are into crypto investment a lot or eyes will be on you already because most people believes that everyone who is into crypto investment is a millionaire. One just needs to be more private and careful because as you are trying to fight against poverty by focusing on the right investment some people are out there looking for whom to adopt to take all what they have laboured for.

People don't value their privacy and don't think privacy matters or important before it is too late. Late like they were already kidppaned, ransomed or killed by physical attacks.

Physical Bitcoin attacks (source 1)
Physical Bitcoin attacks (source 2)

If they feel fearful about that, and want to learn for improving practice to get better privacy.
Bitcoin privacy resources.

That's true, but you can still always minimize the risk.

Never tell to women because they can't shut their mouth, this will include your mother and your wife. If you tell with your brother or father, they like unlikely to share your private thing to other because they know what's the definition of "integrity".

Of course living with luxury lifestyle will make people ask what you do for living, always prepare the answer for this one, like saying it's because my parents is rich.

This is easiest way for them to ask for money to their victims and provably that if they know someone using it nearby there's huge possibilities that this criminal would take advantage on this situation. That's why its important for Bitcoin investor or to those people who earn with it for now showing their wealth publicly or at least show their good results. Since we really don't know on when the bad guys would attack and its better if people are aware about the consequences then also know how to make their self and wealth safe from these criminals.

That's why being silent and have low key attitude is important so that these criminals would not notice them and they could live comfortably. Usually those people got affected on this are those people always show their result and huge money gain from something they do online.

With the awareness and large adoption of bitcoin, I am not surprised that kidnappers are requesting a ransom in crypto from their victims because they see crypto as an easy way to receive payment without revealing their identity. This post should serve as a lesson to those who are into bitcoin and crypto investment. We are living in a wicked world where some people don't want to work; they just want to depend on people's hard-earned money to survive, so we should be very careful how we discuss our bitcoin investment or crypto investment in public so that we will not put ourselves or our loved ones at risk, and we should stop telling people we are into bitcoin investment or crypto investment so that we will not be seen as a possible target of being kidnapped since most people believe all bitcoin investment and crypto investment are rich.

Cryptocurrency is rapidly gain mass adoption across the globe and lots of people are eager to own it especially Bitcoin which is the most valuable Cryptocurrency currently, however hoodlums and kidnappers are not left out in the categories of people who are eager to own it, therefore everyone needs to stay safe and the best way to go about that is by keeping crypto activities a secret.

 Every crypto holder is solely in control of their digital valuables so it's in their best interest to avoid unnecessary communications nor spilling out informations that would attract the audience of crimals, imagine telling people you own a huge amount of bitcoin in your wallet while trying to preach to them about it, it's very risky and should be avoided at all cost, just like the subject matter implies, privacy is important, very important.

Stay private if you hold bitcoin or any crypto. This is a difficult advice because on social media especially with the Web3 trend, most of them involved in it don't hide their involvement. And most of them we know in real life outside of the internet. It is no about staying private, it is about the type of information you share with people you think are your followers.

There are publicly available information that if shared will not put you at risk. While there are private information about your crypto dealings that of share will put you and those around at risk of being kidnaped. Those private information, are well known to us.

People don't just go to the radio station or TV broadcast and announce how much they owe in crypto; at least not all of them, but some of them are public figures or have family members who know what they do for a living. No matter how private you are, there are some people that will still know a little about you and your involvement in crypto.

They might not know how much you hold, but your luxury lifestyle will determine how much they will consider you to be worth. Not just crypto holders are at risk, but it's always easier to rob those who hold bitcoin since it's easier to also hide the trace.

Some times this attacks may happen because of ones good heart, having the willingness to teach others because of the profits you  have seen or gotten from crypto investment. You can feel you want to help the person by introducing him or her to the line so as to help the person learn and also invest but sometimes they take it as avenue to take advantage of your good heart and get back at you. Let's be careful of set of people we decide to help these days because the help we render can also land one into these set of problems.

And the irony about this is that not all are physical kidnappings of humans, some involve hijacking computer systems after a virus infects your system through pirated software or clicking some unknown links then the ransom starts..
I guess people are getting desperate to make some quick money and crypto payments are the preferred choice to avoid leaving a paper trail or finger print.

With kidnapping do these guys even know their targets or anybody that fits their profile is a target

This is the major reason all crypto traders should keep their identity in a low key, infact it should be a secret, do not go out there announcing yourself as crypto Lord, so you will not be traced, and also your life and that of your loved ones will not be at risk. Some people are envious of your achievement.

You can't keep anonymous for long unless you move away from your city where you have friends and relatives with whom you can share information about how you earn. Let's ask the question how you can spend your investment profits without anyone noticing. The cases where millions of dollars were paid for ransoms are definitely spending in unknown weird ways that take others attentions. All of these cases also happen with people who know their victims because no one will share their financial details with anyone.

These cases will increase with time because people making a profit in crypto mostly can't keep it secret, instead, they use their profits to attract unnecessary attention on social media and this attention can also get them problems like this. I mean, how can one know if I am into trading or not? Obviously, until I disclose, no one can know. We should not disclose online that we are into crypto, we must have a separate identity on the internet if we want to share our crypto life with everyone.

These cases are big lessons for all of us to not share our money with anyone. Because not every friend is sincere to you. I already shared my opinion on ALTT about the current situation of Pakistan's case. I hope the victim will get his funds back. Cases like these in Pakistan are very rare because most of the people are not aware of crypto.

You are completely correct. Because you don't know who is right and who is wrong, it is best to keep anything you do, including not investing in bitcoin, private so that no one may suspect you of having more than him.This has already happened countless times. It is not new for kidnappers to demand cash in cryptocurrencies. That is why anything you are doing should be very carefully, because even the kippers are keeping things wise so that they won't catch, because if kidnappers kidnap you or your love once, I am sure they will have someone who knows you inside and out and they are sure that you are into crypto. and they will get alot of funds with you and they used that advantage to get money from your crypto investment, without even making any exchange to your currency first. I blame some people because is them that is making they should get access to there funds they usually spare what they get to there people and you will never know which one is real, to avoid that is to keep your things hidden without even discussing it to others.

Kidnapping has always be there, I don't think anyone should try to attribute the rise or current surge of kidnapping to Crypto-currency. There are instances where banker connive with kidnappers to kidnap clients with huge bank account. I think own Crypto-currency even gives you the opportunity to be more secured and protect yourself by being anonymous.

Yeah, the same case you mentioned in your post has been reported in my local community by a member, and it is a true one. A government official was involved in all this, and they grabbed the person. The wonder in all this is, maybe you guys also noticed, but don't laugh at me, that the kidnappers are also looking for cryptocurrencies. I mean, they are always going towards gold or paper money, but this is the first time I heard that kidnappers are also interested in cryptocurrency. This makes me curious, and I think the kidnappers in my state know about the importance of cryptocurrency, but the government still does not.

Besides this, those people who talk about cryptocurrencies in public are suffering more because the kidnappers are always walking around, and when they hear a single word, they start following it and wait for the opportunity to grab a person. So the thing is, do not trust other people and avoid talking in public about it. If you don't talk, you will be safe.

Its the same with your bank but it's like in the public reason other people keep flexing their assets because of the number of gains they can have also we know in crypto space the more you are popular the higher the chance you can accumulate projects at the same time is the engagement with the invites and referral so its hard to blame at the same time people flexing the amount they accumulated. Now of course stay still vigilant you don't know what there's waiting on you outside people nowadays can do anything just to have your money. Sad to say this is becomes the reality. Other people who gained a lot right now with the crypto space doing become influence more and others become lowkey profile just to keep their safety.

You can still be very careful with how you manage your asset and get victims or criminals; we can never be too careful in most cases. Holding your bitcoin, or alternative, in a private and noncustodial wallet does not guarantee that it's out of the reach of criminals; if you are their target and they get access to you, you will be forced to reveal those secrets to them or forced to send everything down to their own personal wallet.

If I'm into crypto trading privately and I hold some of my profit in a private wallet, even my family can't know how much I make from it and how I go about them; it's easy to hide that and be safe, but it's not completely guaranteed. But when you are involved in some sort of crypto activities, which you can't hide your involvement in, the risk of everyone knowing that you hold some coins is what comes with it. In such a situation, what the person can do is guide him- or herself with tight and trusted securities.

Those who are into cryptocurrency are at high risk and should always disguise themselves anytime they are in public, the fact that criminals are now leveraging on the privacy orientation of cryptocurrency to conceal their crimes and take ransom, becomes very important for us in the industry to increase our privacy consciousness and also places limits to the kind of information we let our to others to avoid letting out vital crypto infos to intruders.

This is where the problem lies. A lot of cryptocurrency investors especially, those who hang on to it for an only means or stream of income often find themselves making this kind of mistake. You have nothing else to disclose to who ever enquires what your source of income is and is often quick to call out cryptocurrency trading for your source of income. It might be to authorities or just anyone you deem fit to know but, it’s also worth noting that, these are potential snitches and could be involved in a plot for kidnaps.
Cryptocurrency investors need to be as discrete as possible and remove themselves from the seen.

Your crypto is your own asset. So it is your responsibility to maintain it. That is why it is necessary to choose a digital wallet where the asset will be completely in your hands. No third bank or any organization or person should be able to control it. You should keep the crypto in a non-custodial wallet and have complete control over it. All people involved in crypto should keep the crypto account information and private key secret. The victims of criminals are those who reveal their secrets to others. So it is necessary to keep ourselves away from revealing ourselves. Along with this, we should refrain from clicking on unfamiliar links or phishing messages. Whenever the criminal gets your information, it will become easier for him to kidnap and demand ransom.

I think we all need to be discrete about our Bitcoin activities on social media this year because when people around you see most of your portfolio you are at a higher risk of being kidnapped and being asked for your crypto.

You can promote your business but try not to show much of portfolios or certain results instead  find a way around it to share testimonials that are not showing your balances because these people that were kidnapped there was information that they deal on Bitcoin and they have reasonable amounts. I don't think kidnappers will risk their life knowing that if they are caught by the authorities they are in big trouble just to capture a random person and randomly  ask for Bitcoin as ransom.

Besides not everyone is knowledgeable about Bitcoin even though it's adoption is increasing so it means for anybody the kidnappers came for at different states and time there was one major information on them and that's they deal with on Bitcoin and they have a substantial portfolio so we have to be more discrete about our portfolios to be on the safer side"

Privacy is very important in this industry,many crypto enthusiasts are kidnapped or harmed because they refused to keep their mouth shut in public about the amount of crypto they own in their portfolio.It pisses me off when crypto enthusiasts discuss their holdings in a public cab,you don't know the intention of the person sitted close to you in the public cab so why not keep quiet till you get to your destination before discussing about such.Many people are the cause of their own problems due to their nonchalant attitude towards the crypto industry.The crypto space is no longer a safe zone,on the internet there are 'scammers' while outside the internet there are 'captors' who uses ransom as means to steal the assets of crypto users.All I'd like to say is for us to be mindful on the outside world as we hold our cryptos preciously.

In most of the cases described,  there is hardly anyway privacy was breached rather kidnappers are just leveraging the option of cryptocurrency to perpetuate their acts. A bitcoin trader will hardly keep his business private because his ads have to he running on the p2p platform to be able to get customers.  The Saudi guy case was not also a privacy concern because going out for dating is a normal thing just that he met the wrong lady. Privacy concerns are completely different from these unless maybe the kidnappers got more information of these victims before executing those attacks. Whatever be the case, one still need to be careful of the kind of information disclosed to the public, the reason I don't post about my Bitcoin portfolio on social media.

Some people love to show off and display their wealth to the public to appear rich just to satisfy their ego, but this may bring them dire consequences. Of course, they can be pursued by kidnappers and gangs, who may demand ransom from them or their relatives, or attempt to target them and steal their assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Privacy is one of the important things in this field, so the necessary privacy procedures must be followed to keep one’s assets secure. The pioneers in this field are clear targets for malicious people, and anyone could face the same fate as the people mentioned by the OP. Therefore, caution is crucial.

Seriously. But to me it’s new seeing a kidnapper demanding cryptocurrency for ransom, although I didn’t expect it, and that is why it’s new to me, but unfortunately I believe it is because of the adoption that cryptocurrency has so far; this is to make sure we keep things private and do something indoors to avoid this kind of problem. 


The fact is that whether you have a separate phone or not, kidnappers will actually come for you if they want to. I don’t think having a separate phone will protect you from being kidnapped, so whether someone gets attacked and he is asked to make a transfer of his crypto assets or not, the best thing is to keep our things private; we should not allow any outsider to know that we have crypto holdings, and I think that is what will protect us from it.

The best approach is to have both. You must have some bitcoin in a hot wallet because eventually you 'll need to pay. But your holdings should be well hidden, in a wallet that has never seen the internet.

For me, I always advise people to have very minimal devices, with as less apps installed as possible. I like to keep my desktop clean, my laptop clean and my phone clean. Occasionally, I perform factory resets on my devices and I am ok with it. All sensitive data stay away from the internet, just to eliminate one point of failure. There are still other points of failure, but I do the best I can to have as less as possible.

When it comes to the issue of privacy it as to be seriously protected because it can pose everything to an open risk when everything about you is open, there are people that everything about them is open and they are finding it very hard to even stop because this is something it looks like they are already use to that kind of a life style because we don't know exactly why on earth everything is exposed to the internet the one I hate the most is not more than snap were everything is exposed to everyone.

Once your information is leaked there is nothing that they can not do because that is what is going to make there job of kidnapping very easy, when you location is open then it makes there work very easy, when you are low key and your events are not known then you should be safer than the bed because there is nothing safer than them, it's actually a lesson to learn when it comes to privacy.

People don't often value there privacy, and they feel everything is normal and they are never bothered about the consequences of their behavior, they should read more of criminal cases.

As crypto mass adoption gradually engulfs planet earth so also the security treat to it's holders, people see crypto in this present generation as the future of digital gold hence crypto enthusiast ought to be security conscious in their dealings, most especially on social media.

Save your life is most important because if they know about your investment in Bitcoin, your wealth, they even can kill you and not only steal your bitcoin and let you safely. Losing life means losing all, and this risk is not small if you flex your wealth on social media or people around you.

Privacy matters, firstly and most importantly for your life, your family safety, and lastly your wealth.

It is not only, but one of many benefits you can get if you protect your privacy well.

They want to be cool, famous and they want other people to give them applause, admiration but at the same time, they ignore risk of be kidnapped, killed.

Bitcoin privacy resources.

There is no way that someone will maintain a good privacy that people will know that such person is doing any form of crypto investment, people has been exposed to dangerous things as a result of the information they give out on social media and the friends around them, you can keep a closer relationship with your neighbors and friends without letting them know any thing about your investment do this to save your life because such information will only attract bad things to the person and they will plan evil things against the person. If you do not expose yourself and the amount you make and you choose to remain quiet no matter the amount of money you have it is very difficult for anyone to think of kidnapping you because kidnappers only kidnap those whom they believe will afford the amount they will demand for ransom.

Privacy is the only protection from $5 wrench attack.
To be honest, i don't get why people are flashing their crypto wealth. It's like painting a target on your back and waiting for someone to take a shot.
And people will take a shot, be certain of that

This type of theft for the purpose of ransom was long before the advent of cryptocurrency. And the object of embezzlement is always rich people, who have recently been joined by those who invest in crypto assets. We should not forget that money loves silence.

Who the heck will have a connection with the Internet when there are kidnappers, the moment they connect to the Internet to check their wallet their location is already compromised, those kidnappers know this, and that is why they prefer ransom payment physical cash, most of them don't use phone at least the until they want to communicate for ransom negotiations, I remember when a friend of mine was kidnapped everything paid in cash no Banks or Internet usage.


No one should think that crypto transactions is if the untraceable if the government and its agencies want to track a wallet it can be tracked so cryptocurrency is not a welcome idea for ransom payment Fiat remains the most preferred for those kids of concealed financial crimes.

As a crypto investor, privacy is very important; not let anyone know that you are into crypto or even know about it.
 
However, we are living in a world where everything is being digitalized, and almost everyone believes that their co-neighbors, friends, or family members must have one way or the other know about crypto or are invested in it. Kidnapping them to demand crypto as a means of payment for their release makes it easier for them without being traced since crypto payment and receive can be anonymously done

Most fiat ransom in my country are done in a way that no trace is left. The crypto ones that we read recently, the attackers are known and arrested. Cash is the most anonymous way to collect money from someone, unlike cryptocurrencies that can be traced. Some people kidnapped the relatives and demanded cryptocurrency in a way that the victim is with them also just like it is in fiat ransom. They will not release the victim until the family pay the ransom or police was able to trace the kidnapper. Most kidnappers are not traceable in countries like mine. It is a common illegal business involving fiat.

That is only the best way to avoid harm's way, yet some investors appear not to be aware that living an expensive lifestyle is unsafe. Many people prefer to show off their wealth and oppress others; otherwise, if we can live a low life, nobody would notice that we own any cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, kidnappers demanding bitcoin is not something new, since it is the most safe way for kidnappers to collect ramson.

Furthermore, if the kidnappers want ramson in cryptocurrency, they feel it will not be traceable to them. In my country Nigeria, there was a story of a 20-year-old student who faked being kidnapped and asked his father for money. They demanded a ransom of around N50 million in Bitcoin, and the price of Bitcoin at that time was around $60k last year. The father paid N5 million in Bitcoin, and they spent N2 million out of the money they received in two days. We must maintain a low profile and enjoy life since we have no idea who could be after us.

Indeed, we should not forget that Bitcoin was not only created for a decentralized ecosystem or financial freedom, but also for maintaining privacy. And why this is included, we can already understand from the various kidnappings or harassment incidents in the current era. And if we notice that Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto has kept his identity hidden, this also indicates that privacy does matter. Otherwise, there is no shortage of bad people in the world, so no one can say when we will find ourselves in such a situation.

Such incidents are also happening in our Bangladesh, although due to the absence of the previous government, the issues have decreased a bit. Especially last year and before, we have seen that various police constables and officers have taken advantage of the illegality of cryptocurrency in Bangladesh and have forcibly taken bitcoin from freelancers by threats. Moreover, there are also incidents of kidnapping, but only because cryptocurrency is illegal, these issues are covered up.

All this can happen to anyone whether they hold bitcoins or not. One of the major reasons bitcoiners tend to be victims of these is because they expose themselves to these problems. Bitcoin is just a big deal to some people, they are usually happy to announce to anyone and everyone that they hold bitcoins, but won't do same for fiat. Simple security tips would definitely keep us safe; take your financial life off from the eyes of the public. They do not deserve to know anything about your financial life. Bitcoiners need to learn now not to move around with the devices that hold their wallets. Any little mistake can cost them their bitcoins, including physical theft of the device and other hacks using USB cables and many more.

Even if some millionaire shouts that, thief would have to rob a bank to get to your money or kidnap your family member and ask for money and neither of those things are very easy to do. In the case of crypto millionaire, its enough to beat him up until he gives you seed which is much easier. 

Some people are actually careless with their privacy out there. I really don't know what is fancy in showing off your crypto holding in public but on several occasions, I have come across people doing this in taxi and eatery scrolling through their various crypto wallets without remorse. Privacy is actually a power and people can not destroy what they don't know. People are very ignorant and that word "crypto" sounds rich/wealth to their ears. They don't really care whether you have much or not, as long as you are involved in crypto they assume you are rich and wealthy.

Advisably, our public mobile should not contain our crypto wallets for security reason. Get yourself a portable mobile that will contain just your sim and SD card for communication purposes while you carry out your crypto related activities at home or a very private place with a separate phone. By so doing, even if you accidentally attacked you can not be forced to make any withdrawal since nothing related with crypto will not found in the portable phone.

Government will be happy to hear about this ill development thou. A transaction in our finance system can be traceable to the last person will be running in their head right now 

Yes that's the reality, those who think that Bitcoin is completely private, they don't know how Blockchain technology works, all transactions are very transparent and there are indeed some ways that are done to make it difficult to find transactions by using the Mixer Platform, but it is completely not transparent and the FBI or anyone can do detailed tracking using some trace wallet tool such as https://intel.arkm.com/, 
which allows tracing on all transactions carried out in great detail.



Yes, in the end everything will be on their main wallet, scammers will be easily caught and they sometimes do money laundering but they are also too careless.
People who just want to get attention, don't use any tools to try to eliminate traces of their transactions, it is done manually and yes their address can be known very easily because of their own carelessness.

Its absolutely uncalled for to show your networth to anyone, but the trusted and untrusted, because trust is a very expensive shit so no one can really afford it, learn to protect your privacy in the highest way you can and avoid showing off, what I do is I don't go on social media or even have any close Aly that I discuss anything with not only crypto related but all other assets, I hold I keep it to myself.


Friends or anyone you think you trust can change at anytime and any information you have already let out will remain with the hearer forever which is why, it is more better to guide your privacy and decipline yourself not to give in to show off and learn to be a lone walker.

Kidnappings started rising recently a ton of people started flexing their PnL on CT and everywhere else (publicly) and these are people that have already doxxed themselves yet still went on to flex.

It's not going to stop until people in crypto put a stop to it. I don't even think it's necessary to share networth unless you absolutely trust whoever you're telling.

I have a doubt here that their son for sure is very loud online, for example in social media where he always flexes his wealth and for example, is cryptocurrency. I know a lot of people doing this, flexing their sizes online and I believe it is really not good. Ourselves or even loved ones can't avoid their life being put in danger.

Too much publicity.

They are blind and stupid.  Most of them still think Bitcoin Transactions are fully Private and then they find the truth the hard way.

There are situations where this is actually good.  Scammers thinking Bitcoin is Private will ultimately lead to revealing their own identity, which is good.  But those who do it simply for attention can not comprehend what risks and consequences truly are.

With the digital stuffs today, like in any social media it is really important to not share any location-related stuff when sharing it on your feed then using the post "ATM" or something similar as people really will know that you are there, where you live, or the places where you usually going. Because even in a broad day light, you can be kidnapped once already planed by these malicious actors. Being lowkey is good but some or even most people are used to a show-off in socmed, these people might be some influencers, socmed celebrity, or just oversharer and attention seekers.

It's also important to remain lowkey at these times. The cons don't choose anyone anymore who they will target. As long as someone has mentioned crypto or Bitcoin on their feed, they'd probably part of their list.

Be careful who you trust and don't be too vocal with your achievements. While it's fine to be proud of it but make sure that you don't expose the biggest successes that you have.

This opens the idea to the bad guy that you've got plenty of money that they can extort from you. I remember a few years ago, there have been cases like this and it seems they're ballooning up to this point.

"Cool guys" really describes some of the current people who are trying to Flexing to attract more followers on Twitter(X) and other social media.
For some reason they never learn to protect themselves from bad things that will happen just for the sake of their social media engagement and for the sake of the followers they will get.

Even though the influencers who are actually doing their job don't flex their wallets with millions of dollars, or those who do that may not be able to find their identity and some people who have been doxxed have never provided information related to personal wallets.

But some fools who have Doxxed Flexed with wallets that are easy to know.

You probably already know the excitement that is happening in Pump.fun and many of them are live-streaming to get a lot of buyers on their coins and then dump.
Seeing the teenager who was streaming which was then supported by his mother then dumping made a lot of unexpected reactions from the whales so that he pumped back the coins he made, eventually people doxxing and all his family got into trouble because he did the rugpull.

Self-defence has become very important because of the increase in criminal activities. All these items you have mentioned are okay except for the automatic gun. In my country, individuals who are not security operatives cannot own such a gun. However there have been agitations by some legislators that guns should become legal since these criminals usually have access to guns.

Before now I usually tell people about Bitcoin investment just to promote Bitcoin awareness. But these days I am selective about the people I speak to and I never tell them that I own Bitcoin. We need to be careful since we don't know who is who.

With all these happenings, it is enough to tell us to take our safety and security very seriously. Our privacy matters as to financial dealings when it comes to crypto and bitcoin deals. On several occasions on this platform, people have created a post on kidnap and armed robbery attacks as it involves crypto exchange for ransom in their various countries and as such we should be able to protect ourselves by not being too open to public engagement as it relates to crypto. Try not to expose yourself to the public with your crypto activities. In my country, a boy was kidnapped because of him being too noisy about his crypto involvement, it was clear he did not know how to keep quiet about sensitive matters. He keeps talking anyhow and where he is not supposed to talk about crypto and his portfolio till he was kidnapped and ransom was paid in crypto to release him. Ever since he had that encounter, nobody has seen or heard from him till this moment as he relocated from the place he used to live to another city after he was released by the kidnappers.

Take your crypto privacy very seriously, not everybody deserves to know you are into crypto and bitcoin as you do not know who can turn the leaf against you at any moment to plan an attack. You just have to be cautious and not show anything related to Bitcoin in your home or surroundings, you can be as discrete as you can just for your safety and security.

Abduction is very common so it's not specifically related to crypto but more of your financial success status so it's our responsibility to protect ourselves from such crimes. Like many suggested never share your wealth status to strangers especially on the dating apps that's the place these criminals lurke for their prey.

And don't keep all your funds in single wallet in case of such incidents you can get away with losing let's say 25% of your wealth instead of 100%.

Yeah, that's the point

If you have 15 million in a bank, you can't even withdrawal it anytime. There is liquidity problems, assets allocated which can't be transferred,  bank must be informed first...

And transactions can be reversed.

Bitcoin is way simpler to rob

Privacy is important but some people still neglect this phase of security, not just your Bitcoin but also your live is important. These are just some of the known stories with happy endings after the kidnappers have been apprehended, what about those that were not caught in the act, news that are not also published in the internet.

Victims like this, are commonly those who display publicly as a crypto trader, Bitcoin investor or having as much relation with cryptocurrencies and this creates awareness and open location for those who would one day draft on how to steal your assets. Remaining anonymous will always save our live and assets. 

If you check all those cases a very good investigation will always review that the crypto holder himself is responsible for his privacy and letting out information that is used to carry out the crime against them, it is very important to know the basic features of Bitcoin which are privacy and we need to practice that privacy, you can never hear me discussing anything related to cryptocurrency in my environment reason is that there is already a stereotype belief about cryptocurrency that anyone holding it must be a wealthy person most especially bitcoin.

The rising cases of crimes and random demands I'm crypto have exposed the level of knowledge that the bad guys have about cryptocurrency and privacy right now so the best we can do is not to let out any traces. No one should identify you as a cryptocurrency trader and what the heck. Low key and high privacy.

Yes, in fact, many people in certain social circles don't have to say it to imply it through ostentation, but as bit mover just said, it is much more safe to say it when you don't have the direct custody of your funds.

On the other hand, I thought that only crypto millionaires would have that kind of problems, but looking at the numbers in the OP (especially the case of the 40k) I think that many holders are not entirely free of danger even if they don't have a great fortune inside their keys, if you accept the expression. Which is surprising because many cars are worth more than that, and I don't hear of people being extorted to take from them their car keys, except perhaps a very specific case.



I'm afraid that I'd be tagged somehow just by visiting this link

Perhaps when my sats are worth millions I will take my personal security as seriously as Lopp, but thanks for the info NAT.

Privacy matters but many people don't care about their privacy which relates not only to their money, but their lives.

Many physical attacks reported so far, and cases shared above are new ones to the list. Human instinct is almost the same, and many people will continue their ignorance on importance of privacy on their lives.

[1] https://github.com/jlopp/physical-bitcoin-attacks
[2] https://github.com/demining/Physical-Bitcoin-Attacks

If your privacy and life matter with you, you will never share your private information like "I am a Bitcoin investor, a cryptocurrency investor" and show your wealthness to public eyes.

the issue here is not that they are targeting those holding crypto alone, most of the kidnap cases i have read about have to do with just a regular person but the kidnappers on their own end will demand that the ransom be paid to a crypto wallet which they can trade without easily being caught. the thing is that, with increase adoption comes a surge in the numbers of persons that would want to make use of it in the wrong way because the bad eggs are regularly looking for ways of carrying out their dubious activity effortlessly without being caught. the highest we can do is to strive never to be victim of kidnappers because with or without crypto, they will still device a means of getting their ransom. armed robbers are currently making use of point of sales machine in robbing victims on a motor vehicle, should the point of sales machine be banned because some guys choose to use it for the wrong cause?

Buy one of these:



https://www.amazon.com/XYTEC-Head-Mounted-Infrared-Binoculars-Observation/dp/B0DJRC3F7L

and get a good automatic gun.

Self-defense is important. Don't expect the cops to do it for you.

These night-vision goggles are useful if the lights are out and the assailants break in at night.

Pepper spray would be great too if it's just a single guy. You don't want anybody coming into your home and causing a ruckus just because they want your money.

And don't go to strange places, that's how you solve the problem of getting kidnapped while abroad.

Jameson Lopp takes his personal security seriously - so should you.

This statement looks very short, but many people have no idea that it can prevent them from facing casualties, especially when it has to do with finance/Bitcoin. I don't think kidnappers are into guessing games, thereby making guesses on those that holds Bitcoin and those that don't. The truth is, they always get the right and accurate information on their victims.

There is this current story that is still buzzing on the internet, though it's not a hostage situation, but it is related to Bitcoin theft. The victim was actually among those that bought Bitcoin in the early days, and he was quite known for it. After following up with the story, I realized that those who carried out the operation where able to do so, not just because the victim wasn't smart enough to tell that he was being scammed, but because victim's privacy had long gone. I think the case is still in court, and it will resume this coming week if I remember correctly.  Here is the video: https://youtu.be/GqPeE_7Nlqg?si=QA95KlgSHmopHzGL


I haven't read about this attack, but will do that right away.

Not surprising that number of crimes related to this matter is increasing since the fame of crypto is increasing. Some jerks around would really think that once you are a crypto user then automatically you are reach for those people who doesn't know. That's why those criminal minded people will do those crimes and possibly take whatever they can get from their victims.

That's why it always good for us crypto users to stay low key all the times and don't flaunt out balances online or give a hint that we have crypto holdings since there are evil eyes watching around and we don't know on when they attack us. So safety should be our main priority on this situation and better be silent on our financial dealings.

Well I disagree. In fact, I agree but let me explain 

I was talking about the chance of being kidnapped which, for me, is equivalent. I mean, a thief entering your house could kidnap you and request that you send a remittance or that you withdraw money and give them ransom in cash.

In any case, being kidnapped must be a terrible situation, so for me, it doesn't matter what the reason is (crypto or bank), but the situation itself.

I know it is possible for anyone to fall victim of kidnapping but I will be living a private life when it comes to valuable asset helps a lot and prevent from people who may think of collecting valuable items from you. Sometimes we invite dangerous people to ourselves by our lifestyle and the conversation we make with people we don't even know better. Living a private life is one of the ways of protecting privacy to best. Most victim of kidnapping were never conscious of their privacy,  it never matter to them because feel so excited whenever they give people the impression of having so much in their life. What people don't know they can't tamper or to destroy it. Living private is one of the ways of preventing privacy from strangers.

That is why people should never tell in real life that they have Bitcoin. Once, I thought about ordering a T-shirt with a Bitcoin logo but later decided not to because it is not a good idea to wear a T-shirt with a Bitcoin logo in public places. People will think I have Bitcoin, and who knows, someone may get interested and start following me. Even friends can try to steal your Bitcoin if they get a chance.

I have read such news multiple times so far, and I believe this will continue to happen. But people who care about their privacy are kind of safe. I guess you guys read about the $5 wrench attack. Protect yourself against $5 wrench attacks!!!

We are some times so used to living a decent life that we stop worrying about things that could go wrong.

If tomorrow a big economical crisis begins and you are caught in the middle of it with dozens or hundreds of people possibly becoming very hungry and poor all of a sudden, you become a target out of no where.  Why would you do this?

Even if you are very passionate about Bitcoin, it is extremely important to understand that any thing you say could end with very bad consequences.  Most of the people I know who praise about their Bitcoin holdings are people seeking attention on the Internet and looking in despair to be seen as 'cool guys'.  Nobody will care about your coolness when you are tied up and thrown hot oil at for ransom!

Keep sensitive information to yourself.

@_act_, you can add this one to the growing list of kidnapping and ransom, Pakistani crypto trader kidnapped, pays $340,000 for freedom.


Although this is happy ending, but probably this is just a small percentage that the criminals has been apprehended. So we should really be very careful specially in this time because Bitcoin and crypto is about to make another break through this 2025 and criminal now are targeting us, offline and in real-life.

Why don't CEOs, their children or their wives and family members get abducted as often then?
To abduct a CEO sounds more of a movie plot these days. Whereas abductions of crypto executives have become seemingly common.

Criminals seem to have gotten wind of the irreversible nature of crypto transactions. Because even if a cash ransom wouldn't be reversible in a centralized manner, cash can still be "tainted" with advanced procedures such as micro particles in manners that the naked eye can never know.

Whereas crypto can be "washed" by virtue of just being deposited to an exchange that doesn't follow OFAC. And we know this keeps happening on the daily when in many countries exchanges have workers cooperating with the police on the daily just to block addresses and investigate accounts. I've seen so many ads hiring for Binance's KYC positions these days. I suppose it most have been kind of an unspoken prerequisite for EU feds to not completely shut them down.

I don't think there's any real preventative measure here. Sometimes complete secrecy isn't an option. Like if you own a company your name is going to be on some paper trail. Maybe even if it's just a private company some government worker could leak your information from private fillings. The only effective op-sec I can think of would be to seperate yourself from society in the same manner the ultra-rich do.

Live in discreet remote locations. Travel via private means only. Go to private schools, have your kids study abroad under aliases etc.
But the think with entrepreneurship also is that one may spend many years in a stage where they aren't anywhere near rich and able to afford such amenities.

I just hope that other people who didn't take their privacy seriously will finally take it seriously after reading this story about a man being kidnapped and ask for ransom in crypto. I believe that those people didn't believe in previous story where the same thing happened where the criminal wanted to take the crypto that the person have. Having privacy taken seriously won't make their family or oneself get in dangerous situation if they didn't reveal that they have crypto that they stored in their wallet and how much it is.

We can try as much as we can to keep our crypto holding information private; it works, and it helps to protect you from intruders, even from the ones close to you, but for people who hold big positions in public crypto-related companies, they can never be too private with such information.
 
People will always suspect that they hold crypto; they can only increase the security they will have from their end and limit the kind of flashy properties they acquire to avoid attracting thieves that there is money in their safe. Sometimes this type of job, just like one of the stories, always comes from close relations or work colleagues, which you will not even suspect.

You're right this is why we need to keep our investment plans very secret to people except our loved ones because those that happens to be our friends we don't know their intentions, even most of those people who happens to be  our loved ones can also do something that you never thought or imagine that such person could do, So we should always learn how to keep our investment plans very secret to people. However, you know sometimes I think we are the cause of our problems.  I could remember one very day when I was going through posts on facebook then I saw a screenshot of someone showing his account balance to the world, then I was like.... Does this person actually know what he's doing by sharing his account balance to the world to see how much he has in his account? so at this point if it is someone who has bad intention towards him, what did you think the person will do? This is why we need to be caution on the kind of things we post or talk to avoid implication.

In most cases, they don't rob you; they demand ransom from your people in return for sparing your life. So, whether it's 15 Million USD in the bank or 15 Million USD in Bitcoin, announcing any sort of financial holdings publicly or even to people in your gatherings is a big mistake, considering how the world has become a place where people only care about money these days.

I don't understand why people don't take simple safety precautions when they know they have so much money and they still keep it in exchanges, roaming around the city while having the exchange in the phone they have in their pocket all the time. Even if you are not robbed, you can still lose your money if you lose your phone and someone with knowledge about cryptocurrencies gets their hands on it.

Just keep your funds either in a non-custodial wallet, or keep your financial apps hidden or locked or something, or simply don't take the device you have the funds in when you go out.

Yeah, sharing an excessive amount of information can definitely make someone more susceptible.  However, being cautious about what you share is still doable for those involved in crypto and  think with their own heads.

you can refrain from posting full names, locations, or other private details.  Also think twice before mentioning specifics about your investments.  If you share something and have second thoughts deleting is not always an option. So you better think it through before.

I completely agree with you both. It's essential to keep our cryptocurrency holdings private, as disclosing this information can put us at risk. Sharing our holdings with others could lead to serious consequences, including kidnapping or even violence. Therefore it's crucial to maintain confidentiality and keep our holdings secret from those around us. This will enable us to manage assets securely and live without unnecessary worries.

Despite all these, you will still discover that some are exposing their self to the public on their crypto net worth and releasing of some personal information to the general public not knowing that they could be used to track us or know about our portfolios, when we have already exposed ourselves to them, then it may be difficult to erase sch a memory from them in other not to attack us, it happens in so many ways related to this, if we don't lose our initial privacy from the way of how our mouth is being loosed, they may not even have a target on  us for an attack at first place.

I created this topic in November of 2023 - Physical Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Attacks that Have Been Reported which has some of these attacks listed there. Take a look at it and notice something, you will see that these attacks are increasing in their occurrence. Nobody is safe y'all. Some victims have been unfortunate and lost their lives and there are victims that been lucky to get help just before the dreaded happen. Some of these victims got their crypto back. We need to be really anonymous online. It is one way to not be a target.

This is more reasons why people should take their privacy seriously. I keep saying this on many of these similar threads, I wonder why some people just want to show the world what they own.  Though the attention it brings it's cool, but it's not worth it. When it comes to keeping your identity hidden, that should be something we take seriously. In the crypto space, we are allowed to take risk but only risk what you can afford to loss and we know we cannot afford to loss our lives along the line. Most people don't actually care about privacy probably because they haven't fell victims of any bad situations. But then, they will learn. I just hope these stories keeps serving as an example to others..

The faster crypto enthusiasts understand that crypto assest is now the target for robbers, the bwtter they will understand that they should keep all their crypto involvement secret. Bitcoin is decentralized and if you are forced to transfer your bitcoin to a noncustodial wallet, it's gone unlike fiat.

Only you can keep your crypto assest safe by being your own bank and shut up your mouth because you are more vulnerable than centralized banks.

That is just the best way to stay safe from them, which is keeping your privacy, but some people tend to find that so difficult to do because of what they call lifestyle, which may lead them to be victims of such incidents.

We all know that an illiterate will not try to be a criminal, if not, he will be apprehended within a short period of time. That is why most criminals are very intelligent; if not, a normal person that knows nothing about crypto or any related entity will not even have that mindset to collect ransom in cryptocurrency because he knows that they will never trace him no matter what, so he will be able to escape. Although in some cases people around you tend to be the criminal, like your close friend or even family member, so we all have to be very careful who we tell our information to.

this reminds me of an article that was posted here in the forum where a Swedish couple got robbed in their home where the robbers demanded they give them their crypto asset. if I remember correctly, the couple became a target because the robbers saw online that they were involved in cryptocurrency, the robbers even used a system provided by the government where the public is allowed to ask for information like residential address or something. This story is one of the main reasons why I stopped using my t-shirt, which has a Bitcoin logo on it.

Totally agree. I always was very private about my crypto holdings. Many people doesnt even know I invest in crypto.

Saying "I have 15 million USD in the bank" is much safer than saying "I have 15 million USD in bitcoin".

Because nobody can rob your 15 milllion from the bank. But from your wallet, it is very easy to rob...

This is actuall quite scary. Users able to force to deposit huge fund and maybe transfer on cex to steal money without leaving any sign of evidence at the crime scene. This is the part where crypto being used in bad way or utility. Some people probably monitoring them if the victim got some sort of relation to crypto and pick their target and plan their modus.

Many often ignore the needs for privacy until they get victimised or someone closed to them does.

I saw the news about the 54 years old man who was kidnapped with gasoline on him in France on ZachXBT telegram page were he advised people to stop flaunting their wealth online because of issues like this. I wanted to share it here but you beat me to it, although yours even got more other stories added, indicating why privacy is necessary especially now in this bull run. We all should learn to stay anonymous or pseudo anonymous online, the Internet is a scary place to be honest.

Countless cryptoneirs are victims of kidnapping and robbery attacks although some of the attackers were captured but the emotional trauma, and physical wounds given to the crypto enthusiasts are something that can't be forgotten.
I believe we crypto investors and holders have to take our privacy serious because most of the attackers know these victims or their relatives are into cryptocurrency before they choose them as their target.
In the meantime, I feel sorry for crypto enthusiasts who tell their family, friends, or co-workers about their crypto bag.

This is the major reason why all cryptocurrency investors are advised to take privacy seriously and be mindful of the kind of discussion and information they give out because once bad people noticed that such person is a crypto investor they will definitely want to attack and harm the person in order to steal what he has in his portfolio. I believe before the kidnapers could come up with the idea of receiving the ransom payment in cryptocurrency they are also trying to protect themselves and hide their identity reason being that accepting the payment in fiat would make things difficult for them because they can easily be tracked or they will be caught if they receive it via bank transfers.

There is an ever-growing list here in Jameson Lopp's website: https://github.com/jlopp/physical-bitcoin-attacks, reporting cases of physical attacks for crypto.

It's a huge problem and we should never discuss our holding with anyone, just like nobody would ever go out shouting "I have 15 Million USD in the bank".

Kidnappers demanding for ransom in cryptocurrency is not a new thing and sadly as mass adoption increases, so will the rate at which it is used by bad actors to perpetrate evil increase. As it is right now, I think it will be for our own good to protect ourselves by keeping our crypto activities discreet and to avoid living a flamboyant lifestyle. As this will not only keep us safe but also help not to put the lives of our loved ones in jeopardy.

In France, police rescued a 56 year old man doused in gasoline. The attacker broke into his home and tied him and his wife up. Took the man away and demanded for ransom fro m his son. If not because he shouted for help in the car he was, police would not have known and intervened. I guess the two captors demanded for crypto from his son.

In Pakistan, seven individuals including a Counter-Terrorism Department officer were arrested on 3rd of January for kidnapping a local crypto trader. The victim was Mohammed Arsalan who was kidnapped on 25th of December and he was forced to transfer 340,000 on his Binance account.

In Australia, a Saudi royal was lured into a kidnapping plot through a dating app. The Daily Mail reported that Catherine Colivas, a 24-year-old woman, lured the royal to her home, where three men, including her boyfriend, ambushed him. The victim was tied up and threatened with having his fingers cut off unless he transferred $40,000 in Bitcoin.

Toronto police are investigating the kidnapping of Dean Skurka, CEO of WonderFi, a Canadian crypto exchange. Skurka was abducted in downtown Toronto during rush hour on Nov. 6 and released after a $1 million ransom was electronically paid, according to CBC News.


https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-s-record-breaking-year-sees-spike-in-kidnappings-and-ransom-schemes