Kidnapping and amputation of fingers… Bitcoin thieves turn the dream of digital wealth into a nightmare

With the rise in the value of Bitcoin and other digital currencies in what is known as the crypto market, crimes targeting the wealthy have taken a new turn, as the danger is no longer limited to electronic piracy or extortion via the Internet. Rather, it has turned into criminals knocking on doors and kidnapping victims from their homes.

Horrific violence

In the world of digital currencies, whose members compete to show off their vast wealth and pictures of their luxury cars, a frightening silence now applies as a result of the bloody violence that has swept the trading community, where it has transformed Digital wealth went from a source of pride to a target for kidnapping and torture, reminding everyone that the strongest password in the world does not stand up to a drawn weapon.

From Manhattan to Paris and San Francisco, reports are spreading of kidnappings, assaults, and amputation of fingers, all in order to extract the passwords of digital wallets.

According to one database, about 60 attacks of this type have been documented this year alone, and specialists believe that the real number is much higher, because the victims do not They report these crimes.

Small traders are not safe

Some may think that these attacks are aimed only at "Whales" Or large investors, but the data reveal a different story.

Mary Lynn Ordikian, who has studied the phenomenon, says: "Many of the victims had middle-class savings in the cryptocurrency world, a few thousand or tens of thousands of dollars. This amount, which may be the result of years of saving, is enough to make them targets".

The company expects "Solas Global" In the future, criminals will increasingly target high-net-worth individuals "smaller"with the wealthy tightening wagesTheir security concerns.

The victim is the cause?

The irony is that the seeds of this danger were planted by the victims themselves, no doubt unintentionally. The show-off culture on social media, filled with wallet shots and images of luxury goods, has fueled the criminals’ search engine, and the process of identifying a target is no longer complicated.

This fear drove Eric Larchevec, co-founder of security company Cryptocurrencies "Ledger"to prevent his family members from posting clips on TikTok or Instagram, after his partner was kidnapped in France, and held for a ransom of 10 million euros.

Mobile Bank

The core of the problem lies in the philosophy of cryptocurrencies based on decentralization and personal responsibility for assets.

Charles Finferk, a former CIA officer and founder of the company, says "Vigilance" Special Intelligence and Security: "If an attacker forces someone to transfer bank funds under threat, the bank may be obligated to compensate the victim. But in cryptocurrencies, you own the entire transfer mechanism, that’s the biggest difference and that’s what makes it so dangerous. The absence of an intermediary who can freeze or compensate makes the recovery process almost impossible."

The lesson now learned by everyone, from the wealthy to those with moderate savings, is that digital security and physical security are two sides of the same coin in the new financial system. Luxury no longer means owning a luxury car, but rather the ability to live without anyone knowing that you own it. The age of display is over, and in its place is the age of stealth, where the best digital wallet image is the one that no one sees.

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