The media reported on the mass abductions of owners of crypto wallets

Attacks and kidnappings of representatives of the cryptocurrency industry have become more frequent around the world. This was reported on May 19 by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

According to the publication, criminal groups operate in an organized manner, use encrypted messengers and gain access to personal data through leaks from crypto companies.

The latest incident occurred last week in Paris. There, unknown masked men tried to kidnap the daughter of the head of one of the crypto exchanges. There was a small child with her. The woman's husband and neighbors were able to save them.

According to the WSJ, other representatives of the so—called "crypto elite" - investors and bloggers from the USA, Australia and Europe - were also affected. Some were beaten and tortured. In France, the kidnappers cut off the finger of the ex-head of Ledger, David Ballan, and demanded €10 million for his life by sending a video of torture to the company's headquarters.

"How many entrepreneurs, how many talented people are seriously considering leaving a country that no longer protects its citizens?" said Ledger co—founder Eric Larchevac, calling what is happening the "Mexicanization" of France.

Ballan was released after a partial transfer of the ransom. In total, the company paid about € 3 million to the attackers, but almost the entire amount was subsequently refunded due to the freezing of crypto assets.

In total, at least five such cases have been recorded in France in recent months. Against the background of the rising cost of digital assets, the risk for owners of cryptocurrencies, according to experts, has increased significantly. To protect themselves, they massively delete personal data from public sources, hide profiles on social networks and switch to increased security measures.

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Director of Communications of the cryptocurrency exchange exmo.me Mikhail Smirnov told Izvestia on May 14 that sharp fluctuations in the value of bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies contribute to the growth of fraudulent activity in the digital asset market. In the conditions of a "jumping" market, deception schemes are becoming more diverse and sophisticated, and user credulity is extremely high.