3 months ago, one of the biggest Turkish exchange owner had kidnapped and forced to give private key of the cold wallet. Kidnappers stole 150 BTC. So this news is not the first physically stolen Bitcoins via force. I am sure there were some other robberies too.
i hadn't heard about that one. but 2 months ago, a director at EXMO (exchange set up in the UK that caters to people in russia/former CIS countries) was kidnapped and held for a $1 million ransom. the ransom was paid in bitcoins and he was released.
the scary thing about all these cases? they all involve victims who were targets just because of their involvement with cryptocurrency. because of
their jobs.
a reminder: don't announce your holdings to anyone except your closest loved ones and trusted friends. and if you want to get involved in the industry as someone with custodial access to lots of crypto......think again. it's obviously a dangerous occupation.
That pretty much says it. It does not only happen to those who are cryptocurrency holders alone anyway, it has always happened even before then where kidnappers demand ransom in fiat based on how valuable or wealthy the person is in the society. However, it seems they are beginning to see cryptocurrency as the easiest way to demand ransom and stay anonymous without being traced.