At Least One Bitcoiner Kidnapped Every Week, Warns Crypto Executive
Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, has raised alarm over the growing wave of wrench attacks, physical assaults, and kidnappings targeting Bitcoin and cryptocurrency holders worldwide. Speaking at the Baltic Honeybadger 2025 conference in Riga, Latvia, Vranova revealed that violent incidents are occurring far more frequently than many investors realize.
“Every week, there is a Bitcoiner — at least one in the world — who gets kidnapped, tortured, extorted, and sometimes even worse,” Vranova said.
She emphasized that even modest crypto investors are not immune, citing cases where victims were targeted for as little as $6,000 in digital assets and, in extreme instances, murdered over $50,000 in crypto holdings.
Physical Attacks on Track to Hit Record Levels in 2025
The surge in wrench attacks — crimes where assailants physically coerce victims into handing over private keys — has 2025 on track to double the worst year on record for such incidents. These attacks often coincide with Bitcoin bull markets, when crypto prices and public attention peak.
Vranova urged investors, developers, and industry executives to take personal safety seriously, warning that the threat is no longer limited to high-profile Bitcoin “OGs.”
Centralized Data Leaks Fuel Criminal Targeting
According to Vranova, one of the biggest enablers of these crimes is data leaks from centralized exchanges and service providers that collect sensitive customer information through know-your-customer (KYC) procedures.
“We currently have more than 80 million Bitcoiner and crypto user identities leaked online; 2.2 million of those include home addresses,” she said.
Such information can make it dangerously easy for criminals to identify and locate potential victims and their families.
Recent breaches highlight the scale of the problem:
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May 2025 – Coinbase disclosed a data breach affecting a subset of customers, leaking home addresses and other personal details.
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June 2025 – Cybernews reported databases containing over 16 billion leaked login credentials from platforms like Apple, Facebook, and Google.
These leaks expose crypto holders to heightened risks of phishing, social engineering, hacking, identity theft, and other targeted scams designed to steal funds and personal data.
