The crypto moderator claimed that his holdings are worth only $10,000, despite the fact that the attackers believed he possessed 2.5 million BTC.
Following an alleged kidnapping attempt in which the criminals intended to take the Bitcoin of an unnamed Canadian crypto forum moderator, he was reportedly compelled to go into concealment with his family.
The individual has been compelled to relocate his family from one Airbnb to another, as the police are reportedly unable to ensure their safety, according to the local press.
The father of four disclosed to La Presse, a Quebec publication, that his prospective abductors were “prepared to inflict violence on him and his children in order to accomplish their objective” in reference to the attempted abduction. He stated that they possessed torture apparatus and likely intended to amputate one of his extremities with a two-foot by two-foot tarpaulin that had an opening in the centre and talons surrounding it.
The victim’s ordeal commenced on November 4, 2024, when two masked men menaced him outside his residence. However, he was able to secure his door before they could enter. According to him, on November 8, he observed a black vehicle without a license plate located in close proximity to his residence, which prompted him to contact the authorities.
A few days later, the man reported that he was behind the same peculiar vehicle on a major thoroughfare when it abruptly diverted, requiring him to stop. The unidentified individual was subsequently compelled to use pepper spray in order to defend himself after one of the car’s occupants reportedly drew a pistol on him.
Four suspects were apprehended by the police after conducting investigations. Two of them were detained and appeared in court in November 2024, where they were accused of possessing unlawful firearms and plotting an abduction. The alleged assailants were released on parole and placed under house arrest until March 2025, when their trial was scheduled to commence, despite the fact that they had no prior criminal records.
The crypto enthusiast was left living in dread as a result of the move, as he suspected that his perpetrators may have connections to organized crime. This compelled him to seek transient accommodation in various locations.
The perpetrators, according to the police, targeted the victim, under the impression that he possessed 2.5 million BTC. This belief was based on postings on a Facebook page that the victim had been moderating for the past few years. Nevertheless, the individual asserts that his Bitcoin investments may be worth no more than $10,000.
In the past few years, there have been over 100 physical assaults on Bitcoin holders, according to Jameson Lopp, the co-founder of Casa. The crypto security expert initiated an archive in October 2024 that documented numerous violent incidents that digital asset proprietors had encountered, such as stabbings in New York City and kidnappings in Lithuania and Turkey.
This most recent incident indicates that there is an increase in abductions related to cryptocurrency, particularly in Canada. Dean Skurka, CEO of the renowned cryptocurrency company WonderFi, was reportedly kidnapped in Toronto in November of last year and compelled to pay $720,000 in order to be released.
The body of crypto influencer Kevin Mirshahi, who had been abducted earlier in the year along with three others, was discovered by Montreal police in the same month. Thousands of investors suffered incalculable losses as a result of Mirshahi’s promotion of a pump-and-dump scheme involving a cryptocurrency known as Marsan (MRS), which experienced a value decline of over 90%.
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