Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, has issued a stark warning to Bitcoin and crypto investors—and it’s not about market volatility. During the Baltic Honeybadger 2025 conference in Riga, Latvia, she noted that, on average, at least one Bitcoin owner is kidnapped somewhere in the world every week. These aren’t just the wealthy whales being targeted either.
“What seems to be a problem only for Bitcoin OGs is not really the case,” Vranova said. Some incidents have involved kidnappings over cryptocurrency sums as small as $6,000, while others have tragically led to murders for amounts near $50,000.
NEW: “Every week, there is a Bitcoiner, at least one in the world, who gets kidnapped, tortured, extorted, and even worse.
We have seen cases of kidnappings for as little as $6K worth of crypto, and people murdered for $50K in crypto,” says SatoshiLabs founder Alena Vranova. pic.twitter.com/ax9zoFKlAS
— Bitcoin News (@BitcoinNewsCom) August 11, 2025
This disturbing rise in so-called wrench attacks—where criminals physically force victims to hand over their crypto keys—is on track to make 2025 one of the worst years yet. And the problem is being fueled in part by massive data leaks. Vranova noted that over 80 million crypto users’ identities have already been exposed online, and 2.2 million of those even include home addresses.
Centralized exchanges, which store personal information for KYC compliance, have been frequent targets. In May, Coinbase disclosed a data breach affecting a subset of customers, with home addresses among the leaked info. Combined with other large-scale hacks and leaks—like the 16 billion credentials uncovered in June—the risk isn’t just theft. Victims can also face phishing, social engineering, and even physical violence.
Conclusion
The takeaway is blunt: if you own crypto, even modest amounts, you’re a potential target. The mix of rising Bitcoin prices and widely available personal data has created a dangerous environment. Taking personal safety measures—both online and offline—is no longer optional for anyone in the crypto space.
