CEO rich kidnappin
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1Meanwhile in France, kidnappings of wealthy cryptocurrency holders and their relatives in ransom plots have spooked the industry.
Attackers recently kidnapped the father of a crypto entrepreneur while he was out walking his dog, and sent videos to the son including one showing the dad's finger being severed as they demanded millions of euros in ransom, prosecutors allege. Police freed the father and arrested several suspects.
Earlier this year, men in masks attempted to drag the daughter of Pierre Noizat, the CEO and a founder of the Bitcoin exchange platform Paymium, into a van, but were thwarted by a shopkeeper armed with a fire extinguisher.
And in January, the co-founder of French crypto-wallet firm Ledger, David Balland, and his wife were also kidnapped for ransom from their home in the region of Cher of central France. They also were rescued by police and 10 people were arrested.
Cryptocurrency crime likely fueled by big money, little regulation
The FBI recently released its 2024 internet crime report that tallied nearly 860,000 complaints of suspected internet crime and a record $16.6 billion in reported losses - a 33% increase in losses compared with 2023.
As a group, cryptocurrency theft victims reported the most losses more than $6.5 billion
The agency and experts say the crypto crime underworld is likely being fueled by the large amounts of money at stake - combined with captured only ken
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