Key Takeaways:
- Crypto-related kidnappings are rising globally, with the U.S. recording the highest number since 2019.
- Europe leads in total incidents, while Southeast Asia emerges as the most impacted region in Asia.
- Attackers increasingly target individuals and their families, using physical threats to extract digital wealth.
A recent Binance report identifies a disturbing global trend: the emergence of cryptocurrency-related kidnappings through physical coercion and abductions.
Although online threats have been a plague on the cryptocurrency space, there has been a shift towards offline violence that is now gaining prevalence, where perpetrators are using intimidation and coercion to extract private wallet credentials.
Since 2019, the number of these occurrences has been highest in the United States compared to other nations, even in the event of a recent increase in cases in France.
Europe is the hardest-hit region, with 59 cases over the past six years. North America comes next with 48, highlighting the prevalence of vulnerability of those holding digital assets. Asia has 62 cases, the highest overall number, primarily because of the number of occurrences in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia and France See Alarming Crypto Escalation
Southeast Asia has emerged as a hotspot of these attacks, where operators are targeting areas of weak regulatory control and where cryptocurrency uptake is accelerating.
Tourists and relatives of cryptocurrency workers are, in most cases, the targets, pointing to the increasing scope of the crimes. France has also seen a concerning spate, with six cases recently and three in 2025 alone.
The kidnappings tend to focus on well-known members of the cryptocurrency community, managers, traders, and exchange workers, a departure from cybertheft to personal risk. Cases often involve premeditated abductions carried out with inside information or deliberate surveillance.
Digital Wealth Drives Physical Danger Amid Market Highs
The growing value of cryptocurrencies appears to correlate with the frequency of physical crimes. As Bitcoin and other assets hit new valuation milestones in 2025, so too have ransom-related incidents involving physical coercion.
At least 15 cases have been reported so far this year where the attackers have demanded payment in Bitcoin or threatened to cause further damage if not paid.
This development is a harbinger of a new and risky evolution of crypto crime. The more sophisticated and better-informed the perpetrators are, the greater the risk to individual owners.
Binance’s research emphasizes how there’s a pressing concern around greater physical security consciousness within digital finance players, particularly in areas where institutional protections are weak or nascent.
Related Reading | Dubai Launches $16B Real Estate Tokenization Platform on XRP Ledger