"Frequent Kidnappings in the Virtual Asset Boom... Attention Needed for Personal Safety"

As the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) market continues its upward trend this year following last year, crimes targeting virtual assets are also rapidly increasing. Not only simple hacking, but also violent crimes threatening personal safety have been reported, prompting advice from industry insiders for investors to take extra caution.

On the 11th (KST), according to Cointelegraph, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, Alena Vranova, founder of SatoshiLabs, attended the Baltic Honeybadger Conference and warned, "Globally, at least one Bitcoin (BTC) holder is kidnapped, tortured, or extorted every week."

Furthermore, founder Vranova emphasized, "There have even been cases where people were kidnapped for virtual assets worth $6,000, and a holder with $50,000 was murdered," stressing that even small-scale investors can become targets.

The increase in physical threats towards virtual asset holders, known as the 'wrench attack,' is also expected to surge this year.

Founder Vranova pointed out, "During periods of Bitcoin price increases, there is a tendency for crime frequency to rise as well," and said, "Due to the leakage of customer information from some centralized exchanges and software companies, the identities of virtual asset holders have already been exposed online."