The pinnacle of Canada’s largest crypto firm, WonderFi, is free after being kidnapped in Toronto on Wednesday. After electronically paying a ransom of $1 million Canadian {dollars}, or $720,660, Dean Skurka was dropped off in a park exterior the town.
The crypto government was taken from downtown Toronto throughout rush hour after being compelled right into a car by unknown suspects who demanded cash, in keeping with a CBC report.
Skurka confirmed in an e mail to CBC Toronto that he’s secure after being concerned in an “incident” on Wednesday.
“The safety and security of all of WonderFi’s employees are paramount,” Skurka stated within the e mail to CBC Toronto. “Client funds and data remain safe, and were not impacted by this incident.”
Police are investigating the incident. It’s unclear if any arrests have been made.
The high-profile abduction occurred the identical day that the publicly-traded firm launched their third quarter earnings which confirmed the corporate’s income had elevated 153% over the past yr.
The incident additionally coincided with a surge within the worth of Bitcoin which had simply reached a brand new all-time excessive of $76,000 on Tuesday as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump secured reelection.
WonderFi is the most important regulated crypto buying and selling platform in Canada and owns crypto manufacturers together with BitBuy, Coinsquare, SmartPay and Tetra.
The incident is a part of a troubling development the place criminals looking for fast and untraceable funds goal crypto holders and executives as the worth of digital property enhance.
Safety professional Jameson Lopp advised CBC that that is the 171st incident of criminals committing bodily violence in opposition to crypto holders to steal Bitcoin.
Earlier this month, six Thai law enforcement officials and a civilian have been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, for working a crypto kidnapping and extortion ring through which the group had efficiently stolen 5.7 million baht, or $166,710, from a Chinese language nationwide, after demanding 10 million USDT from the sufferer.
In July, 4 males have been arrested for kidnapping and murdering a 29-year-old foreigner in Kyiv, Ukraine, in an effort to steal three Bitcoins — price round $200,000 on the time — from the sufferer’s crypto pockets.
