From Austria to Spain, two murders have revealed a growing physical crisis in the crypto world, where criminals are moving from hacking attacks to violent extortion in their pursuit of digital assets. From the kidnapping of the mayor's son in Ukraine to government warnings about organized crime, these incidents, known as "wrench attacks," are pushing the security risks of cryptocurrencies to the level of personal safety.
Burning cars to destroy evidence and emptying wallets: The cryptographic motives behind the murder of a Ukrainian son emerge.
According to TSN ua , Austrian police are investigating a murder case highly suspected to be related to cryptocurrency. Danylo Kuzmin, the 21-year-old son of Serhii Kuzmin, the deputy mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine, was found dead in a burned-out car in Vienna's Danube district at the end of November.
Forensic examination revealed that the deceased had suffered severe beatings, including head injuries, broken teeth, and no traces of smoke in his lungs, indicating that he was already dead or near death before the vehicle was set on fire. Police initially speculate that the perpetrator forced Kuzmin to hand over his cryptocurrency wallet password during the attack, and a considerable amount of cryptocurrency was subsequently discovered to have been transferred from that wallet.
Son of ambassador abroad implicated in case with former customs officer: Political identity intertwined with encrypted crime
The suspects' backgrounds have also drawn significant attention, leading Austrian authorities to detain two Ukrainian nationals, including a 19-year-old university student who is allegedly a classmate of the deceased and the stepson of the Ukrainian ambassador to Bulgaria, and a 45-year-old former Ukrainian customs official.
The investigation revealed that after Kuzmin's murder, his cryptocurrency wallet was completely emptied and related criminal evidence in his car was destroyed, reinforcing the theory that money was the motive. Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov described it as a humanitarian tragedy and declined to comment further.
Crisis looms: Spain warns of crypto kidnapping and ransomware group threat.
Recently, Spanish police uncovered another cryptocurrency kidnapping case. Authorities, in cooperation with Danish police, arrested five people in Spain and filed charges against four other suspects, uncovering a violent criminal syndicate that specifically targeted cryptocurrency holders.
The investigation revealed that the victim and his partner were threatened at gunpoint near Malaga by assailants who attempted to force him to hand over access to his encrypted wallet. The man was ultimately murdered and his body dumped in the woods. Police recovered tools used in the crime, the victim's clothing, and communication devices during the search, confirming it was an organized and planned extortion attempt.
Encryption cannot stop brute force; to get rich, first protect yourself.
Recent cases point to a growing trend: crypto investors' every move is not only being monitored on the blockchain, but also potentially fraught with danger on social media and in real life. The term "cryptocurrency" seems to be becoming a new trigger for physical violent crimes.
The term "wrench attack" refers to a type of cryptocurrency-related kidnapping incident that uses violence to coerce victims into handing over their wallet passwords. This is becoming an unavoidable reality in the crypto world.
Investors can only ensure their personal safety by maintaining anonymity and discretion in public, avoiding the exposure of their wallet addresses and real activity range, or by entrusting their wallets to a third party for safekeeping.
This article, titled "Wrench Attacks Rampant! Son of Ukrainian Mayor Murdered, Spanish Authorities Warn of Potential Organized Crime," first appeared on ABMedia ABMedia .
