Early in the morning of January 21, David Balland and his wife were forced to shoot separate vehicles outside their house in Méreau, a commune in the opulent Loire Valley in France. The kidnappers aimed at Balland, which co -founder of the Ledger cryptocurrency portfolio company, in order to win the ransom, says the prosecutor.
The hijackers gave their demands – whose details were not disclosed by law enforcement agencies – to Éric Larchevêque, another co -founder of the book. To rinse the full payment, they broke one of the Balland’s fingers. The French authorities sent over 200 officers to investigate.
On January 22, officers saved Balland from real estate in the neighboring city of Châteauroux. Later they discovered his wife – they spent, but also untouched – in the back of the whipped van.
These events were handed over by the Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuuu in press conference January 23 and in Further reports. Beccau announced that the authorities arrested 10 people suspected of connecting with kidnapping. For acts of “torture, barbarism and extortion,” she said that arrested to live in prison if they were convicted.
Ledger refused to comment, citing the ongoing investigation and the need to provide privacy to Balland. IN X PostThe CEO of Ledger, Pascal Gauthier, wrote: “We are deep from the relief that David and his wife were released.”
Pogan – which appeared shortly after he was a cryptographic director takes place for the ransom In Canada and the murder of the general director of United Healthcare – the cryptographic industry frightens. To protect themselves, opulent cryptographic figures turn to Bodyguard services that have experienced the influx of conclusions, sources with knowledge about the physical safety sector inform Wired.
“Like any human emotions, fear is a significant motivator … The headlines certainly mobilize many of these problems,” says Adam Healy, former American maritime infantry and general director at the cryptographic Cyber security station of the 70 station, which often helps industry contacts to secure the physical security service . “The demand has increased significantly.”
Since every case of kidnapping or extortion is not reported, it is complex to objectively assess the actual risk for wealthy numbers in cryptography. Making fear of kidnapping more piercing, headers benefits private security companies encouraged to overestimate the threat.
However, it happens that people who control vast amounts of cryptocurrencies are more exposed to violent forcing than typical executive from the nature of this technology: unlike the usual currency, the crypto is stored in digital portfolios protected only by alphanumeric keys. Because cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible, if a bad actor can force someone to transfer his key, he gets unlimited access to coins in the wallet.
“This is one of the principles on which the crypto-self-assignment. Not your keys, not your crypto, “says one of the cryptocurrency directors who previously used Bodyguard protection, who asked to maintain anonymity for personal security. “It is equivalent to stuffing [your money in] Your mattress. “
Over time, cryptocurrency organizations have taken steps to divorce the risk associated with self -defense, including by storing coins in special wallets that require the signature of many people to complete all transactions. Sometimes they go to the division of wallet keys into several shards, each of which can be stored in a separate bunker with a high level of safety all over the world. But even complicated means move so far in discouraging kidnapping and attempt to extortion.