- Dean Skurka is the President and CEO of WonderFi, a Canadian cryptocurrency company.
- Skurka was forced into a vehicle in downtown Toronto during rush hour.
- He said customer funds and data remain safe and were not affected by the kidnapping.
The kidnapped CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency company WonderFi has returned safely after electronically transferring 1 million Canadian dollars ($720,000) to his kidnappers.
CBC reports that Dean Skurka, president and CEO of WonderFi, was forcibly locked in his vehicle in the area of University Avenue and Richmond Street W. in downtown Toronto during the 6 p.m. rush hour Wednesday.
Skurka was ordered to pay a ransom of one million CAD$. He was later released from Centennial Park in Etobicoke, according to sources close to the investigation. Commenting on the kidnapping, Skurka said:
“The safety and security of all WonderFi employees is of the utmost importance. “Customer funds and data remain safe and have not been affected by this incident.”
Skurka’s kidnapping is the 171st time violence has been used to target cryptocurrency holders, according to Jameson Lopp, co-founder and chief security officer of Casa, a security company focused on protecting cryptocurrency users.
Rob said:
“As the (Bitcoin) price rises, more awareness of the space spreads throughout society and as a result more criminally minded people decide to find out what the ROI of launching physical attacks on known cryptocurrency holders is. . ”
The kidnapping comes at a time when the price of Bitcoin is rising.
Yesterday, Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $76,677 on major cryptocurrency exchanges. The new prices come as the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 25 basis point interest rate cut.
Earlier this week, Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $75,317 after polls signaled Donald Trump winning the White House.