WonderFi CEO Paid Kidnappers $1M in Cryptocurrency for Release
Date: 2024-11-08 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: BUSINESS
The kidnapping occurred when Skurka was forced into a car and asked to pay a ransom for his release. After the funds were transferred, he was released. Skurka later confirmed to local media that he was not injured and that WonderFi’s assets and employee data remained safe. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
WonderFi, one of the most well-known crypto companies in Canada, is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and has a market cap of $75 million. WonderFi’s investors include renowned businessman and Shark Tank contestant Kevin O’Leary. On October 30, WonderFi recently announced that its assets had reached $1.35 billion. The company owns several crypto platforms, including Coinsquare, SmartPay, Tetra Trust, and Bitbuy. Until July 2023, Dean Skurka served as the president of Bitbuy, starting in January 2018.
Casa co-founder Jameson Lopp, a crypto investor protection specialist, said Skurka's case was the 171st incident of physical force being used to steal cryptocurrency. Lopp noted that such attacks have become more frequent as Bitcoin has become more popular, with criminals increasingly interested in how profitable digital asset investments are, often leading to attacks on high-profile crypto investors.
A similar case recently occurred in Bangkok: Rooch Network app creator Haichao Zhu was robbed while traveling to the Ethereum Devcon 2024 conference.
