A Brazilian woman was kidnapped by a gang who targeted her due to her son's activities in cryptocurrency trading. The kidnappers, believing her to have access to significant crypto assets, held her for about 12 hours demanding a ransom of 5 Bitcoin, equivalent to over $600,000. Authorities reported that the gang monitored her son through social media to pinpoint their victim. After the ransom was paid, four individuals were arrested by Brazilian police. This incident is part of a worrying trend of ‘wrench attacks’ where individuals are kidnapped for cryptocurrency, with similar incidents reported globally. Law enforcement indicated the difficulties in retrieving the ransom paid in Bitcoin from the kidnappers, highlighting the challenges presented by crypto-driven crimes.

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