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CEO of Canadian Crypto Holding Returns Safely After Paying $720K Ransom: Report
WonderFi CEO was forced into a vehicle but released after a ransom was paid.
Updated Nov 8, 2024, 5:21 a.m. Published Nov 8, 2024, 5:19 a.m.
- WonderFi CEO Dean Skurka was briefly held by unknown assailants in Toronto until a ransom was paid.
- Skurka is unharmed.
The CEO of WonderFi, a publicly listed crypto holding company that owns one of Canada's largest crypto exchanges, has been safely released after he was kidnapped, Canada's CBC reported.
CBC says that Dean Skurka was forced into a car during rush hour in Toronto, and the assailants demanded money for his release. Skurka was released unharmed after he paid a ransom of Canadian Dollar 1 million ($720,660).
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In a publicly released statement, Skurka said that "client funds and data remain safe, and were not impacted by this incident."
Police in Ontario say crime in the province continues to rise, with gun violence in the Greater Toronto Area breaking records. Consensus 2025 will be held in Toronto in May.
As the crypto bull market continues, with bitcoin recently breaking through an all-time high, crypto kidnappings and extortion are also rising.
Recently, police in Thailand arrested 12 people, including seven police officers, who were involved in a crypto kidnapping and extortion ring. The group had allegedly extorted a Chinese national for USDT 10 million after they reportedly fabricated charges and demanded payment to drop the case.
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Key U.S. Senator on Crypto Bill, Lummis, Negotiating Dicey Points With White House
The Republican lawmaker who is among the core negotiators on the U.S. market structure bill said the White House has rejected some ethics language.
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- Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said she is negotiating with the White House on behalf of Senate Democrats trying to insert ethics provisions into Congress' market structure legislation.
- Lawmakers should reveal a new draft market structure bill by the end of the week and hold a markup hearing next week, she said.
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