The “crypto and kidnapping” saga continues, with a new case in Estonia where the potential victim manages to save himself. It involves the Australian crypto billionaire Tim Heath, founder of Yolo Group, who manages to free himself from the attacker by biting his finger.
Crypto and kidnapping: the case of the Australian billionaire Tim Heath in Estonia
From what has emerged this week from the Estonian court, it seems that Tim Heath, Australian crypto billionaire, was the victim of a kidnapping attempt last July 2024.
In practice, the founder and investor of Yolo Group based in Estonia, was in Tallinn when the incident occurred.
Specifically, two men disguised as painters allegedly attacked him in the stairwell of his apartment. Allahverdi Allahverdiyev, a former boxer and wrestler of Azerbaijani nationality, tried to silence Heath by covering his mouth.
Precisely in his desperate act of self-defense, Heath allegedly bit Allahverdiyev’s index finger, managing to free himself and retreat to his apartment.
Thus, while those thirty seconds of struggle cost Heath a tooth, the two kidnappers found themselves having to flee without succeeding in their endeavor.
According to what has been revealed about the incident, it seems that the attackers had been tailing Heath in the weeks leading up to the attack, both physically and with a GPS tracker placed on his vehicle.
Now, the prosecutors claim that behind this attempted kidnapping of the crypto billionaire, there is a group of at least seven suspects.
After the failed kidnapping attempt, the attackers sent a message on Telegram to Heath with photos of his apartment and a demand for 30 Bitcoin (BTC).
Crypto and kidnapping: the case of Buenos Aires with a ransom of $43,000 in BTC
The phenomenon of kidnappings of people connected to the crypto world seems to be on the rise.
Recently, in fact, there has been talk of the Russian couple who managed to save themselves after a kidnapping, with the kidnappers obtaining a ransom of $43,000 in BTC.
The incident occurred in Buenos Aires at the end of May, with the Argentine Federal Police claiming that the suspects have fled to the United Arab Emirates. Against them, Interpol has issued a red notice for their arrest.
Here, the ambush seems to have taken place during a dinner invitation from two Chechens. The ransom payment, however, was made by a compatriot friend of the Russian couple.
Paris at the center of the cyclone of seizures and kidnappings
Also in the same month of May 2025, then, the incident of attempted robbery and kidnapping in Paris emerged, whose victims are two people linked to the CEO of the crypto-exchange Paymium.
Here, the criminals allegedly attempted to kidnap the woman by trying to force her into a postal van. However, her partner managed to thwart the operation and, despite the numerous physical assaults endured, the robbery ultimately failed.
Still in Paris, then, another case has seen the father of a wealthy crypto entrepreneur as a victim, held hostage to obtain a ransom. The 60-year-old man was kidnapped in broad daylight by four men who forced him into a delivery van.
The police would have managed to save him in a night raid, even if the kidnappers had cut off a finger of the man.
These cases in Paris follow what happened also to the well-known co-founder of the crypto company Ledger, David Balland, kidnapped along with his partner, in January 2025. Also to Balland, the kidnappers allegedly cut off a finger and demanded a ransom of about 10 million euros. The police rescued the man and his partner in a night raid.
