In 2025, several gruesome cases showed that crypto crime has moved from screens to the streets. Private keys, access to wallets, and large OTC operations have unleashed violence that left behind bodies, burned metal, and zeroed balances.

These stories have shaken the digital asset space, revealing a terrifying reality: now crypto crime comes with guns, warehouses, and fire.

The crypto murder in Vienna: tortured for wallet passwords

In early November, Vienna awoke to a Mercedes in flames under a railway bridge. Inside was Danylo K., 21, burned beyond recognition, slumped in the back seat.

Police traced the murder to a hotel garage in Leopoldstadt. There, Danylo was ambushed by a fellow Ukrainian, just 19 years old, and a 45-year-old accomplice.

He was beaten, had his teeth ripped out, then taken across the city. His kidnappers demanded access to his crypto wallets. They forced him to give up the passwords after hours of torture.

The attackers emptied his wallets and took bundles of US dollars when they were caught. Investigators later found a melted fuel can on the back seat where Danylo died.

According to reports, the victim, Danylo, died choked by blood and fire. His wealth lived on-chain long enough to be stolen by thieves.

The suspects fled to Ukraine that night. However, they were arrested but will be prosecuted there, not in Austria.

Kidnapping in Montreal: a crypto influencer goes missing

Last year, in Old Montreal, 25-year-old crypto influencer Kevin Mirshahi was dragged into a waiting car. Three other people were kidnapped with him, then released the next day.

Mirshahi never returned, and his body resurfaced in a park along the river four months later.

Police charged three people, including Darius Perry and Nackael Hickey, with kidnapping and complicity in murder. A woman, Joanie Lepage, is facing first-degree murder charges.

Investigators have not confirmed the motive as related to crypto. But Mirshahi managed a private token investment group and had public exposure in the sector.

He built an online audience around trading and wealth, and someone used a trunk and duct tape to silence him.

$85,000 seized in an ambush in the parking lot during a cash-for-crypto deal

In Trinidad, another crime unfolded with speed, organization, and no chance of escape.

On November 29, a man arrived at the SuperPharm parking lot on Trincity Central Road. He had planned to buy cryptocurrency with $85,800 in cash, wrapped in a black bag.

Police reports confirm that he met a long-time business contact to complete the transaction. Moments after handing over the bag, two armed men approached the vehicle.

They broke the windows and pointed guns at the occupants. The criminals then took the cash and both cell phones and fled in a waiting car.

No crypto has ever been exchanged. Authorities described it as a targeted theft related to OTC crypto trading.

A new violent era

These cases mark a change. Crypto violence is no longer a digital hit carried out by hackers behind screens.

It is physical and involves basements, cars, flames, hammers, and real screams. Crypto holders now live with an uncomfortable truth: keys protect tokens, but tokens do not protect lives.