Dean Skurka, CEO of Canadian crypto firm WonderFi, was reportedly abducted in downtown Toronto during rush hour on Wednesday.
According to CBC, Skurka was forced into a vehicle and later released after transferring a $1 million ransom to his captors electronically. Despite the harrowing ordeal, Skurka was unharmed.
This incident marks the latest in a string of violent attacks targeting crypto industry figures, with a security firm noting this is the 171st case of physical violence involving cryptocurrency theft. The timing follows WonderFi’s recent third-quarter earnings report, which revealed CAD 41 million in revenue over the last nine months. Bitcoin, meanwhile, hit an all-time high of over $76,000 this week, underscoring the escalating value—and associated risk—of digital assets.
WonderFi, one of Canada’s top publicly traded crypto firms, has backing from Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, adding further prominence to the company. The incident highlights the security risks facing high-profile figures in the cryptocurrency world as digital assets reach unprecedented value.
