Cryptocurrency has been linked to a number of high profile crimes. Take a look at our guide to 5 of the most talked about cryptocurrency crimes...

Kidnap

In December 2017, Pavel Lerner, a world-leading cryptocurrency expert was kidnapped from a street in the Ukrainian city of Kiev. Lerner, who was held hostage for almost two days, was finally released unarmed when a $1 million ransom was paid using bitcoin. The identity of the attackers has never been established, and no one has been charged in relation to the crime.

Armed Robbery

In January 2018, an English cryptocurrency trader received a shock when four armed men forced their way into his home in the Oxfordshire village of Moulsford. The armed men reportedly threatened the trader and his partner with the firearms, forcing him to transfer a large quantity of bitcoin to another address.

Drug Dealing

When the FBI closed down the Dark Web trading site known as Silk Road, they also seized 173,655 bitcoins, which would be valued at over $1 billion using current prices. Silk Road, set up by Ross Ulbricht, who used the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, was a marketplace for just about every illegal thing in the universe. Here, people could use bitcoin to buy drugs, firearms, fake ID and the services offered by hitmen. However, the servers used to host Silk Road were eventually compromised by the FBI. This led to a Silk Road dealer agreeing to become a witness for the prosecution. Ross Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013 in a San Francisco library. In May 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to life imprisonment with no opportunity for parole.

Hacking

In January 2018, hackers carried out one of the largest ever cryptocurrency hacks when they managed to steal $380 million of NEM from the Tokyo based Coincheck exchange. The hackers sent a series of phishing emails to employees at Coincheck which contained a virus. When staff clicked on links within the body of the email, their computer was infected. The virus was then used to collect private keys, which allowed the hackers to gain access to large quantities of NEM. The identity of the hackers is not known, and the stolen cryptocurrency has never been traced.

Investment Scams

In December 2017, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a cease and desist order which required the PlexCoin ICO to halt operations. The SEC was concerned about the 1,354% return on investment promised by PlexCoin. The ICO was frozen, and $15 million was recovered. Dominic Lacroix, the man behind the exit scam, was sentenced to 2 months in jail.