(NewsNation) — Crypto kidnapping is becoming the latest trendy crime in the U.S. and throughout the world, something retired FBI agent and the founder of Sierra One Consulting, Robert D’Amico, says everyone should be paying close attention to.
“People think they have a vulnerability, but it actually may be on the cyberside and understanding what your vulnerabilities are,” D’Amico said Thursday on “NewsNation Now.”
D’Amico’s comments come on the heels of a brazen attempted robbery in Paris earlier this week involving a French cryptocurrency boss’ daughter. The woman, with her son at the time, was able to fight off the masked men with the help of good Samaritans. The incident was the latest in a string of attacks on figures in the country’s crypto industry.
In the United States, three teenagers from Florida allegedly kidnapped a Las Vegas man at gunpoint and then proceeded to steal $4 million in cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
“The biggest thing is some of these folks, like the ones in Vegas, he had all his cryptocurrency available on his phone,” added D’Amico. “And that’s like taking all of your money, putting it in your pocket, and going out on the street.”
D’Amico, who does assessments on high-net-worth individuals, says some of his clients think they aren’t vulnerable. In reality, they are being watched.
“They’re looking at him,” D’Amico said. “And there’s no way he would know.”
With more incidents happening, extra security measures must be taken to protect those connected to crypto. Companies and authorities alike bear the responsibility, D’Amico noted.
“It’s kind of a blend,” he said. “It takes everyone who’s dealing with this. The law started coming out that you had to get more information on your clients to prevent some of the things that were going on with cryptocurrency. That allowed some of these high net worth individuals to be known.”
As for whether we will see more crypto kidnapping unfold, D’Amico calls the situation “complex.”
“The everyday user doesn’t understand it (cryptocurrency),” he acknowledged. “Even the ones who do a lot of cryptocurrency don’t understand it. But the criminals, they’re looking. They’re young and they understand cyber, so they’re doing all this.”
D’Amico says people should keep track of how much they are trading, and that anybody who isn’t trading often doesn’t need to have it on their phone. He suggests other alternatives so that people can do certain things from their house with an IP address.
