Criminals in Sweden are reportedly singling out notable Bitcoin figures, possibly due to the ease of accessing personal information and residential addresses in the country. Two robberies in Renninge and Södertälje followed a similar pattern, with victims being tied up and subjected to physical abuse in an effort to steal both physical and virtual Bitcoin holdings. Eric Wall, a prominent cryptocurrency advocate and board member of the StarkNet Foundation, brought attention to these incidents in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Wall emphasized that these attacks indicate a deliberate targeting of Bitcoin users by criminals in Sweden.
In one incident, a middle-aged Swedish couple was kidnapped and robbed in their home by four masked individuals. The attackers, armed with kitchen knives, physically abused and threatened the couple for several hours, with the primary goal being the theft of their Bitcoin holdings. Another incident involved the home invasion of two well-known Bitcoin/cryptocurrency personalities by masked and armed men. According to Wall, these victims endured violent physical abuse over an extended period to coerce them into revealing access to their Bitcoin stored in hardware wallets. The trend of targeting Bitcoin users in Sweden seems to have started in 2022 when the apartment of one of the country's most prominent Bitcoin holders was burglarized.
Wall suggested that criminals are exploiting Sweden's Offentlighetsprincipen, a law granting public access to government information, including residential addresses and tax records. This, combined with the widespread availability of personal data, creates a situation where criminals can identify and target cryptocurrency users easily. Wall noted that many attacks occurred shortly after individuals live-streamed podcasts on Bitcoin or discussed the topic publicly. He expressed concerns about the safety of cryptocurrency participants in Sweden, stating that he left the country due to these laws, emphasizing that Sweden is likely one of the least secure places for those active in the cryptocurrency space. The Offentlighetsprincipen law's openness also allows citizens to search the addresses and tax records of Swedish residents, leading to potential misuse by criminals who can gauge a person's financial standing based on tax payment information.
