Kidnappers Demand $300k In Bitcoin To Return Missing Teen; Turns Out To Be Scammers

The cryptocurrency industry is currently experiencing a sad moment as the life of an innocent Belgian, Theo Hayez is on the line as his kidnappers demand a ransom of $300,000 worth of Bitcoin. The 18 years old teenager went missing on May 31 during a trip to Bryon Bay, Australia.

The godfather of the missing person, Jean-Philippe Pector, received a message from the alleged kidnappers claiming that Theo was still safe and would be released if the family complied with the demands of the kidnappers. They also claimed that Theo had been moved from Byron Bay to Gold Coast due to the ongoing searches in the area. The message read,

“Please inform his father that his son is okay. He is not in Byron; we have moved him to lay low due to the search. He is safe for now if his father follows what we want to the letter. This is not a hoax; your son is kidnapped.”

Though shocked by the message, the family is still not sure whether it was from the real kidnappers or from scammers wanting to take advantage of the unknown whereabouts of their son. They have developed a skeptical view of the demands.

The said kidnappers also warned the family not to contact the police claiming that they would find out if they did. After investigations, the police have established that the heart-breaking message was sent from South Africa. This might mean that the demands are from opportunistic scammers and not the actual kidnappers.

Whether the message was legitimately from the kidnappers or not, such crimes have become common in the cryptocurrency industry. Not long ago, in October 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa, was attacked by hackers who were demanding 4 BTC for them not to publish information on stolen goods.