Authorities in San Bernardino County are investigating the disappearance of 74-year-old Naiping Hou, who went lacking in early Might beneath suspicious circumstances believed to be linked to his household’s crypto wealth.
Key Takeaways:
- California police are investigating the suspicious disappearance of 74-year-old Naiping Hou.
- The incident is probably linked to his household’s crypto wealth.
- Authorities uncovered fraudulent exercise in Hou’s financial institution accounts and imagine somebody impersonated him.
Hou left his house with out his telephone on a Monday and by no means returned. Days later, his silver Toyota Yaris was found deserted close to a climbing path in Rancho Cucamonga.
On Might 4, he was formally declared lacking.
Police Probe Fraud in Lacking Crypto Investor Case
By July 7, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Division confirmed its Specialised Investigations Division was treating the case as suspicious, citing proof of “intensive fraudulent exercise” involving Hou’s financial institution accounts.
Investigators revealed that an unknown particular person used Hou’s telephone and impersonated him to speak along with his household, elevating issues that Hou could have been kidnapped.
No suspects have been named, however authorities haven’t dominated out foul play.
Hou’s son, Wen Hou, has provided a $250,000 reward for data that might result in his father’s secure return.
Wen, who has labored as Chief Funding Officer of hedge fund Coincident Capital since 2019, constructed his fortune in crypto and believes the motive behind his father’s disappearance could also be monetary.
“He had no purpose to vanish,” Wen stated in an interview with KABC. “I miss him so much. He’s form of a information to my life.”
Consultants counsel the case suits a rising pattern of bodily assaults concentrating on people linked to digital wealth.
Native and federal companies now use blockchain forensics to comply with the cash in these circumstances.
Crypto-Linked Violence Hits Report Ranges in 2025
Violent bodily assaults concentrating on cryptocurrency holders, referred to as “wrench assaults,” are sharply rising in 2025, with 35 circumstances already reported by July, in response to Chainalysis.
The Asia-Pacific area has seen a few of the worst violence, with international locations like Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines reporting a surge in kidnappings and extortion linked to crypto possession.
Pushed by Bitcoin’s current surge previous $122,000, criminals are more and more shifting from on-line hacks to real-world violence.
Making my @CNN debut this morning: $5 wrench assaults, crypto person privateness, issues of KYC, Bitcoin customers vs. financial institution secrecy legal guidelines, and the Trump Admin's insurance policies on bitcoin and its crypto-offspring@btcpolicyorg @ConsumerChoiceC pic.twitter.com/Q2KvZEVjoE
— Yaël
(@YaelOss) Might 29, 2025
To this point this 12 months, over $2.17 billion in crypto has been stolen globally, surpassing 2024’s whole. Assaults on private wallets now account for practically 25% of stolen funds.
Chainalysis discovered that retail pockets holders at the moment are the principle targets. Customers within the U.S., Germany, and Japan report essentially the most circumstances, whereas India, Chile, and the UAE see the very best common losses.
Improved safety at exchanges has pushed attackers towards much less protected people with high-value wallets.
The pattern can also be being fueled by superior techniques. Chainalysis and CertiK report rising use of AI instruments to establish and manipulate victims, typically by phishing and impersonation schemes.
CertiK estimates crypto customers misplaced $2.2 billion within the first half of 2025 alone, with pockets breaches making up $1.7 billion.
“The rise of wrench assaults is a stark reminder that digital belongings are solely as secure because the individuals who maintain them,” Chainalysis stated.
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