“I’m not really surprised anymore. » When we contact Owen Simonin on this Thursday in the middle of the day, the crypto entrepreneur, influencer and speaker, better known under the pseudonym “Hasheur”, is already aware of the kidnapping and then release of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, by attackers who demanded a ransom. “In less than four weeks, this is the third case of this kind,” he continues.
Just before Christmas, the wife of a Belgian crypto tycoon, who had just been kidnapped, was freed after an incredible chase near Bruges. And on December 31, it was the father of a crypto influencer based in Dubai who was kidnapped in Ain before being found the next day in Le Mans (Sarthe), in the trunk of a car, covered in bruises and beaten during a police check.
VideoDavid Balland, co-founder of the cryptocurrency company Ledger kidnapped from his home then released
Owen Simonin also had a traumatic experience when the YouTuber – who has more than 700,000 subscribers today – saw a man arrive at his home with a gun in his hand. “My apartment was also the headquarters of my company and so my personal address ended up on a legal information site for companies,” he explains. One of my subscribers found it, observed me for a few days in the parking lot and one evening, he took a gun, came to my house and shot me. »
-The attacker eventually fled after Owen Simonin attacked him. He even went to the police a few days later, and the weapon turned out to be a fake. “Hasheur” was left with a big scare which changed his vision of things. “We are a target. I was already aware of potentially being for people who think that we can free up a lot of money quickly and easily. But I had not put any specific measures in place,” he explains today.
Since then, he has of course moved, a personal address kept secret this time. A home that he had secured. He also adheres to good digital hygiene so as not to leave clues on social networks for potential attackers.
“I reworked many aspects of my security by imagining the worst to better prevent it,” he summarizes. For example, in public events, I always try to be accompanied by someone discreet and trained to intervene if necessary. » Tools and increased vigilance that come at a cost. But the Ledger affair proves him right. And he hopes that this will be an electric shock for the entire crypto sphere.
