Israeli Tourists Lose $700,000 in Bitcoin to Armed Gang in Costa Rica

In an incident that underscores the growing threat of crypto-related crime, a group of Israeli tourists lost approximately $700,000 in Bitcoin (about 11 BTC) to an armed gang on the beach of Santa Teresa de Cóbano, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

According to a report by Spanish news website Teletika, the robbery occurred late on August 7, 2024, as the eleven Israeli nationals were attending a social event. Notably, investigations reveal that the attack was carried out by a group of at least eight individuals who arrived in two high-end vehicles. According to the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ), the attackers exhibited behaviors suggestive of formal police training, raising concerns about their sophisticated planning and execution of the crime.

“A security camera video shows several of the criminals moving the victims from one place to another, wearing what appear to be police uniforms and shirts,” the report stated. “The OIJ believes that those who attacked the group of Israeli tourists had police training.”

Additionally, witnesses and security camera footage reveal that the perpetrators forcibly restrained the victims, gagging them and demanding they transfer the said Bitcoin from their digital wallets. And while the exact mechanism of how they acquired this information remains under investigation, authorities suspect that someone close to the victims may have had inside knowledge of their financial activities.

This incident reflects a disturbing global trend in the surge of cryptocurrency thefts. Last month, a 29-year-old foreign national was abducted in Kiev, Ukraine. The kidnappers forced him to transfer Bitcoins worth around $170,000 before ultimately murdering him. Reports later emerged suggesting that members of the Ukrainian National Guard were involved in the abduction. According to these reports, one soldier initially offered the victim a cryptocurrency transaction, then falsely accused him of a serious crime and enlisted other soldiers to aid in the kidnapping under the guise of punishment.

In a separate case in June, Krista Renee Stone, a 23-year-old resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, was implicated in a contract-killing scheme involving a $5,000 Bitcoin payment. In court, Stone admitted to planning the crime between March and September 2023, using a darknet site to arrange the murder. She provided detailed instructions, including a photograph, the victim’s location, and the execution method. 

This follows a similar case from July 2023, where a California court sentenced a 38-year-old woman for attempting to arrange the murder of her ex-husband.