Crypto firm WonderFi's CEO kidnapped then released after paying $1 million ransom: report

Dean Skurka, CEO of Toronto-based WonderFi, was kidnapped and then released after paying a $1 million ransom, according to a report from CBC .

Skurka was abducted after being forced into a vehicle in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, the report said. He was then later released after making an electronic payment of $1 million.

The crypto executive said he "is safe, and that the funds and data of company's clients were not impacted," the report said. The investigation is ongoing, said police, who did not release further details.

This is far from the first time criminals have targeted someone owning or working in the world of crypto. In July, for example, a 29-year-old Bitcoiner was kidnapped and killed after four men abducted the victim and stole three bitcoins worth over $200,000 at the time.

As of a year ago, WonderFi owned nearly half of all the regulated exchanges operating in Canada, the company said last November.