Kidnapping and robbery cases are frequent Let's take a look at the security guide written by a16z to crypto practitioners

*Note: Recently, the well-known Internet celebrity Lan Zhanfei was kidnapped and blackmailed in South Africa on the hot search, triggering a warning of tourism safety and attracting a lot of attention in the crypto industry. Because outside crypto people have a lot of money and crypto assets are easy to transfer, in fact, kidnapping cases in the crypto industry have occurred frequently before. *

*Check out the security guide written by Carl Agnelli, head of crypto security at a16z, to crypto practitioners. Carl Agnelli is currently the Head of Security at a16z crypto, responsible for the physical security and security operations of a16z crypto’s employees, facilities and events worldwide; Prior to joining a16z, he was Director of Security at Citigroup; Previously, he served as a U.S. Secret Service agent for 25 years and was in charge of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Security by W. Bush. *

The following is the original text, compiled by Jinse Finance:

Imagine your family being kidnapped at home, or coerced into a car at gunpoint, or having your fingers cut off while the kidnappers demand a ransom. These examples are disturbing – some even creepy – but they are not hypothetical. These things have already happened and are continuing to happen in the crypto space.

I want to share some practical experiences that will help you, the founders, operators, and investors of cryptocurrencies, keep themselves safe in this increasingly dangerous world. I will highlight two aspects that are crucial for your safety: first, daily habits, and second, violent crime unique to the cryptocurrency industry. However, I’ll start with some basic principles and a few examples.

Why take the time to discuss this? Founders, operators, and engineers are all focused on building the company, and investors are busy managing portfolios. But if you don’t think about safety – physical and physical safety – it all means nothing. It’s not just about your own safety, it’s about your team, your family, and your job. Security must be part of your operational systems.

I have been working in the security field for 35 years. Twenty-five of those years worked for the U.S. Secret Service, where he held many positions, including protecting every living U.S. president at the time. I have also protected foreign heads of state (even those with whom I do not identify with). Our principle is simple: no one shall die on American soil.

But the Secret Service’s role is not just protection. It is the only agency in the U.S. government that has a dual mission: both protection and investigation. Some of the best cyber investigators in the world start here. I have participated in global, transnational investigations, spied on others, and been spied on. These experiences have taught me a lot of professional skills. At the same time, you also learn how to understand human nature. You learn how to read others, spot clues, and recognize threats before they happen.

Basic Principles of Personal Safety

Let’s start with a few guiding ideas:

• Avoid conflict as much as possible. If someone behaves strangely, walk away. Transfer to a carriage. Cross the road. Don’t be complacent. Your self-esteem can’t save you.
• Trust your instincts. That uncomfortable feeling? It is not accidental. That’s your autonomic nervous system sending a warning—your heart racing, your breathing is short, you’re sweating. That’s your body trying to keep you alive. Listen to it.
• Be prepared for the unexpected. We call it the “Murphy moment.” Once things go wrong, they tend to deteriorate quickly. You can’t predict everything, but you can do mental drills in advance. “What if?” is your best coping strategy.
• Investment security. We spend two hours reading Amazon reviews before buying a water bottle. Take five minutes to learn how to keep your home safe when you’re away from home.

Situational awareness: Living in the “yellow alert”

At the Secret Service, we use a color-coded system to describe how much attention people (aka targets, aka you) pay attention in public:

• White: Lack of awareness, distraction – like walking with headphones on. Frail.
• Yellow: Relaxing awareness. Be alert but not paranoid. This is the state you should live in.
• Orange: High alert – used to respond to active threat situations.
• Black: panic, paralysis. You don’t want to stay here.

At the Secret Service, we often talk about a technique called “stay vigilant.” It means to maintain a relaxed state of alertness. Train yourself to always be like this. You are not suspicious, you are just on your toes.

Maybe you’ll notice someone talking to themselves on the train or wearing a thick coat on a hot day in the 90s Fahrenheit (about 32 degrees Celsius). You won’t panic, but you will make some action. You don’t want to be in a blank space – wearing headphones, playing with your phone, and being isolated. You certainly don’t want to fall into darkness - panicked and unable to move.

Stay in the yellow area.

Eat a trench and grow a wisdom: two personal safety stories

Speaking openly in public

Last year I went to Miami to watch F1 racing. After the game, I went to a bar, not to party, just to have a burger and a Diet Coke. I sat at the table, not provoking anyone, when I noticed a man a few feet away. He took three women with him, obviously having a good time and was visibly a little drunk.

He has a loud voice. Maybe it’s quite charming, with a bit of the characteristics of a college student. But more importantly, he kept talking. Keep talking. I didn’t listen for long—not on purpose, just sitting next to him—to remember his name. After another minute, I learned his last name again. At that time, several women were talking about family history. He mentioned his Irish ancestry, and someone joked that his name was misspelled, and he corrected it. Full name. It’s that simple.

He wears a polo shirt embroidered with the company logo, the emblem of a racing team. He also talks to himself about his job: what he does and what company he works for. Now I know his employer and position.

Then it was my birthday. A woman was celebrating her birthday when he chimed in and said that his birthday had just passed. She asked, “What day?” “He told her.” You don’t look like you’re 50 years old," one of the women quipped. “Don’t joke, I look much younger than I really am,” he replied. In this way, I got his full birthday date: month, day, year. And my burger hasn’t even been served yet.

The conversation turned to where they lived. The man casually mentioned that they were both staying in the same hotel. Then they started chatting about the view of their rooms. One woman can see the pool, the other can see the street. At this time, the man added, "We are all on the 18th floor, right? Everyone laughed and said that they were neighbors. Someone asked him what room number he lived in. He blurted out.

At this time, I had his file even before talking to him:

*name

• Employer and job function *Date of birth *Hotel *ground
• Room number

I just need to confidently walk to the front desk and play a little more social skills: “Hi, I’ve locked myself out of room XXX, my ID card is downstairs, you can call my phone if you need to verify, etc.” "If I have bad intentions, I can easily get the keys. In the best-case scenario, I clean his room. At worst, he came back when I went in.

Now, multiply that number by one hundred. What if I’m targeting someone? What if I followed him at a public speaking event, an industry conference, or searched for him online just because he was well-known in the crypto space? The information he leaked for free – that’s exactly how people were attacked.

He just wanted to impress others in the bar. As a result, he gave people all the security information that most companies would ask for: date of birth, name, place of work, room number. This information can make you extremely vulnerable.

What is the moral of this story? Always be on the lookout for people like me. But it’s not me who really needs to worry – because those eavesdropping may be waiting for an opportunity to frame you. They are eavesdropping, looking for the next easy target. Don’t let yourself be their target.

I go to a hockey game

I don’t want to target only this drunken stranger I met in Miami. Let me tell you the story of my disregard for all personal safety knowledge.

My friends and I went to New Jersey to watch a Boston Bruins playoff game. I was wearing a brand new Bruins jersey with overalls — a legally carried gun pinned to the holster. We were noisy, had a lot of fun, and probably said things we shouldn’t. The Bruins won. After the race, I did a Conor McGregor-style signature pose in the parking lot, which wasn’t popular at the time.

I looked around and realized: my friends are gone. I was in the middle of a crowd of Devils fans in red jerseys. They were staring at me condescendingly. I thought to myself, I should go back to the gym.

I didn’t. I kept going.

One guy – angrily taking off his red jersey – came up to me. He looked around, scanning, just like we had before the Secret Service. He was confirming whether there were police and exits. I know the signs. I saw it all. But I turned a blind eye.

The man walked straight up to me and punched me in the face. I fell to the ground and my nose was broken. I scuffled with him, worried that he would snatch my gun and that his accomplices would beat me up until my nose was blue and my face was swollen. I remember thinking at the time, “Is this the end?” In a parking lot in East Rutherford, NJ? ”

Then, out of nowhere, my friends appeared. The body flew around. They pulled me out. I was covered in blood, and my nose was bloody. They asked me, “Why is it you, what the hell is going on?” ”

Very simple. I put myself in danger and ignored all the signs. The lesson is that this can happen to anyone—even those who should be more sensible.

Maintain safe daily habits

Many of the habits that keep you safe are not glamorous. They are not tactical equipment or secret service convoys, but some basic and tedious habits. If you can develop these habits, your safety factor will far exceed that of most people.

I mean this.

Do not travel alone after drinking. If you must travel alone, be sure to tell someone about your plans. This may seem simple, but people often make mistakes. You go out, have a few drinks, and when it’s time to leave, you suddenly disappear and go home alone. This situation is not uncommon. If you’re planning to drink, no problem – but always make sure someone knows where you’re going, how, and when you’ll be there. Text a friend or share your location. Use your phone’s location feature or download an app specifically designed to track and share this information. In short, try to do everything you can.

Carry non-lethal deterrents – but only if they are held in your hand. For example, prepare a flashlight with a flash function. It’s really an effective deterrent – but only if you have it in your hands when you need it. The same goes for pepper spray. If it is buried in a bag, it is useless. You need to take it out and use it at all times, and know how to use it correctly. Traveling alone at night? Be sure to hold this deterrent item in your hand.

Minimize distractions. ** If I have bad intentions, I can rob half of the passengers on the New York subway. Wearing headphones, staring at the screen, and being open. Completely out of the world. This is the so-called “white zone” – a complete lack of vigilance. You need to “stay in the yellow zone”. Take off one of your headphones. Raise your head. Focus. Just look like a focused person and you’ll be less likely to be targeted than most.

**Try the Bond app for non-emergency situations. There is often a huge divide between “feeling scared” and calling 911. And Bond can fill this gap. For example, when you are carpooling, the driver or passenger makes you feel wrong? Or when you walk home, you feel something is wrong? Open the app, and within seconds, you’ll be on a call with a real person trained in conflict de-escalation. They can silently accompany you and keep you on the phone throughout. They can track your route and even call emergency services if necessary. It’s nothing short of disruptive, and I’ve recommended it to all my partners. There may be other similar services, but this is the one I personally use the most.

**Practice stair evacuation drills – familiarize yourself with all exits. When I stay at a hotel, I don’t just throw my luggage on the ground and relax. I’ll find the emergency exit stairs and walk through them. Why? Because in the event of a fire or other emergency, the elevator will be shut down and panic will spread. You definitely don’t want to find the stair exit in a place you didn’t expect – or worse, the door won’t open. We do this a lot on planes – listen to exit directions, look at signs – why don’t we do it at other venues with longer stays? I’ve been in this situation before. Don’t take it for granted. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all exports.

**Make a backup plan – where to meet if you get separated. **I once relied on this to save myself. My daughter and I went to a crowded Orioles game. She was young at the time and wanted to eat ice cream. We walked to the ice cream parlor and as soon as I turned around – she was gone. There were 40,000 people in the stadium. I panicked. But before leaving, I told her, “If we get separated, meet at the statue.” Sure enough, she was there - holding her teddy bear. Whenever and wherever you go out with friends or family, you should make a similar plan. “If something goes wrong, meet here.” It’s that simple.

**Check the mirror in your hotel room. This may be special, but it’s very important. I always check my mirrors when I travel – especially abroad. You can take a pen or other sharp object and press it against the mirror. If there is a gap between the nib and the mirror, then no problem. If there are no gaps? Then you may be looking at a double-sided mirror. I’ve been in this situation twice, and both in high-risk countries. If there is a problem with the mirror, ask for a change of room.

Leave the essentials in the hotel safe. Have you ever left your passport or wallet in a hotel safe when you checked out? Many people make this mistake. You check out in a hurry and forget about it. So I have a trick to avoid this: I put something in the safe that I’m sure I absolutely need – like a shoe. The next morning, when I was getting dressed, I found that there was only one shoe left, and then - I suddenly remembered the safe.

These are not complex strategies, but just smart habits. If you can stick with it, you’ll be ten steps ahead of most people.

Cryptocurrency-specific threats

These daily habits are something that everyone should follow. But let’s not sugarcoat it either: if you get involved in crypto, you’re the target. Founders, engineers, early employees can all be targeted. If someone thinks you might have control over a digital asset — or even just have influence over a protocol — they could get their hands on you. And these people are not petty thieves. They are often well-organized and sophisticated. In many cases, they also resort to violence.

This is not a rhetoric, but a threat that you need to be on the lookout for at all times.

These are not random robberies – they are orchestrated and brutal actions

Not long ago, a crypto founder was involved in a gun robbery in the UK, where gun crime rates are low. The attacker did not meet him by chance, but did it on purpose. They followed him, studied him, and then carried out the attack.

In another case, the victim was a co-founder of a crypto wallet company. He and his wife were under surveillance. The attackers followed them, waited for the right moment, and then kidnapped them. They took the founder to another place, cut off one of his fingers, and sent a video of the severed finger to his other co-founder as a way to prove their determination. This has gone beyond robbery – this is a terrorist attack.

There was another case in Toronto where the victim was the CEO of an international crypto asset platform company. The night after the US election – at a time when the price of Bitcoin is soaring – he was kidnapped on the street. The attackers monitored his daily movements and orchestrated the incident. In the end, he handed over a million dollars worth of cryptocurrency.

And these are just some of the documented examples. There are many more examples that you will never hear of.

This doesn’t just happen to celebrities

It is not always the CEO or protocol founder who is targeted. Sometimes, attackers also target people who talk nonsense online.

Portland has a child - young, not famous, and with little to protect. But he likes to show off on Twitter. He shows off how much cryptocurrency he has, what he bought, and where he was going. A gang in Florida saw his post, flew across the country, kidnapped him, robbed him of everything, tied him to a fence post, and drove away.

Before that, he didn’t attract anyone’s attention at all. He made himself a target just because he was loud.

Why cryptocurrencies are particularly vulnerable

Why does this happen?

The first is cognitive problems. Everyone thinks that working in the cryptocurrency industry is equivalent to making a fortune. It doesn’t matter if this is the case - criminals think so. That’s enough.

Second, in early-stage startups, you may lack infrastructure. Most early-stage startups don’t have a security team yet, so you’re likely unprotected. You may be dealing with millions of dollars in funds, creating security protocols, but living a college student’s lifestyle. This is problematic.

Third, criminals don’t actually know about cryptocurrencies. They don’t know that wallets are traceable or that funds may be frozen. They just think that as long as they get your private keys, everything will be fine.

The fourth point – and most importantly – there is no “undo” button. What if criminals get your seed phrase, quorum of multi-signature keys, or passwords and access to hardware wallets? That’s it. Game over. There is no one to turn to. There is no hotline. There is no anti-fraud department.

These attacks did not happen overnight. There is a process behind the modus operandi of these criminals:

1. They will lock on to the target. Usually through public channels – podcasts, social media, conferences, and even party guest lists.
2. They will build your profile. They will start scraping everything about you: your name, your habits, your digital footprint. Who do you live with? Who do you work with?
3. They will take advantage of people close to you. Babysitters, contractors, ride-hailing drivers, anyone who can get close to you.
4. They will study your daily routine. This is known as “lifestyle” monitoring. For example, when you go out, which route to take, where to eat, and when to be alone.
5. They will choose a location, usually your home, because they are familiar with the layout of the home, can control the environment, and it buys them time.

This operation takes a lot of effort. But because of this, it is easy to spot if you are careful enough.

What can you do?

Set up a backup wallet:

Some of you may know this ironic example: you spent years building a foolproof crypto system, only to find that someone tapped you with a $5 wrench and asked you for a seed phrase.

The harsh reality is: if someone catches you, crypto can’t save you. Your laptop, which is completely isolated from the outside world, won’t save you. What multisig do you set up? It really works before someone attacks you.

So I say to every founder I’ve worked with: set up a backup wallet. Make it look authentic and believable. Deposit some money inside. Establish a record of transactions. Make it look like a master wallet. In case something happens, you hand over this spare wallet, not the actual vault. As long as it’s convincing enough.

How much should it include? It’s up to you. Ten percent? Per cent? As long as the pain is convincing, but not catastrophic.

Because if someone has spent weeks plotting to kidnap you, they certainly won’t leave empty-handed. But if they get something, they’re more likely to let you go. They are as desperate to leave as you are. You don’t want to be in a stalemate. You want to give them what they want and then end it quickly.

If they know – or even just suspect – you have more? It would have been worse.

Remove your network traces:

You don’t need to worry too much, but protecting your privacy is crucial. We recommend using a service like DeleteMe to reduce your digital footprint. When buying a property, set up a trust. Don’t leave any clues to the attacker.

Install home security cameras and sensor lights.

You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars. A basic set of configurations - a sensor light and a Ring camera on the front and rear doors - can work well. No one should walk around your doorstep without being triggered. Sensor lights buy you time, and cameras keep you on top of the situation. If someone is stepping on a point and sees these devices, they will most likely turn to other targets. Most people choose easy targets over difficult opponents. This is a basic security measure. If you’re in the crypto industry, you should have done so a long time ago.

Keep funds separate.

Use different platforms. Don’t tie everything together. Too many people put all their assets in the same place. Worse, they also use the same email, the same device, and even the same recovery protocol across multiple accounts. This is simply asking for trouble. If someone has access to one of the accounts and can track down the others, that’s it. Disconnect all associations. Use different services. Wallets, platforms, devices – everything needs to be diverse. The harder it is to trace the path, the more secure your account will be.

Practice the “if” game.

This is very beneficial. I do this often. For example, I walk into a restaurant and think, “What if someone comes in with a gun now?” Where should I hide? What can I use? "If I was on a plane, I would imagine: “What if something happens?” "At the Secret Service, we have always trained like this. Visualization is key. Ask yourself: “What if someone breaks in now?” What is my first step? Where is the bunker? Where to hide? Can I escape? "You definitely don’t want to think about these questions for the first time when things are actually happening.

Familiarize yourself with the hotel’s exit.

Look closely at the stairs. Prepare an “emergency chair”. Hotels are often chaotic in emergencies. The fire alarm went off, and people rushed out in panic, dressed in dressing gowns, barefoot, and holding laptops. Don’t let yourself be that kind of person. In every hotel I stayed in, I found the emergency stairs and walked through them immediately after check-in. I do this not only to find its location, but also to understand where it actually leads. Does it lead to the floor you are on? Does it lead to the street? You’ll be surprised to know that many hotels aren’t like that. I will also prepare an “emergency chair”. I will bring tracksuits and sneakers - easy to put on and take off quickly. If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night, I can rush out of the room in 30 seconds dressed neatly instead of scrambling like a novice.

Don’t expect your phone to help you reconnect.

Make a separation plan. The phone will run out of power, the battery will not charge, and the signal will be interrupted. Network connectivity is intermittent, especially during disasters. You can’t use your phone as your only lifeline. If you go out with someone – partner, teammate, friend – you need a separation plan. Before going out, say it out loud: “If things get bad, if we get separated, meet me here.” Planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Like I mentioned before, when my daughter was three years old, I did it at the baseball field and we ended up reuniting. If a three-year-old can do it, of course you can too. Make a plan for every trip.

If you are unlucky enough to be caught, it will be too late to regret not considering these in the first place. That’s why it’s so important to stay alert. The best defense is prevention. Always be vigilant. Develop good habits. Be prepared.