Roman Novak, a convicted Russian crypto fraudster, and his wife Anna have been found dead in the United Arab Emirates after disappearing in early October. Their dismembered bodies were discovered in the desert near Fujairah, following a suspected trap meeting with fake investors in Dubai. The killings are linked to Novak's past scams and a rising trend of physical attacks on cryptocurrency owners.
Roman Novak, 38, and his wife Anna vanished in early October 2025 while driving to Hatta, a mountain resort on the outskirts of Dubai, to meet what they believed were potential investors. Investigators suspect the meeting was a trap, leading to their kidnapping, torture, and murder. The couple's dismembered bodies were later found buried in the desert near Fujairah, according to reports from Fontanka.
Novak had a history of crypto fraud. In 2020, he was convicted in Russia and sentenced to six years in prison for his role in the Transcrypt crypto exchange scam, serving three years before gaining parole in 2023 and moving to the UAE. There, he founded Fintopio, a payment platform and crypto wallet service that raised around $500 million from investors in China, the Middle East, and elsewhere. After securing the funds, Novak allegedly fled, leaving employees and investors without their money. In early October, Fintopio announced it was closing its crypto wallet services to 'review our operations and determine the best path forward.'
The attack appears to be a revenge plot by aggrieved investors. Assailants demanded access to the couple's crypto wallets, which were linked to investor funds but found empty. They then murdered and mutilated the victims before burying them. Seven individuals have been arrested, including a former Russian homicide cop turned smuggler and two combat veterans from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This incident highlights a surge in physical attacks, or 'wrench attacks,' targeting wealthy crypto owners to steal digital assets offline. Crypto security firm Chainalysis warned earlier this year that such violence is expected to increase in 2025.