Russian Crypto Scammer and Wife Found Dead in UAE After Apparent Revenge Attack

A convicted Russian crypto scammer, Roman Novak, and his wife Anna were found dead in the United Arab Emirates after meeting with a group of men posing as investors, according to Russian media reports. Novak, originally from Leningrad, had been sentenced to six years in prison in 2020 for an investment scam that defrauded victims of millions in cryptocurrencies. He was released in 2023 and continued his fraudulent activities, promoting a payment platform called Fintopia. Using this platform, he reportedly scammed investors from China, the Middle East, and other regions of as much as $500 million. Fleeing to Dubai, Novak eventually arranged a meeting with supposed investors that led to his murder.

In October 2023, Novak and Anna traveled by car to a villa on the outskirts of Dubai for the meeting. Once there, a group of men confronted Novak and demanded access to his cryptocurrency wallets, according to the Russian news outlet Fontanka. After finding the wallets empty, the assailants murdered Novak and his wife, reportedly dismembering their bodies and disposing of them in bags in the desert near Fujairah. The attackers then attempted to cover their tracks by swapping vehicles and fleeing the UAE for Russia and Georgia.

UAE police tracked the suspects’ movements and identified eight individuals, all Russian nationals. Among them, five ‘mules’ rented the villa and prepared for the attack, but they are reportedly not facing charges for the murders. The other three suspects include a former homicide officer convicted on drug charges and two ex-veterans of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. This specific case is part of a larger trend of violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders.

The murder of the Novaks highlights the growing occurrence of physical cryptocurrency thefts, often referred to as ‘wrench attacks.’ According to BlockchainUnmasked CEO David Richards, there has been a surge in such attacks, where criminals use coercion or physical violence to force victims to drain their wallets. Jameson Lopp's tracker reported 48 instances of wrench attacks in 2025, a significant rise compared to 32 in 2024. Richards attributes this increase to cryptocurrency price hikes and criminals’ growing sophistication in using social media and other technologies.

Richards shared alarming statistics: France alone recorded 10 cases in the first half of 2025, while the U.S. saw a 169% increase in such incidents compared to previous years. Some attacks have included gruesome actions such as finger amputations and murders. Richards suggests that underreporting likely obscures the full scale of crypto-related crimes, making them an underestimated threat.

Although wrench attacks seem crypto-specific, Richards notes that they are part of a larger violent crime wave. Cryptocurrencies simply serve as the target. Richards warned that unless privacy tools improve and global law enforcement becomes better coordinated, such incidents may escalate further through 2026. Nonetheless, the average retail investor who only uses regulated exchanges for trading has significantly less cause for concern compared to high-profile targets like Novak.

Roman Novak's profile made him a prime target. Having scammed $500 million, been convicted of fraud, and flaunted his activities in Dubai, Novak was what Richards described as a “walking red flag.” His murder was likely an act of revenge, fueled by enemies with both resources and motives. For retail investors, Richards advises staying as low-profile as possible—avoiding public displays of crypto profits on social media and using multi-factor authentication to protect their assets.