Being involved in crypto and blockchain can bring a wealth of unique experiences and opportunities, but it’s not easy and certainly not without risks. Scams, robberies, and sometimes kidnappings: the dangers are very real and are multiplying in 2025. Between a kidnapping in the United Kingdom in January, another in Chicago in February, an attempt in March, then in May in Russia and France, hardly a month goes by without incident.
While influencers and doxxed individuals (publicly identified as part of the industry) are the most targeted, there is one family that sparks even more fascination among criminals: the Bitcoin Family.
All in on BTC and Living Off It: A Crazy Bet
In 2017, Didi Taihuttu, a Dutch entrepreneur and father of three, already holding tens of thousands of euros in BTC and confident in the success of crypto, embarked on a bold gamble: an all-in. A business, a 2,500-square-foot house, two cars, and a motorcycle sold later, they became owners of several bitcoins, each worth only $900 at the time. Goodbye banks—they would now live solely off BTC during their travels. But for Didi, it still wasn’t enough. They adopted a minimalist lifestyle, living in a campsite to continue buying as many bitcoins as possible with their savings.
While the bet seemed utterly insane at the time, the family began to draw attention from part of the crypto sphere when bitcoin, in October 2017, hit a new all-time high and a historic milestone: $5,000! Bolstered by his convictions, Didi declared:
“It’s the currency of the future, […] by 2020 the bitcoin will probably be worth 25,000 euros.”
Didi Taihuttu
Bitcoin reached that goal around December 30, 2020. Well done Didi!
A Growing Reputation
Things accelerated for the now-famous “Bitcoin Family,” whose goal is to travel the world and highlight places that accept bitcoin, showing that, yes, bitcoin is a currency—perhaps not tangible, but fully fulfilling its function as “money” in the Aristotelian sense. Meanwhile, bitcoin continues to gain momentum, skyrocketing the family’s fortune, which garners praise but also envious glances.
While it’s impossible to estimate the family’s current wealth, as Didi refuses to disclose it, he aims to reach at least a $100 million net worth, with 60% still held in bitcoin for this cycle. But how do you protect yourself when your life revolves around showcasing your success and movements, all while knowing how much you’re worth and that cryptocurrencies, due to their ease of being stolen and transferred like fiat, are the subject of countless fantasies?
Facing Danger, the Family Takes Drastic Precautions
This is a situation the Bitcoin Family had to prepare for, particularly by reducing the sharing of information about their location after receiving threatening messages from people who figured out where they were staying. Didi explains:
“We stayed in a very beautiful house for six months — then I started getting emails from people who figured out which house it was. They warned me to be careful, told me not to leave my kids alone. So we moved And now we don’t film anything at all.”
Didi Taihuttu
But as you might guess, that’s not enough. Didi confesses:
“It’s really my passion to create content. It’s really what I love to do every day. But if it’s not safe anymore for my daughters… I really need to think about them.”
Didi Taihuttu
When it comes to large sums, maximum protection is a must, and in this regard, the family has gone all out! According to Didi, 65% of the family’s funds are stored in cold wallets (wallets not connected to the internet). The 24-word seed phrases granting access to them are split into several parts, scattered across four continents.
Some are stored digitally through blockchain-based encryption platforms, while others are hand-engraved on fireproof steel plates using a hammer and letter punch, then hidden in physical locations. Additionally, Didi has added a layer of personal encryption by replacing certain words to deter potential attackers. The method is simple but effective.
In a surprising decision, no hardware wallets are used in this process, a choice Didi explains:
“Part of the reason for ditching hardware wallets was a growing mistrust of third-party devices.”
Didi Taihuttu
Thus, the family keeps some crypto in hot wallets for daily expenses, these funds also protected by multisig. The Bitcoin Family has taken its precautions, awaiting a bitcoin value of $1 million, a goal Didi estimates for 2033. Let’s hope these measures will be enough…
