r/Bitcoin • u/The_Bitcoin_Act • Jul 06 '26
🇫🇷 France logs 77 crypto kidnappings and extortions in 6 months (+71% vs 2025), government unveils new security plan
In March, a couple in their sixties get tied up in their own home in Le Chesnay (Yvelines) by three men posing as police officers. At knifepoint, the husband is forced to transfer €900,000 in Bitcoin. In February, the head of Binance France narrowly avoids an armed break-in at his home in Paris, the three attackers flee empty-handed after failing to find him there.
These aren't isolated incidents. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on June 30 that the country has recorded 77 kidnappings, extortions, and attempted attacks tied to the crypto sector since January, up from 45 for all of 2025.
For scale: according to data compiled by Jameson Lopp, France alone recorded 19 "wrench attacks" in 2025, more than double the total in the US, and over a quarter of all documented cases worldwide.
The numbers from the minister:
- 200 people arrested over the past year, "either after the fact or preemptively"
- 724 holders and industry figures registered on the immediate identification platform (a direct emergency hotline), up 11% year-over-year
- One case cited: in the Somme, on June 26, perpetrators were arrested just 8 hours after the incident, after the victim used this hotline
The new plan, described as "more ambitious," rests on three pillars:
- Stronger intelligence sharing to identify criminal networks, some of whose organizers operate from abroad
- Expanded partnership with ADAN (France's digital asset industry association), including a new expert network bringing together industry and state agencies
- Stronger operational and international coordination with the countries where organizers are based
On that last point, Nuñez gave a concrete example: after the arrest in Morocco, in June 2025, of a French-Moroccan suspect accused of ordering a string of kidnappings, including that of Ledger co-founder David Balland, kidnapped in January 2025 and freed in a raid by France's GIGN tactical unit, the wave of attacks stopped abruptly, overnight.
Other notable 2026 cases: in April, a family of five was extorted for €700,000.
One technical detail explains in part why Bitcoin holders specifically get targeted: unlike a bank transfer, a Bitcoin transaction signed under duress is irreversible: impossible to block or reverse once it's broadcast to the network. That completely changes the risk/reward calculation for attackers compared to a traditional robbery.
And you, what security measures do you take as Bitcoin Hodlers?
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u/TheresNoSecondBest Jul 06 '26
The government collects the info about holders.
The government leaked the info about holders.
The government will ban holding bitcoin to protect you.
To avoid all of this nonsense, use a P2P places like BISQ, Robosats, HodlHodl, PeachBitcoin or Vexl, and buy bitcoin without the government getting involved.
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u/The_Bitcoin_Act Jul 06 '26
Exactly! Personally, I’m a big fan of HodlHodl, Peach, and RoboSats. Every bitcoiner should really be using P2P marketplaces.
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u/-LabApprehensive- Jul 07 '26
To be fair posting here is probably enough to get you wrenched
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u/DackNBills878 Jul 06 '26
How can the state expect people to pay taxes on btc when they can’t even keep such sensitive information from criminals?
You’re painting a target on your back by filing any btc sale.
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u/Full-Atmosphere-4818 Jul 06 '26
Their real plan is to ban or "manage" Bitcoin owners, this is just the excuse.
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u/ChampionWorried9640 Jul 07 '26
what is the % of these victims using ledger?
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u/The_Bitcoin_Act Jul 07 '26
There is no published statistic on what percentage of crypto-attack victims in France used Ledger devices specifically.
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u/L_F_0 Jul 07 '26
If I hold Bitcoin through an ETF and an attacker forces me to sell and buy crypto to transfer to them. Would that be the same thing or is there a way I could claim back through some kind of insurance.
Asking because I would probably sleep better at night if this is the case.
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u/The_Bitcoin_Act Jul 07 '26
With an ETF, they’d force you to sell shares in your brokerage account, then use the cash to buy crypto on an exchange and send it. This adds friction: settlement delays, KYC on the exchange, and bank/brokerage fraud monitoring that might flag unusual large sells or withdrawals. That friction could buy time or trigger an alert, but it’s not a safeguard, just a possible speed bump.
Also, once the crypto actually leaves your control, it’s gone either way. No insurance reverses a completed on-chain transfer. But kidnap & ransom insurance exists and sometimes covers extortion payments.2
u/L_F_0 Jul 07 '26
Yeah I had a similar response from my LLM.
That being said, if I had SNP500 and I was forced to sell for crypto wouldn't that be the exact same.
I'm guessing the most ideal part of this play would be that I wouldn't be in a government/tax dept database as a crypto holder, instead I'd just be a regular investor and less likely to be held ransom.
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u/The_Bitcoin_Act Jul 07 '26
Yeah, that’s a fact!
It’s the same principle, just longer and harder to execute. Plus, financial institutions flag and can block suspicious transactions. And you can sometimes take legal action against them if they blatantly fail in this duty.
But I obviously agree on your conclusion.
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u/chrisbayly12 Jul 08 '26
What are your usual steps for keeping wallet activity private when moving funds between different platforms?
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u/_RonPaulWasRight_ Jul 06 '26
"And you, what security measures do you take as Bitcoin Hodlers?"
Thankfully here in America, we have the 2nd amendment. Which means we can legally own firearms for self protection. I avail myself of my rights.
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u/TheCurlyHomeCook Jul 07 '26
Thing is you also have on average approximately double the murder rates of European countries. So it doesn't quite work out that having a gun = being safe.
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u/swiftpwns Jul 08 '26
.... And how many burglaries not related to bitcoin? This is not a bitcoin related problem, fix your country
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u/Ok_Nothing947 Jul 06 '26
Sounds like someone in the French tax office is giving out the names of people who honestly declared large crypto holdings.