France Records 90 Crypto-Related Crime Cases Through Mid-August

French authorities recorded 90 cases involving crypto-related kidnappings, abductions, extortion, threats and violent theft from Jan. 1 through mid-August, underscoring the scale of attacks targeting crypto holders and their relatives.

Authorities also recorded 223 arrests and 126 people imprisoned from January through July. No year-over-year comparison is available because France began tracking the category on Jan. 1, 2026.

The figures cover different types of incidents and time periods. A narrower count recorded 77 crypto-linked kidnappings and unlawful confinements through July 7, while another tally identified 30 publicly known violent crypto incidents in France through mid-2026. The available figures do not establish France as the world’s most dangerous country for Bitcoiners.

Criminals carrying out so-called “wrench attacks” physically coerce victims or their family members into transferring cryptocurrency or revealing access credentials. Unlike cyberattacks against blockchain infrastructure, they target people, homes and personal relationships.

France recorded 19 known crypto-related violent incidents in 2025. During 2026, publicly known attacks extended beyond the Paris region to Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse and Nantes. Globally, more than $30 million was stolen in successful violent crypto attacks through mid-2026, compared with an estimated $58 million during all of 2025.

Home invasions represented 37% of documented violent crypto attacks in 2026, up from 26% in 2023. Kidnappings represented 52%, compared with 39% in 2023.

Leaked personal data may help criminals identify crypto holders and their relatives. A breach at French crypto tax-reporting company Waltio exposed email addresses belonging to tens of thousands of customers, described as almost exclusively French.

“These sort of breaches expose more than financial information; they reveal who holds crypto, where they live, and how to find them,” said Eric Jardine, a head researcher.

French investigators have pursued a case involving an entire family. In Finistère, five family members were held at a home on April 20, 2026, and four people were charged.

In a separate case, 12 people were charged over the Aug. 30, 2025, kidnapping of a Swiss national in France for a cryptocurrency ransom.

France’s response includes the National Judicial Police Unit, the Gendarmerie’s GIGN tactical unit, local investigative sections and specialized interregional jurisdictions. Authorities combine physical investigations with blockchain tracing and efforts to block or recover ransom funds.

“The point remains the same: locate the criminals and hostages as quickly as possible, then intervene very quickly to secure the victims,” said Lt. Col. Bastien of the GIGN.