France charges 88 in wave of crypto kidnappings

French prosecutors have charged 88 people, including more than 10 minors, in 12 kidnapping cases tied to ransom demands in cryptocurrency. Authorities reported 41 such attacks in 2026 through late April, about one every 2.5 days. Seventy-five of the 88 suspects are in pretrial detention. Prosecutors say the 12 cases are a subset of more than 135 incidents documented in France since 2023.

Investigators found the same suspects in multiple incidents and concluded that organized networks are responsible for a large share of the abductions. In the pattern described by investigators, perpetrators identify owners of sizable digital-asset holdings, abduct relatives or associates, hold them for hours or days and demand ransoms in cryptocurrency.

French security services reported a rise in violence in some incidents. In two separate 2025 cases, captors severed victims’ fingers before receiving payment. In 2026, France’s GIGN unit freed a mother and her 10-year-old son after about 20 hours in captivity while attackers tried to extort several hundred thousand euros from the child’s father, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur.

Prosecutors and security researchers say leaks of customer data from cryptocurrency platforms have helped criminals identify targets. Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned that leaked exchange data can be cross-referenced with public records to single out wealthy digital-asset holders.

Authorities are using a mix of traditional police work and blockchain forensics to trace ransom payments and link suspects to transfers. Police sources say tracing payment trails on public blockchains has helped connect suspects to ransom receipts and to other cases. Private-sector blockchain analysts have assisted investigations.

After a recent kidnapping of a content creator’s father, an on-chain investigator known as ZachXBT and Binance’s security team traced ransom flows and helped freeze about $800,000. Authorities describe cooperation between exchange security teams and investigators as part of a broader effort to disrupt networks and recover funds.

Interior Ministry representative Jean-Didier Berger, speaking at Paris Blockchain Week, described a “more stringent response plan” developed with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The plan includes increased investigation capacity and closer coordination between police, the gendarmerie and exchange security teams, according to ministry officials. A prevention platform for known digital-asset holders has drawn thousands of registrations.

Authorities estimate France accounts for roughly 40% of crypto-related ransom attacks in Europe. Global reporting shows a 75% increase in such crimes in 2025 compared with the prior period. Prosecutors cautioned that investigations are ongoing and additional arrests and charges are expected as police follow funds, communications and mobility data to build cases.