France records 90 crypto-related violent crime cases in 2026

France recorded 90 cryptocurrency-related cases involving kidnapping, abduction, extortion, threats and violent theft in just over seven months of 2026, according to the French Interior Ministry.

Authorities recorded the cases from Jan. 1 to mid-August and reported 223 arrests. A total of 126 people were imprisoned between January and July. The figures amount to one reported case about every two and a half days.

The ministry has no comparable figures for 2025 because it began recording these crime categories on Jan. 1, 2026. Chainalysis counted 30 publicly known violent crypto incidents in France through mid-2026 and noted that the actual number was likely higher. Security firm Gart.io recorded 73 attacks in France during the year, compared with 66 in the United States and 27 in the United Kingdom.

The attacks, often called “wrench attacks,” have occurred beyond Paris in cities including Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse and Nantes. They include home invasions, attempted abductions and demands for cryptocurrency transfers or access to digital wallets.

Eric Jardine, head researcher at Chainalysis, described a significant data breach as a likely factor. Such breaches can expose cryptocurrency ownership, home addresses and contact details, according to Jardine.

Chainalysis linked the increase to a 2024 compromise involving France’s tax authority. The incident reportedly exposed personal, financial and cryptocurrency-holding information belonging to taxpayers in the Paris area. Recorded attacks began increasing in late November 2024. In January 2026, crypto tax-reporting firm Waltio disclosed a breach affecting about 50,000 users.

Cryptocurrency owners have not been the only targets. Relatives and acquaintances accounted for more than 40% of victims in France by early 2026, compared with about 25% to 30% worldwide. Among French victims whose residency was known, 93% were French.

In May, six men allegedly attempted to abduct the wife of Sébastien Borget, co-founder of blockchain gaming company The Sandbox, from the couple’s home in Villenoy. One suspect reportedly posed as a delivery driver to persuade her to open the property’s gate.

In August, a couple in rural France faced three attempted break-ins after moving into a home previously occupied by cryptocurrency millionaires. The previous owners’ tax information and address had reportedly been posted on the dark web.

In 2025, the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur was abducted in Paris and held for two days. The kidnappers reportedly cut off part of his finger and sent it to his son while demanding $5.6 million in cryptocurrency.

Jardine linked attacks on relatives and associates to reconnaissance before the crimes. Possible sources of information include social media, blockchain analysis, leaked data and insiders, according to Jardine.

French authorities are treating the cases as organized crime investigations and coordinating them through JUNALCO, the country’s specialized organized crime jurisdiction. Security measures such as protecting seed phrases and using hardware wallets can secure digital assets, but they cannot prevent attacks against people identified as cryptocurrency holders.

A directory maintained by Bitcoin security advocate Jameson Lopp lists 365 known physical attacks across 60 countries between 2014 and 2026, with France recording the highest number.