France to toughen response after surge in crypto kidnappings

Jean-Didier Berger, minister delegate to the interior minister, announced that he and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez will introduce tougher measures after authorities logged 41 crypto-related kidnappings in France since January.

At Paris Blockchain Week, Berger said authorities have launched a prevention platform that has drawn thousands of sign-ups and that he is working with Nuñez on what he called a “more serious plan” to be announced in the coming weeks.

Authorities gave details on several recent incidents. In one case in Burgundy, four suspects kidnapped a mother and her 11-year-old child and demanded a 400,000 euro ransom from the victims’ partner, who works in cryptocurrency. The suspects were arrested and the victims were released the next morning.

In another incident, a couple in their late 50s reported losing about $1 million in Bitcoin to perpetrators who posed as fake police. In February, law enforcement arrested six people in connection with the abduction of a magistrate and her mother in a ransom plot tied to the magistrate’s partner, who is active in the crypto sector.

Authorities said the pace of attacks has increased this year. Local law enforcement recorded 41 crypto-related kidnappings since January, an average of roughly one incident every 2.5 days. Cybersecurity monitoring firm CertiK reported a 75% rise in wrench attacks in 2025, with 72 verified cases worldwide; France accounted for 19 of those cases in 2025, and Europe made up about 40% of global events.

Wrench attacks involve assailants threatening or assaulting victims to force the transfer of digital assets or to extract private keys. Prosecutors and police officials have warned that criminals target people known or believed to hold cryptocurrencies, using surveillance, deception and physical violence to gain access to wallets.

Berger described the prevention platform as a channel for people to register concerns and receive guidance. The government is increasing coordination among policing units, victim support services and cybercrime investigators. Officials credited rapid investigative work for several recent arrests and recoveries and said the forthcoming plan will include preventive outreach and strengthened operational responses.