France Averages One Crypto Kidnapping Every 2.5 Days, Authorities Finally Take Action

marsbitPublicado a 2026-04-17Actualizado a 2026-04-17

Resumen

France has emerged as a global hotspot for "crypto kidnappings" and wrench attacks, with an average of one incident every 2.5 days in 2026, totaling 41 cases so far. In a recent event, the wife and 11-year-old child of a crypto entrepreneur were abducted in Burgundy, with a ransom demand of €400,000. The victims were rescued, and suspects were arrested. Facing growing pressure, French Interior Ministry Undersecretary Jean-Didier Berger announced at Paris Blockchain Week that authorities are developing a more "serious" protection plan for cryptocurrency investors, to be unveiled in the coming. This follows the launch of a prevention platform that has already registered thousands of users. According to data from CertiK, wrench attacks—where victims are threatened or assaulted to force digital asset transfers—increased by 75% globally in 2025, with France accounting for 19 confirmed cases. Europe represents about 40% of such incidents worldwide. Other high-profile cases include a couple robbed of $1 million in Bitcoin by impersonators and the kidnapping of a judge and her mother in a crypto-related extortion attempt.

Author: Cointelegraph

Compiled by: TechFlow Deep Tide

Deep Tide Introduction: Since 2026, France has averaged one kidnapping targeting cryptocurrency holders every 2.5 days, with a total of 41 cases, making it a global hotspot for this type of crime. In the latest case, the wife and 11-year-old child of a crypto entrepreneur were kidnapped, with a ransom demand as high as 400,000 euros. The French Deputy Minister of the Interior finally promised at Paris Blockchain Week to announce a more serious protection plan within weeks—but for holders, this response seems to have come too late.

French Deputy Minister of the Interior Jean-Didier Berger stated that authorities are taking measures to protect cryptocurrency investors from the growing threats of crypto kidnappings and wrench attacks in the country.

Berger said at Paris Blockchain Week that his office has implemented "preventive measures" against crypto wrench attacks, including launching a prevention platform that has attracted thousands of registrations. He added that he is working with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to launch a plan he described as "more serious" in the coming weeks.

Just days ago, France reported another cryptocurrency-related kidnapping this week. On Monday, a mother and her 11-year-old child were kidnapped in Burgundy by four suspects who demanded a ransom of 400,000 euros (approximately $471,000) from the child's father—a crypto entrepreneur. According to France 24, citing the Paris prosecutor's office, authorities apprehended the suspects and rescued the victims on Tuesday morning.

France has become one of the most prominent centers for so-called "wrench attacks," where victims are threatened or assaulted and forced to transfer digital assets. The French government is now facing increasing pressure to respond.

Alarming Surge in Wrench Attacks in France

According to a report by local news media RTL on Wednesday, 41 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings have been reported in France since the beginning of this year, meaning that 2026 has seen an average of one such attack every 2.5 days.

According to data from the cybersecurity platform CertiK, global wrench attacks increased by 75% in 2025, reaching 72 verified cases. France experienced the highest number of such incidents in 2025, with 19 confirmed wrench attacks, while Europe accounted for about 40% of global incidents.

In another incident, a French couple in their 50s were robbed of $1 million worth of Bitcoin by criminals posing as police officers. Cointelegraph reported this on March 10.

Earlier in February, French police arrested six individuals who had kidnapped a judge and his mother in a crypto extortion attack targeting the judge's partner—a crypto entrepreneur.

Preguntas relacionadas

QWhat is the frequency of crypto-related kidnappings in France as of 2026, according to the article?

AAccording to the article, France has been experiencing an average of one crypto-related kidnapping every 2.5 days in 2026, with a total of 41 cases reported.

QWhat specific term does the article use to describe attacks where victims are threatened or assaulted to transfer digital assets?

AThe article uses the term 'wrench attacks' to describe these incidents where victims are threatened or physically assaulted to force them to transfer their digital assets.

QWhat action did the French Deputy Interior Minister promise to take in response to the surge in these crimes?

AThe French Deputy Interior Minister, Jean-Didier Berger, promised that a 'more serious' protection plan would be unveiled within the coming weeks in response to the surge in crypto kidnappings and wrench attacks.

QIn the most recent case mentioned, what was the ransom amount demanded for the release of the entrepreneur's family?

AIn the most recent case, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 400,000 euros (approximately $471,000) for the release of the crypto entrepreneur's wife and 11-year-old child.

QWhich country suffered the most verified wrench attacks globally in 2025, as reported by CertiK?

AAccording to data from the cybersecurity platform CertiK, France suffered the most verified wrench attacks globally in 2025, with 19 confirmed cases.

Lecturas Relacionadas

CLARITY Act: Banking Trade Groups Push For Yield Agreement Revision – Details

US banking trade groups are urging revisions to the stablecoin yield compromise in the upcoming CLARITY Act ahead of a key committee markup. The Act currently aims to ban all passive, deposit-like interest on stablecoins to prevent competition with traditional bank savings, while allowing rewards tied to active uses like staking or transactions. In a letter, groups including the American Banking Association and Bank Policy Institute proposed stricter language to eliminate perceived loopholes for passive yield and prevent deposit flight from banks. However, these efforts are reportedly viewed as minor by some lawmakers. The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on May 14, a critical step before it can advance through Congress.

bitcoinistHace 12 hora(s)

CLARITY Act: Banking Trade Groups Push For Yield Agreement Revision – Details

bitcoinistHace 12 hora(s)

This Finance CEO Picks Solana Instead Of Bitcoin — Here’s Why

Finance CEO Raoul Pal prefers Solana over Bitcoin, citing its high throughput and low transaction costs as better suited for the future crypto-AI era. He believes Solana is ideal for machine-to-machine microtransactions and AI-driven DeFi activity, predicting AI agents will soon dominate DeFi users. While Bitcoin serves as a store of value, Pal sees higher growth in networks built for mass, automated transactions. This view was highlighted at Consensus 2026, where AI integration and crypto infrastructure were key themes.

bitcoinistHace 12 hora(s)

This Finance CEO Picks Solana Instead Of Bitcoin — Here’s Why

bitcoinistHace 12 hora(s)

Gensyn AI: Don't Let AI Repeat the Mistakes of the Internet

In recent months, the rapid growth of the AI industry has attracted significant talent from the crypto sector. A persistent question among researchers intersecting both fields is whether blockchain can become a foundational part of AI infrastructure. While many previous AI and Crypto projects focused on application layers (like AI Agents, on-chain reasoning, data markets, and compute rentals), few achieved viable commercial models. Gensyn differentiates itself by targeting the most critical and expensive layer of AI: model training. Gensyn aims to organize globally distributed GPU resources into an open AI training network. Developers can submit training tasks, nodes provide computational power, and the network verifies results while distributing incentives. The core issue addressed is not decentralization for its own sake, but the increasing centralization of compute power among tech giants. In the era of large models, access to GPUs (like the H100) has become a decisive bottleneck, dictating the pace of AI development. Major AI companies are heavily dependent on large cloud providers for compute resources. Gensyn's approach is significant for several reasons: 1) It operates at the core infrastructure layer (model training), the most resource-intensive and technically demanding part of the AI value chain. 2) It proposes a more open, collaborative model for compute, potentially increasing resource utilization by dynamically pooling idle GPUs, similar to early cloud computing logic. 3) Its technical moat lies in solving complex challenges like verifying training results, ensuring node honesty, and maintaining reliability in a distributed environment—making it more of a deep-tech infrastructure company. 4) It targets a validated, high-growth market with genuine demand, rather than pursuing blockchain integration without purpose. Ultimately, the boundaries between Crypto and AI are blurring. AI requires global resource coordination, incentive mechanisms, and collaborative systems—areas where crypto-native solutions excel. Gensyn represents a step toward making advanced training capabilities more accessible and collaborative, moving beyond a niche controlled by a few giants. If successful, it could evolve into a fundamental piece of AI infrastructure, where the most enduring value in the AI era is often created.

marsbitHace 13 hora(s)

Gensyn AI: Don't Let AI Repeat the Mistakes of the Internet

marsbitHace 13 hora(s)

Why is China's AI Developing So Fast? The Answer Lies Inside the Labs

A US researcher's visit to China's top AI labs reveals distinct cultural and organizational factors driving China's rapid AI development. While talent, data, and compute are similar to the West, Chinese labs excel through a pragmatic, execution-focused culture: less emphasis on individual stardom and conceptual debate, and more on teamwork, engineering optimization, and mastering the full tech stack. A key advantage is the integration of young students and researchers who approach model-building with fresh perspectives and low ego, prioritizing collective progress over personal credit. This contrasts with the US culture of self-promotion and "star scientist" narratives. Chinese labs also exhibit a strong "build, don't buy" mentality, preferring to develop core capabilities—like data pipelines and environments—in-house rather than relying on external services. The ecosystem feels more collaborative than tribal, with mutual respect among labs. While government support exists, its scale is unclear, and technical decisions appear driven by labs, not state mandates. Chinese companies across sectors, from platforms to consumer tech, are building their own foundational models to control their tech destiny, reflecting a broader cultural drive for technological sovereignty. Demand for AI is emerging, with spending patterns potentially mirroring cloud infrastructure more than traditional SaaS. Despite challenges like a less mature data industry and GPU shortages, Chinese labs are propelled by vast talent, rapid iteration, and deep integration with the open-source community. The competition is evolving beyond a pure model race into a contest of organizational execution, developer ecosystems, and industrial pragmatism.

marsbitHace 14 hora(s)

Why is China's AI Developing So Fast? The Answer Lies Inside the Labs

marsbitHace 14 hora(s)

3 Years, 5 Times: The Rebirth of a Century-Old Glass Factory

Corning, a 175-year-old glass company, is experiencing a dramatic revival as a key player in AI infrastructure, driven by surging demand for high-performance optical fiber in data centers. AI data centers require vastly more fiber than traditional ones—5 to 10 times as much per rack—to handle high-speed data transmission between GPUs. This structural demand shift, coupled with supply constraints from the lengthy expansion cycle for fiber preforms, has created a significant supply-demand gap. Nvidia has invested in Corning, along with Lumentum and Coherent, in a $4.5 billion total commitment to secure the optical supply chain for AI. Corning's competitive edge lies in its expertise in producing ultra-low-loss, high-density, and bend-resistant specialty fiber, which is critical for 800G+ and future 1.6T data rates. Its deep involvement in co-packaged optics (CPO) with partners like Nvidia further solidifies its position. While not the largest fiber manufacturer globally, Corning's revenue from enterprise/data center clients now exceeds 40% of its optical communications sales, and it has secured multi-year supply agreements with major hyperscalers including Meta and Nvidia. Financially, Corning's optical communications revenue has surged, doubling from $1.3 billion in 2023 to over $3 billion in 2025. Its stock price has risen nearly 6-fold since late 2023. Key future catalysts include the rollout of Nvidia's CPO products and the scale of undisclosed customer agreements. However, risks include high current valuations and potential disruption from next-generation technologies like hollow-core fiber. The company's long-term bet on light over electricity, maintained even through the telecom bubble crash, is now being validated by the AI boom.

marsbitHace 15 hora(s)

3 Years, 5 Times: The Rebirth of a Century-Old Glass Factory

marsbitHace 15 hora(s)

Trading

Spot

Futuros

Artículos destacados

Cómo comprar ONE

¡Bienvenido a HTX.com! Hemos hecho que comprar Harmony (ONE) sea simple y conveniente. Sigue nuestra guía paso a paso para iniciar tu viaje de criptos.Paso 1: crea tu cuenta HTXUtiliza tu correo electrónico o número de teléfono para registrarte y obtener una cuenta gratuita en HTX. Experimenta un proceso de registro sin complicaciones y desbloquea todas las funciones.Obtener mi cuentaPaso 2: ve a Comprar cripto y elige tu método de pagoTarjeta de crédito/débito: usa tu Visa o Mastercard para comprar Harmony (ONE) al instante.Saldo: utiliza fondos del saldo de tu cuenta HTX para tradear sin problemas.Terceros: hemos agregado métodos de pago populares como Google Pay y Apple Pay para mejorar la comodidad.P2P: tradear directamente con otros usuarios en HTX.Over-the-Counter (OTC): ofrecemos servicios personalizados y tipos de cambio competitivos para los traders.Paso 3: guarda tu Harmony (ONE)Después de comprar tu Harmony (ONE), guárdalo en tu cuenta HTX. Alternativamente, puedes enviarlo a otro lugar mediante transferencia blockchain o utilizarlo para tradear otras criptomonedas.Paso 4: tradear Harmony (ONE)Tradear fácilmente con Harmony (ONE) en HTX's mercado spot. Simplemente accede a tu cuenta, selecciona tu par de trading, ejecuta tus trades y monitorea en tiempo real. Ofrecemos una experiencia fácil de usar tanto para principiantes como para traders experimentados.

230 Vistas totalesPublicado en 2024.12.12Actualizado en 2025.03.21

Discusiones

Bienvenido a la comunidad de HTX. Aquí puedes mantenerte informado sobre los últimos desarrollos de la plataforma y acceder a análisis profesionales del mercado. A continuación se presentan las opiniones de los usuarios sobre el precio de ONE (ONE).