Six detained in France following cryptocurrency-motivated abduction of judicial official
French authorities have taken six individuals into custody following the kidnapping of a judicial official and her elderly mother in a scheme demanding cryptocurrency ransom, highlighting growing worries about an increase in physical "wrench attacks" across France.
Authorities in France have taken into custody six individuals, one of whom is a juvenile, in connection with the abduction of a 35-year-old judicial official and her 67-year-old mother as part of a cryptocurrency ransom scheme that targeted the official's partner, who operates in the crypto business sector.
Based on reporting from France 24, which referenced the AFP news agency, the partner of the magistrate was sent a photograph depicting her along with demands threatening to harm the captives unless a payment in cryptocurrency was delivered.
Both victims remained captive for approximately 30 hours inside a garage located in the Drôme area before they successfully alerted authorities and managed to flee without any ransom payment being transferred.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of an escalating wave of cryptocurrency-related abductions throughout France. During 2025, law enforcement in France brought charges against 25 individuals, among them multiple juveniles, in relation to a string of kidnappings and kidnapping attempts involving crypto investors and business leaders, with ransom demands reportedly made in digital currencies.
That same year witnessed the foiled kidnapping attempt of Pierre Noizat's daughter and grandson, where Noizat serves as co-founder and CEO of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange, with the intended victim successfully resisting and escaping from her would-be captors.
Previous incidents in France encompass an attack on an individual using a Ledger wallet in the vicinity of Paris, where the perpetrators attempted to coerce the victim into transferring cryptocurrency, as well as the abduction of Ledger co-founder David Balland alongside his partner, an ordeal during which Balland suffered the amputation of a portion of his finger prior to being released.
Kidnappings "happening every 2 days"
France has become a focal point for cryptocurrency security analysts who monitor what are termed "wrench attacks," which encompass physical violence, residential break-ins and abductions designed to obtain private keys through force.
Jameson Lopp, an advocate for Bitcoin (BTC) security, stated on Friday that "8 of the 10 wrench attacks so far this year have been in France."
Kevin Loaec, a French Bitcoin developer and founder, also sounded an alarm on X, stating that "France is really fu**ed up." He mentioned having to inform family members residing in the country that "at this stage, they will get kidnapped someday. And there is nothing I can do about it."
Within the same discussion thread, he asserted that "kidnappings [are] happening every 2 days in France now" and cautioned that it no longer makes a difference whether someone is a public figure or maintains anonymity.
"It just seem[s] to randomly happen to anyone who somehow used bitcoin, went to meetups, paid taxes on it," he stated, characterizing the issue as stemming from insufficient deterrence rather than technological vulnerabilities. "Kidnappers basically don't get punished," he continued.
Joe Nakamoto, a video journalist and social media influencer, delivered his own severe warning: "If you are a doxxed bitcoiner or crypto person in France. LEAVE. GET OUT. Wrench attacks everyday."
Global problem, not just France
Professionals in the security field recommend that deploying technical solutions such as time-locked vaults, decoy wallets and withdrawal delays represents only a partial solution, with consensus that maintaining a low public profile is essential in any location where self-custodied cryptocurrency assets are maintained.
While France has dominated news coverage regarding physical assaults targeting cryptocurrency holders, the United States continues to hold the position of having the greatest cumulative total of documented wrench attacks when measured across an extended timeframe, with numerous additional geographic areas reporting verified instances of violent cryptocurrency-related extortion, demonstrating that this phenomenon is worldwide in scope rather than being exclusive to France.