TL;DR
- France adds its 10th crypto kidnapping in 2025, involving a young man forced to hand over a Ledger wallet and €5,000 in cash.
- So far, there have been 32 recorded “wrench attacks” this year, with nearly a third taking place in France. 2025 is expected to surpass the all-time record of 36 cases.
- The rising number of kidnappings exposes a structural risk for crypto holders in markets lacking specific security protocols.
The crypto industry is turning its attention to France after the country confirmed its tenth violent crypto-related kidnapping this year.
The latest incident happened this week in Maisons-Alfort, a suburb southeast of Paris. A 23-year-old investor was intercepted while out shopping. The attackers forced him to call his partner and demand she hand over a Ledger wallet along with €5,000 in cash. After obtaining what they wanted, they released the victim in the neighboring town of Créteil.
This case is part of an alarming trend that has escalated in recent months. According to data compiled by Jameson Lopp, a long-standing authority on crypto security, there have already been 32 attacks of this kind in 2025, with almost a third of them occurring in France. These so-called “wrench attacks” involve kidnapping, physical violence, and extortion to force victims into giving up private keys or physical wallets. The current data suggests 2025 could surpass the record of 36 cases reached in 2021.
France Holds Talks with the Crypto Industry to Discuss Safety Measures
Experts warn that these types of crimes tend to increase during bull markets, when crypto holders see their wealth and public profiles grow rapidly. The most serious incident in France this year was the January kidnapping of Ledger’s co-founder, David Balland, and his wife. A few days later, an extortion attempt against relatives of Paymium’s CEO prompted the Interior Ministry to hold meetings with crypto industry leaders to discuss security protocols.
This trend has also extended beyond France and Europe. In early June, two U.S. citizens were charged in New York for kidnapping and torturing an Italian crypto entrepreneur in a luxury residence. The situation exposes a structural risk affecting digital asset holders. Particularly in markets where financial regulation has yet to define prevention frameworks for these kinds of crimes.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge estimate that most of these attacks go unreported. Which makes it harder to accurately assess the scope of the problem. The current wave highlights the need to rethink personal custody practices and improve physical security.
