France recorded 77 cases of kidnapping, unlawful detention, and extortion tied to cryptocurrency in the first half of 2026. That figure already exceeds the approximately 45 cases documented across the entirety of 2025.
To put that velocity in perspective: by mid-April 2026, authorities had tallied 41 cases, an average of one incident every 2.5 days.
The anatomy of a wrench attack
The crypto industry has a euphemism for this kind of crime. They call it a “wrench attack,” a reference to the idea that no amount of encryption can protect you from someone threatening you with a physical tool.
These attacks frequently target crypto executives, their family members, and high-net-worth holders of digital assets. Victims from firms like Ledger, Paymium, and Binance France have been among those targeted.
