France has experienced more than 40 cryptocurrency kidnappings since 2023, in a context of 75% key attacks, carried out by coordinated gangs abroad targeting visible wealth.
- A French police memo links more than 40 kidnappings between July 2023 and December 2025 to cryptographic motives, with organizers operating from abroad via local recruiters.
- The victims are mostly male investors, entrepreneurs or influencers aged 20 to 35, monitored via social networks before kidnappings or home invasions.
- CertiK reports 72 key attacks in 2025, up 75% year-over-year, with losses exceeding $40.9 million and physical assaults up 250%.
More than 40 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings took place in France between July 2023 and the end of 2025, with evidence indicating that foreign organizers were coordinating the crimes, according to French law enforcement authorities.
A confidential report from the Judicial Police Information, Intelligence and Strategic Analysis Service on Organized Delinquency (SIRASCO) revealed these findings, French media Franceinfo reported.
Kidnappings are typically orchestrated by organizers based abroad who coordinate with recruiters in France, according to the report. Recruiters put organizers in contact with young people with criminal records and carry out intimidation and physical attacks online.
Victims are typically men aged 20 to 35 who are involved in digital assets as investors, entrepreneurs or influencers, the report said. Many victims flaunt their wealth on social media, allowing kidnappers to follow their daily routines and those of their family members, who are also targeted.
Physical attacks against cryptocurrency holders now pose a “structural threat” to digital asset ownership, according to blockchain security firm CertiK. The company reported earlier this month that “key attacks” – incidents in which criminals use violence, intimidation or lock-in to force cryptocurrency holders to reveal private keys or passwords – increased by 75% last year.
CertiK documented 71 incidents in 2025 that resulted in significant losses, representing a 44% year-over-year increase, the company said.
Kidnapping is the most common form of key attack, according to CertiK. The blockchain security company also reported that physical assaults increased by 250% last year, indicating what it described as “a clear escalation in brutality.”