A father beaten and forced into a car trunk. A magistrate and her mother held hostage for 30 hours. A family terrorized overnight in northern France for digital cash. Over the past two years, a violent wave of kidnappings and home invasions has swept across France targeting cryptocurrency executives, influencers, and their loved ones, as criminal networks increasingly turn to physical torture to extort digital fortunes.
Organized criminal networks increasingly turn to home invasions, physical torture, and abductions to extort digital fortunes. Authorities have recorded 77 such incidents so far this year, up from 67 in 2025 and roughly 20 in 2024, according to data from France’s National Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, known as PNACO.
While the early wave of violence primarily targeted high-profile industry executives and wealthy influencers, law enforcement officials warn that criminal syndicates are increasingly hunting ordinary citizens suspected of holding digital wallets. Just weeks ago, four armed intruders held a family captive overnight in the northern town of Vendin-le-Vieil, forcing the father to hand over about 40,000 euros, or $47,000, in cryptocurrency.
"This phenomenon, initially characterized by high-profile attacks on prominent figures in the sector, such as influencers, entrepreneurs, or platform executives, now appears to be spreading to a wider audience," PNACO said in a statement to OCCRP. "Perpetrators may indeed target individuals who are little known or entirely unknown to the general public, provided they identify them, rightly or wrongly, as holders of crypto-assets."
The home invasion in Vendin-le-Vieil is part of a chilling sequence of physical extortion cases across the country. In December 2024, the father of a Dubai-based French crypto influencer was kidnapped, beaten, and forced into the trunk of a car. In May 2025, the daughter of a cryptocurrency exchange founder narrowly escaped a broad-daylight abduction attempt in Paris when her partner and bystanders intervened. In February, a French magistrate and her mother were held hostage for 30 hours to exert leverage over the magistrate’s partner, the head of a cryptocurrency firm.
French law enforcement currently has 13 active judicial proceedings underway, with 95 suspects—including 13 minors—placed under formal investigation for offenses that include organized kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated violence, and money laundering.
Investigators say the spates of violence are rarely the work of lone actors. Instead, inquiries have revealed compartmentalized networks managed by shadowy masterminds who use social media to hire young operatives, often with prior criminal records, through digital intermediaries.
"The different participants do not necessarily know each other, and the perpetrators may be recruited only for a one-off operation," PNACO noted. "This multi-level organization complicates the identification of sponsors and the reconstruction of the entire criminal chain."
The international reach of these networks has already prompted cross-border crackdowns. Following intelligence supplied by French authorities, a key suspect arrested in Morocco was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors point to data leaks, public social media disclosures, and targeted phishing scams as the primary avenues through which criminals identify potential victims. Once a target is secured, the unique properties of digital currency make it an uniquely attractive target for violent coercion.
"Unlike a suitcase of notes, a transaction can be carried out very quickly," PNACO said, emphasizing that the speed of blockchain transfers allows perpetrators to drain millions within minutes before law enforcement can intervene.
