France Leads World in Physical Crypto Attacks, Accounting for 70% of Cases

Cryptocurrency can be transferred instantly online, but ownership can expose investors to physical coercion. Such crimes, often called “wrench attacks,” use abduction, confinement or violence to force victims to surrender private keys, seed phrases or funds. A spate of cases in France has heightened concern that leaked databases and publicly available personal information are helping criminals connect real-world identities with digital wealth.

In the latest reported incident, intruders entered a couple’s home at night in Landes, southwestern France, held them captive and demanded Bitcoin. The report did not disclose the exact date of the attack, the amount sought or any confirmed loss. French official statistics show cryptocurrency-related extortion cases have risen to an average of one every 2.5 days, prompting experts to urge stronger personal privacy and asset-custody safeguards.

France has emerged as the global center of so-called wrench attacks, in which criminals bypass digital security by kidnapping, assaulting or threatening crypto holders and their relatives until assets are transferred. That risk makes tax records unusually sensitive: names, addresses and income data can help attackers identify and locate wealthy targets. The breach at the Direction générale des Finances publiques, or DGFiP, therefore raises concerns beyond phishing and identity theft, though authorities have not said the compromised records specifically identify cryptocurrency investors.

DGFiP said attackers used stolen identities for an employee and an authorized third party to enter its systems in June and July 2026. After claims surfaced on Aug. 12 and 13, investigators found records on about 678,000 individuals and businesses had been viewed and extracted, including income, withholding-tax and property data; the agency notified France’s privacy regulator, CNIL. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said France recorded 77 crypto-linked kidnappings, detentions, extortion cases and attempts in the first half, up from 45 in all of 2025. CertiK separately verified 33 French wrench attacks among 52 worldwide, with global financial exposure reaching $124.1 million.

Crypto “wrench attacks” use kidnapping, assault or other physical threats to force holders to surrender private keys or transfer digital assets. The tactic exploits a defining feature of cryptocurrency: blockchain transactions are generally irreversible, leaving victims with limited options once funds are sent. Criminal groups are also targeting relatives and other people close to wealthy holders, turning personal security into a growing risk alongside hacking and online fraud.

More than $30 million in cryptocurrency was stolen through violent attacks in the first half of 2026, according to a report from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, putting the year on pace for a record. The cases increasingly involved home invasions and threats against victims’ friends or family members. France recorded the largest number of publicly reported incidents through June 2026, emerging as the leading hotspot for such attacks.

So-called crypto “wrench attacks” use home invasions, kidnappings or other physical coercion to force holders to surrender private keys or transfer digital assets. The threat has become a growing concern for the industry because blockchain transactions are generally irreversible, while social-media posts and public records can expose a holder’s identity, wealth, routines and location to criminals seeking direct access to funds.

CertiK said the tally of physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders climbed to 52 in the first half of 2026, with home invasions becoming the most common method. Attackers targeted $124 million worth of assets over the six-month period, a 12-fold increase from the comparable baseline. The blockchain security firm advised holders to limit public disclosures of personal identities, daily schedules and geolocation data to reduce the risk of robbery.

So-called wrench attacks use violence, including home invasions, kidnappings and extortion, to force cryptocurrency holders to surrender wallet credentials or transfer assets. Because blockchain wealth is visible and personal information can be readily collected, victims' relatives may also be targeted. The involvement of France's National Prosecutor's Office Against Organized Crime (PNACO) indicates that authorities regard the cases as part of an organized criminal network.

PNACO head Vanessa Perrée said on April 24, 2026, that specialist investigating judges at the Paris Judicial Court were examining 12 cases. A total of 88 people had been charged, including 10 minors, with 75 held in pretrial detention. After consolidating some cases, authorities found that several people were repeatedly implicated. PNACO recorded 18 similar incidents in 2024, 67 in 2025 and 47 from the start of 2026 through April 24. It did not disclose the total amount involved.

So-called wrench attacks use kidnapping, beatings or firearms to force holders to surrender their wallet keys, bypassing digital safeguards altogether. Known cases worldwide rose 75% to 72 in 2025, with France reporting more than any other country. At least 41 cases had already been recorded by April 2026, or about one every 2.5 days, underscoring how leaked identities or addresses can translate into physical danger.

On April 11, 2026, a 40-year-old crypto industry worker in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, near Montpellier, opened his door to receive a delivery. A 25-year-old suspect posing as a delivery driver forced his way inside, held the man, his wife and their children at gunpoint, and demanded the wallet's private keys. The victim seized an opportunity to grab the gun, which discharged during the struggle, but no one was injured and nothing was stolen. Investigators from the French National Gendarmerie's Montpellier unit arrested the suspect after a three-day search. Judicial authorities in Montpellier charged him with attempted armed robbery and remanded him in custody.

A “wrench attack” involves criminals using physical violence, including kidnapping and assault, to force holders to surrender wallet keys or transfer assets. France’s digital asset industry association ADAN estimates that about 11% of the country’s population, or roughly 7.3 million people, own cryptocurrency. The concentration of companies such as Ledger and the heightened risk of personal-data leaks have made holders and their families targets, while undermining France’s efforts to establish itself as a crypto industry hub.

French Interior Ministry representative Jean-Didier Berger announced stronger protections at Paris Blockchain Week on April 14, 2026. That same month, the wife and child of a leading industry figure in Burgundy were kidnapped, with the perpetrators demanding €400,000. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on June 30 that 77 related cases had been recorded since the start of the year, up from 45 in all of 2025. A prevention platform had registered 724 people, while the initiative had led to 200 arrests.