Attackers Raid Wrong French Home Three Times After Crypto Millionaire Moves

A farmer and a bank executive in their late twenties bought a village home in France’s Somme department that had previously belonged to cryptocurrency millionaires. The former owners’ tax records and address later surfaced on the dark web, leading criminals to believe about €1 million in crypto remained accessible there. The case underscores how France’s wave of physical “wrench attacks” is increasingly exposing relatives, acquaintances and even unrelated homeowners to violence driven by leaked personal data.

The couple faced three intrusions in less than a month. Dogs repelled the first group on June 24, while attackers on June 26 restrained one resident, assaulted the other and streamed the raid on Snapchat before recognizing their mistake. An alarm drove off another crew on July 17. On Aug. 10, the Amiens criminal court sentenced two defendants, aged 20 and 21, to three years and 18 months in prison. One had been recruited through Telegram for up to €30,000; a rideshare driver received €300.