TLDR
- French prosecutors charged 88 people over alleged crypto wrench attacks targeting digital asset holders.
- The accused include 10 minors, while 75 suspects remain in pre-trial detention.
- The charges are tied to 12 ongoing investigations handled by judges in Paris.
- Prosecutors linked the cases to kidnappings, extortion and forced crypto transfers.
- French authorities warned crypto holders to limit social media exposure that could attract attackers.
French authorities have charged at least 88 people, including 10 minors, in connection with a series of crypto-related kidnappings, extortion attempts and violent coercion cases targeting digital asset holders. Prosecutors said the charges are tied to 12 investigations overseen by specialized judges at the Paris Judicial Court, with 75 suspects still being held in pre-trial detention as authorities continue tracing the networks behind the attacks.
The cases center on so-called wrench attacks, in which criminals use physical threats, confinement or direct violence to force victims to hand over crypto holdings or wallet access. France’s national prosecutor for organized crime, Vanessa Perrée, said the files involve offenses such as abduction, detention, extortion and attempted extortion carried out by organized groups, with prosecutors treating them as serious crimes because of both the violence used and the damage caused to victims.
French investigators have also signaled that the cases are not isolated. Prosecutors said links found across several files point to structured criminal networks rather than standalone attacks, and authorities are still trying to identify the organizers, recruitment channels and money flows behind the operations. That wider investigation has become more urgent as crypto-linked physical attacks continue to spread across the country.
Cases mount as French Authorities Map Organized Networks
The pace of these incidents has risen sharply. French organized crime prosecutors have counted 18 crypto-linked kidnapping or extortion cases in 2024, 67 in 2025 and 47 more so far in 2026. That places France at the center of a growing security problem in which digital wealth is no longer targeted only through phishing, hacks or malware, but through direct physical force against holders and their families.
One recent Le Monde report described a February 2026 case in which a French magistrate and her mother were kidnapped near Grenoble by a youth gang allegedly recruited through Telegram for a cryptocurrency ransom operation. The case illustrated how younger participants are being drawn into these plots while investigators continue searching for higher-level coordinators who appear to direct attacks from a distance.
The latest prosecutions follow a series of high-profile crypto kidnapping cases in France over the past year. In January 2025, Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife were kidnapped from their home in central France, and prosecutors later said Balland’s hand had been mutilated during the ordeal. That case brought international attention to the use of physical violence against people linked to digital assets and helped put wrench attacks more firmly on the law enforcement agenda.
Crypto Holders Face Renewed Warnings Over Personal Exposure
French prosecutors are now urging crypto holders and their families to reduce the kinds of public exposure that can make them easier to identify and locate. Perrée said users should be cautious about what they share online, especially on social media, as law enforcement examines how attackers select victims and build profiles around wealth, location and family ties. Prosecutors also warned against contacts from people posing as officials and seeking information about a holder’s physical whereabouts.
That warning matches a broader pattern described by security researchers. CertiK said verified wrench attacks worldwide rose to 72 in 2025, a 75% increase from the prior year, with kidnapping remaining the primary attack vector. The firm said Europe accounted for more than 40% of global incidents and that France recorded the highest number of attacks worldwide, ahead of the United States. CertiK also estimated that confirmed losses from wrench attacks exceeded $40.9 million in 2025.
Security specialists have also said crypto holders can become targets when their wealth becomes visible online. In 2025, security experts interviewed by Reuters said criminals could be drawn to investors posting evidence of new wealth, while the perception that crypto is easier to launder than cash can add to its appeal in extortion cases. That has pushed personal privacy and operational security closer to the center of risk planning for many digital asset users.
