France is strengthening its security system after 77 cases of kidnapping, sequestration, extortion, or attempts related to the crypto sector since the beginning of 2026. In response to this r
France is strengthening its security system after 77 cases of kidnapping, sequestration, extortion, or attempts related to the crypto sector since the beginning of 2026. In response to this rapid increase, the authorities want to accelerate alerts, better identify the masterminds, and protect professionals as well as their relatives.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez presented these figures on June 30 before the Association for the Development of Digital Assets. The 77 recorded cases already far exceed the 45 cases reported in 2025. Yet France had begun preparing a protection plan several months earlier.
The figure does not correspond solely to 77 kidnappings completed to their end. It also includes sequestrations, extortions, and thwarted attempts. This clarification does not diminish the seriousness of the phenomenon. Rather, it shows that criminal networks are multiplying reconnaissance and operations.
About 200 people have been arrested after assaults or during preventive interventions. In a recent case in the Somme, the suspects were reportedly arrested eight hours after the events. Authorities now want to shorten this delay even further.
Secure your cryptos with TrezorThis link uses an affiliate program.Attackers no longer only target founders of platforms or highly visible investors. Their families, employees, and sometimes former crypto holders can also be targeted. Some victims do not even hold the sums that criminals believe to find.
Networks often use information available online. Posts on social networks, travel photos, announcements of gains, or old data leaks can serve to create a financial profile. Visibility thus becomes a physical risk.
France has already faced several cases involving teams recruited via messaging apps. The executors can be young and inexperienced, while organizers stay at a distance, sometimes abroad. This structure complicates investigations and facilitates the quick replacement of arrested persons.
The phenomenon of wrench attacks confirms this evolution. Crypto security no longer depends solely on passwords, hardware wallets, and two-factor authentication. It now also concerns homes, movements, and personal data.
The first announced axis relies on better intelligence sharing. Services must cross-check information on vehicles, online accounts, recruitments, and groups suspected of ordering attacks more quickly.
The government also wants to strengthen its partnership with Adan. A network of experts must bring together crypto companies and state services. The goal is to improve reporting and help police understand the technical mechanisms used in extortions.
In total, 724 professionals in the sector would already be registered on platforms allowing their immediate identification by law enforcement. This number would have increased by 11%. This system aims to prevent a report involving a crypto actor from being treated as an ordinary case.
The third axis targets coordination between French services and countries where some masterminds are located. Local arrests remain insufficient when organizers pilot operations from abroad.
The police response can limit attacks, but it will not eliminate the risk created by data exposure. Platforms, administrations, and companies in the sector sometimes hold information capable of identifying investors and their holdings.
An internal leak or a cyberattack can turn these databases into targeting tools. Authorities will therefore need to protect potential victims without creating new files too easy to misuse.
For investors, discretion becomes a security measure. Publicly displaying gains, addresses, or portfolio values can attract unwanted attention. The separation between public identity and financial activity takes on new importance.
France is thus moving from a case-by-case response to a more structured strategy. Arrests show that investigations are progressing, but the rise to 77 cases reveals the threat remains active. Protecting the sector will depend as much on police cooperation as on data security and the prevention of crypto extortions.
