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Crypto wrench attacks rise as France logs 41 cases in 2025
French officials said the country has recorded at least 41 crypto-related kidnappings and home invasions this year, as security was tightened around a major blockchain conference amid a rise in so-called wrench attacks.
France is preparing new measures with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, while a prevention platform has already drawn thousands of registrations, said Jean-Didier Berger, a delegate minister in the Interior Ministry.
A wrench attack uses physical coercion to force access to digital assets, and researchers said victims are increasingly identified through social media, public appearances, leaked datasets, and follow-home surveillance.
Data from blockchain security firm CertiK and researcher Jameson Lopp showed 72 verified physical coercion incidents worldwide in 2025, up 75% from a year earlier.
🔗 Source: CoinDesk
🧠 Food for thought
Implications, context, and why it matters.
France stands out in crypto kidnappings
- France accounts for 19 of 72 verified physical coercion cases tied to crypto worldwide in 2025, more than twice the total in the United States 1.
- The label “wrench attack” softens what happens. In several cases, kidnappers cut off a victim’s finger to force payment, including a co-founder of Ledger, a French crypto wallet company 2.
- The count is likely low because police may log some incidents as robbery or burglary, while other victims stay silent 3.
These assaults raise fresh problems for police and lawmakers
- The attacks put pressure on France’s goal of becoming a European crypto center, pushing some executives to hire bodyguards or tighten home security 1.
- A proposal that would require crypto holders to declare assets has drawn pushback because it could create a central list of wealthy people, which criminals could target 4.
- These cases can be simpler to crack than online theft. They leave physical evidence, and the money trails are often less hidden on the blockchain 5.
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