Crypto Worker's Children Held Hostage in Latest French ‘Wrench Attack,’ $46,000 Taken
France is the worst-hit country in the world for these attacks, with more than 70 logged in the first eight months of 2026.
France has recorded another violent cryptocurrency-related robbery, with attackers holding the children of a crypto industry worker hostage to extract approximately $46,000 in digital assets. According to Decrypt, the incident follows a pattern of so-called "wrench attacks," physical crimes in which perpetrators bypass digital security entirely by threatening victims or their families with direct physical harm to force asset transfers.
France has emerged as the global epicenter for such attacks, with authorities logging more than 70 incidents in the first eight months of 2026 alone. The country has seen a sharp escalation in these crimes targeting individuals known or suspected to hold cryptocurrency holdings, ranging from retail investors to professional industry workers. The vulnerability of crypto assets to coercion — transactions are irreversible and difficult to trace once completed — makes holders attractive targets for organized criminal groups.
The trend raises serious security concerns across the broader cryptocurrency industry, prompting renewed debate about operational security practices, privacy around public disclosures of crypto holdings, and the responsibilities of exchanges and employers to protect staff identities. Security professionals have long warned that digital asset security measures alone cannot protect individuals once their identities and holdings become known in physical communities.
French law enforcement and government officials are expected to face increasing pressure to implement targeted measures addressing the surge in crypto-specific violent crime, particularly as incidents involving family members of industry workers continue to draw public attention.
Source: Decrypt
