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Unknown assailants attacked a family and forced them to surrender $820,000 in cryptocurrency., 2026/04/22 18:01:18
Two masked criminals armed with firearms broke into a residence in the commune of Ploudalmézeau in northwestern France and, under the threat of violence, compelled the homeowners to transfer cryptocurrency valued at approximately 700,000 euros (around $820,000).
At the time of the incident, a woman was present with her two young children and two elderly relatives. The three adults were bound by the assailants, who spent three hours attempting to gain access to the family’s cryptocurrency assets. Ultimately, the woman complied with the attackers and transferred all her funds. The specific cryptocurrency involved has not been disclosed by law enforcement.
The criminals were startled by a neighbor who entered the house, prompting them to flee in a vehicle stolen from the family. Later that evening, police found the abandoned car in Brest. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made thus far.
In March, unknown assailants attacked an elderly couple on the outskirts of Paris. The perpetrators, posing as police officers, forced the couple to transfer around 900,000 euros (approximately $1 million) in Bitcoin before disappearing. They have not yet been apprehended.
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On February 12, three armed men entered the home of David Princay, the head of Binance France. They searched the apartment and escaped with two mobile phones. Police tracked the stolen devices and arrested the suspects at the Lyon-Perrache train station the same day.
A few days prior, a group of men in France kidnapped a magistrate and her mother, but the women managed to free themselves after more than a day. The suspects have been arrested.
On January 25, three men in Lyon tortured a 74-year-old retiree and demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency from his son, whom they mistakenly believed to be a significant crypto investor. Once the error was discovered, the elderly Frenchman was released. The attackers were later apprehended.
Since January, police in France have recorded over 40 kidnappings and assaults related to cryptocurrency owners. This figure surpasses the total number of similar incidents for the entire year of 2025, which was around 30 such “key-in-hand” attacks.
