France's Kidnapping Crisis

France has recorded 41 kidnappings tied to Bitcoin and crypto holdings in 2026, averaging one attack every 2.5 days since January, according to local broadcaster RTL. The country led the world in wrench attacks during 2025 with 19 confirmed incidents, while Europe collectively accounted for roughly 40% of global cases. Globally, wrench attacks increased 75% in 2025 to 72 verified cases, according to cybersecurity platform CertiK.

The most recent high-profile case occurred on April 14 in Burgundy. Four suspects kidnapped a woman and her 11-year-old son, demanding a ransom of 400,000 euros (approximately $471,000) from the father, an entrepreneur in the Bitcoin and crypto sector. The victims were released the following morning and all four suspects were arrested, according to the Paris prosecutor's office. In March, a couple in their late 50s were robbed of $1 million in bitcoin by criminals who impersonated police officers.

The Government's Response

French Deputy Minister of the Interior Jean-Didier Berger addressed the crisis at Paris Blockchain Week, confirming that preventive measures are already in place, including a prevention platform that has gathered thousands of sign-ups. He said he is working with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez on a more structured plan to be presented in the coming weeks.

The announcements came against the backdrop of a country grappling with a visible and growing threat. Paris Blockchain Week provided an unusual stage: a government minister promising to protect Bitcoin and crypto holders at an event built around the industry those same holders finance.

Why It Matters

Parts of the Bitcoin community are currently absorbed by what might happen to Satoshi's coins if quantum computing, a threat that does not currently exist and may never materialize, eventually arrives. That same community is underweighting a threat that is real, recurring, and accelerating: criminals with tools who are prepared to torture people for their keys.

The protocol does not care whether your keys were stolen by a quantum computer or extracted with a wrench. It will settle the transaction either way. Physical security is not a downstream concern for self-custodians to sort out later. It is part of the stack right now, and France's statistics suggest the window for treating it as optional is already closed. Steps to shore up physical defenses, from operational security practices to keeping wealth invisible, are not paranoia. They are table stakes for anyone holding meaningful amounts of bitcoin.