France Records 90 Violent Crypto Attacks in Seven Months, Official Figures Show

French authorities logged 90 crypto linked cases of kidnapping, abduction, extortion, threats and violent theft between Jan. 1 and mid August 2026, according to figures from the Interior Ministry. That works out to a new case roughly every two and a half days. Police made 223 arrests, and 126 people were jailed from January to July.
There is no year-on-year comparison, since the ministry only began recording these events at the start of 2026. Other trackers show lower counts: Chainalysis found 30 public incidents, though it believes the real number is far higher, while Gart.io counted 73 in France, ahead of the US with 66 and the UK with 27.

Why France Is a Hotspot for Crypto Kidnappings

Jameson Lopp’s directory lists 365 physical attacks across 60 countries from 2014 to 2026, with France at the top. Attacks have spread beyond Paris to Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse and Nantes, and 93% of victims with known residency were French. Chainalysis researcher Eric Jardine says leaked data is very likely the cause. He points to the 2024 French tax authority leak, after which attacks climbed from late November, and a January 2026 breach at tax reporting firm Waltio affecting about 50,000 users. Francis Pouliot of Bull Bitcoin has criticised the EU’s DAC8 reporting rules, saying they turn Know Your Customer into “Kill Your Customer.”

Relatives Increasingly Targeted

Relatives and acquaintances make up over 40% of victims in France, against 25% to 30% worldwide. Cases include an attempted abduction of the wife of Sandbox co-founder Sébastien Borget in May, a rural couple facing three break-in attempts in August after their new home’s previous owners were exposed online, and a 2025 Paris kidnapping that demanded $5.6 million. Jardine says this suggests criminals scout targets first. French authorities now treat the attacks as organized crime through JUNALCO.