French Tax Data Breach Raises Fresh Fears Amid Rising Crypto-Related Violence

France’s Finance Ministry confirmed that hackers breached the country’s tax authority in late June, stealing personal and financial data belonging to roughly 678,000 individuals and businesses, equivalent to about 1% of the population. Among those affected, tens of thousands reported income above €100,000, hundreds exceeded €1 million, and a handful reported income above €10 million. The stolen data includes names, birthdates, home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, and is reportedly being sold on dark web marketplaces.

Breach Raises Risk for Wealthy Targets

While the leaked data doesn’t specifically identify crypto holders, security researchers warn the combination of identity and income information could help criminals identify wealthy targets for fraud, home invasions, or kidnappings. This concern is especially pointed in France, which has become one of the world’s worst hotspots for violent crimes targeting crypto owners, often called wrench attacks, where victims are threatened or assaulted to force them to hand over digital asset access.

Violent Crypto Attacks Already on Record Pace

Blockchain analytics data shows more than 30 publicly known violent crypto attacks occurred in France during just the first half of 2026, with losses exceeding $30 million, putting the country on pace to surpass last year’s record total. Investigators have previously linked part of this trend to a separate case involving a French tax employee accused of selling investor data to criminal networks before her arrest last year. In one recent example, a family in a rural French region was targeted multiple times after moving into a home previously owned by crypto millionaires whose information had leaked online.

Additional Breach Hits Hardware Wallet Customers

Separately, hardware wallet maker Trezor disclosed that a breach at its shipping provider exposed personal information belonging to thousands of customers, including phone numbers and home addresses, adding to growing concerns about how leaked personal data is increasingly being used to target crypto holders physically.