On May 13, 2025, the daughter of a prominent French cryptocurrency executive narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping in central Paris. Three masked men tried to forcibly abduct the 34-year-old woman and her two-year-old child by seizing them from the street. The victim's partner intervened heroically, with assistance from bystanders, forcing the assailants to flee in a postal delivery van later found abandoned nearby.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation, treating the case as linked to the family’s cryptocurrency ties and financial motives. This incident exacerbates growing industry concerns over the escalating risk of violent attacks targeting high-net-worth crypto executives and their families in France, where organized crime increasingly exploits such vulnerabilities.
Similar threats have emerged recently, including the January 2025 abduction of David Balland, co-founder of cryptocurrency hardware wallet maker Ledger, who suffered severe hand injuries during a ransom plot demanding cryptocurrency payments.
Authorities emphasize the urgent need for enhanced personal security measures within the crypto sector to protect key individuals and their families against kidnappings and ransom attempts. The rise in such attacks signifies a trend of criminal exploitation of perceived crypto wealth in an increasingly interconnected and volatile environment.