A prominent French artist and long-time Bitcoin supporter, Pascal Boyart, has publicly blamed the French government for a surge in violent cryptocurrency kidnappings, known as "$5 wrench attacks." Boyart took to X to state, "The French government is 100% complicit. Rendering the judicial system inoperative + kyc as kidnapp your customer; it's part of their war against crypto." His frustration stems from a horrific trend where criminals use physical violence to obtain private keys or passwords, bypassing digital security entirely.
France has become a major hotspot for this crime, with authorities handling roughly 40 cases of organized crypto kidnappings from 2023 through the end of 2025. These attacks are often commissioned by overseas criminal kingpins who recruit local intermediaries. High-profile targets have included Ledger co-founder David Balland and his family.
Simultaneously, a similar and violent pattern is emerging in California. In a high-profile San Francisco case from November 22, thieves posing as pizza delivery drivers bound a victim, beat him with a firearm, and stole $13 million in cryptocurrency—$10 million in Bitcoin and $3 million in Ethereum—in a single forced transfer. At least three linked attempts followed in Sunnyvale, San Jose, and Los Angeles.
Security consultant Ordekian notes the core logic: if a criminal cannot crack encryption, they apply pressure directly to the holder. The irreversible nature of crypto transactions means there is no fraud department to call or chargeback to file once funds are transferred.
Attackers are using sophisticated reconnaissance, infiltrating food delivery accounts to obtain home addresses and scouring social media, forums, and public blockchain data to identify targets. In Los Angeles, a former LAPD officer was convicted in March 2026 for robbing a 17-year-old who had publicly displayed wealth linked to a hard drive containing $350,000 in Bitcoin.
