Two armed and masked intruders tied up a couple in their home in Alès, southern France, early Saturday and threatened them for more than two hours while demanding cryptocurrency transfers, according to local media reports. The couple’s young child was inside the residence during the attack.
The suspects, one carrying a handgun and the other a knife, entered the home around 5 a.m. and restrained both victims. Neighbors heard screams and called police from the Alès station. The attackers fled as officers arrived, and no arrests have been reported. The case has been transferred to the Organized and Specialized Crime Division (DCOS) in Nîmes.
The incident is part of a broader surge in crypto-related violent crime in France. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said in July that France recorded 77 cases involving kidnapping, unlawful detention, extortion or attempted crimes connected to cryptocurrency by the end of June, compared with 45 cases for all of 2025. More recent local reports put the figure at about 80 similar incidents since January.
Security researchers have documented the escalation. Chainalysis estimated that criminals extracted more than $30 million through successful physical crypto attacks worldwide in the first half of 2026, with only 26% of documented incidents resulting in payments. Home invasions represented 37% of documented cases, up from 14% in 2025. CertiK recorded 52 wrench attacks worldwide in the first six months of 2026, up 33.3% year over year, with financial exposure reaching $124.1 million. France accounted for 33 of the 52 verified incidents, or 63.5% of the global total.
Recent French cases include an August home invasion in Rion-des-Landes, a March attack in Yvelines in which a husband was forced to transfer about €900,000 in Bitcoin, and an attack in Jouy-en-Josas where attackers seeking millions reportedly left with only 3,000 euros. Authorities have linked some targeting to stolen personal data, including tax records allegedly obtained from the DGFiP.
