A French cryptocurrency worker, his wife and their two children were tied up and held for more than three hours during a night-time home invasion in Vendin-le-Vieil, Pas-de-Calais, according to French media reports. Investigators suspect the four masked attackers targeted the father because of his work in the crypto sector and forced him to transfer roughly €40,000 in cryptocurrency before fleeing; no arrest had been announced as of the latest updates on Sept. 20.
BFMTV reported that the four suspects entered the family home overnight on Sept. 19–20 and restrained the couple and their children, aged 8 and 12. A source close to the investigation said the father was assaulted and his 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys. The father managed to contact emergency services around 8 a.m. Sunday while the family was still restrained, prompting the suspects to flee. Le Parisien cited preliminary findings that the attackers forced the father to hand over access codes and took close to €40,000 in cryptocurrency.
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into kidnapping and extortion by an organized group, with the case handed to judicial police units from Pas-de-Calais and Nord together with France’s anti-cybercrime office, OFAC. Authorities have not publicly identified the suspects or confirmed whether any stolen funds were traced or recovered.
The case is part of a wider wave of violent crypto-related crime in France. The National Gendarmerie has recorded 77 kidnappings, unlawful detentions, extortion attempts or attacks linked to cryptocurrency since the beginning of 2026, with about 200 arrests. Earlier cases include the abduction of Ledger co-founder David Balland, whose finger was cut off before he was rescued, and the kidnapping of a wealthy investor’s father in Paris in May, who was held for roughly 58 hours and also had a finger severed. Chainalysis data cited by crypto.news indicates violent attacks against crypto holders extracted more than $30 million worldwide in the first half of 2026, with home invasions accounting for 37% of publicly documented cases.
