French Crypto Worker Forced to Transfer €40,000 After Robbery
In Pas-de-Calais, an IT specialist in the crypto sector was held for hours and forced to transfer €40,000 in crypto. France is once again seeing more violent extortion cases tied to digital assets this year.
Key Takeaways
- Four masked men held a family in Vendin-le-Vieil for hours and forced the father to transfer €40,000 in crypto.
- The parents and two children were tied up; the father was beaten and the 12-year-old daughter was reportedly hit in the face, according to a source.
- Police have not made any arrests yet, while France is seeing another rise this year in crypto-related kidnappings and extortion.
Four masked men held a family in northern France for hours and forced the father, who works in the crypto sector, to transfer €40,000 in digital assets. The attack took place in Vendin-le-Vieil, in Pas-de-Calais, and fits into a string of violent crypto robberies that are hitting France hard again this year.
Family Tied Up in Vendin-le-Vieil
According to the Béthune prosecutor's office, the men broke into the house around 4:00 a.m. on September 20. They tied up both parents and their two children, ages 8 and 12, with black tape and searched the home. The father, a salaried IT specialist in the crypto sector, was beaten and pressured to hand over his login details and access codes.
The intruders then forced him to transfer €40,000 in crypto. A source close to the investigation said the 12-year-old daughter was also hit in the face with a car key. After more than three hours, the men left the house. The family managed to free themselves, and firefighters treated all four for shock. Police have not made any arrests yet and are searching for all four suspects.
More Violence Around Crypto in France
The case is not isolated. In the first half of 2026, France recorded 77 cases of kidnapping, unlawful detention, and extortion linked to crypto, more than the roughly 45 cases in all of 2025. Chainalysis previously reported that the number of publicly known French incidents jumped sharply in the first half of this year compared with last year.
According to earlier analyses, the increase is tied to a 2024 data leak in which sensitive information from wealthy crypto holders was allegedly stolen and resold. That appears to make it easier for attackers to find targets, although it has not been made public in this case how the attackers identified the father.
Why This Also Matters for European Readers
For European crypto users, this case shows that the risks are not just online. People who work in the industry, or their family members, can also become targets of physical extortion. That makes security of personal data and home addresses an increasingly relevant topic for the broader crypto market.
