Cryptocurrencies: Kidnappings Are Becoming Increasingly Violent

In Bourgogne, an investigation is ongoing following the cryptocurrency-linked kidnapping of a mother and her 11-year-old son. They were freed by the elite GIGN gendarmerie unit at a hotel in Val-de-Marne. Four suspects have been arrested. What is alarming law enforcement is the explosion in the number of cases and the extreme violence of the perpetrators.

A Mother and Child Freed by the GIGN

Held captive in a hotel in Val-de-Marne, a mother and her 11-year-old son were freed on Tuesday 14 April by GIGN officers. They had been abducted the day before in Bourgogne. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of €400,000 in cryptocurrency from the child's father.

16 Hours of Torture Near Grenoble

These kidnappings are becoming more frequent and more violent. Near Grenoble in the Isère department, the father of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur was abducted from his home in January - in the middle of the night - and held and beaten for 16 hours. The 70-year-old man, still injured, recounted his ordeal:

"I was woken by blows and hands pinning me down on the sofa. The aim was to frighten my son into unlocking this famous cryptocurrency - which he didn't have, of course. They started cutting my left little finger. They placed a knife on the finger and then struck it twice with a hammer to break the tip off. They didn't manage to sever it, but they broke it nonetheless."

Inexperienced Hired Hands, Organised Masterminds

Behind every attack is a well-rehearsed method and a structured organisation. The masterminds hide behind their computers - often based abroad - and recruit hired hands on social media who, for a few thousand euros, are willing to commit any atrocity.

"We are dealing with young people aged between 16 and 20 who are attracted by the lure of extremely easy and fast money. The inexperienced profile of these young men actually makes it easier for the criminal investigation police to trace them," says Cyril Mancone, Alliance Police Nationale delegate for central services.

41 Kidnappings Since January

Since the beginning of the year in France, there have already been 41 kidnappings with a cryptocurrency motive. The trend is accelerating, and the victims range from high-profile entrepreneurs to ordinary holders - and even their elderly relatives.

The Keynap Perspective

The violence documented in this France 2 report is not an anomaly - it is a direct consequence of criminals adapting to an asset class that cannot be seized remotely without the private key. Physical coercion becomes the attack vector. Family members, including children and elderly parents, are deliberately targeted to maximise psychological pressure on the holder.

• ·Never publicly disclose your holdings - not on social media, not at events, not in online forums
• ·Keep your home address unlinked from your public identity and any on-chain activity
• ·Use a hardware wallet stored securely off-site, not at your primary residence
• ·Vary your daily routines to prevent predictable patterns being observed
• ·Ensure family members are briefed on security protocols and are not used as leverage
• ·Consider a professional assessment of your digital footprint and physical exposure

Source: France 2 - Journal de 13h, April 2025. Original report (in French): franceinfo.fr