France logs 77 crypto-linked kidnapping and extortion cases

Crypto investors usually think about wallet security first. France's latest figures show the larger risk can be the person with access to funds.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said authorities have recorded 77 cases this year involving unlawful confinement, abduction, extortion, or attempted extortion tied to crypto-sector actors, according to BFM TV. Le Parisien reported that France saw 45 comparable cases across 2025. Nunez also said 200 people have been arrested after incidents or before planned attacks, and 724 people from the crypto sector have been added to immediate-identification systems so emergency services can recognize high-risk individuals faster.

The French response is moving past wallet hygiene and toward police coordination. Nunez described three lines of action: stronger intelligence sharing, a deeper partnership with industry group ADAN through an expert network, and tighter operational work between French services and foreign countries where organizers may be based.

The shift reflects how these attacks work. Once criminals can link a person to visible wealth, a public role, leaked data, or transfer authority, hardware wallets and multisig are only part of the defense. In France, crypto security is becoming a question of personal data, emergency access, and cross-border law enforcement as much as custody controls.