Gunman Posing as Courier Targets Crypto Investor in France

A man posing as a delivery driver allegedly tried to extort a crypto investor at gunpoint in a suburb of Montpellier, in what local media describe as the first reported crypto-motivated home invasion in France’s Hérault region. 

According to French outlet Actu.fr, the suspect gained access to the family home in Saint-Jean-de-Védas on April 11, pulled out a handgun and forced the parents and their children into a room before the father overpowered him during a struggle in which a shot was fired. 

No one was injured, and investigators from the Montpellier research section of the Gendarmerie later identified and arrested a 25-year-old suspect, who has since been charged and remanded in custody while police examine whether he acted alone.

The case comes amid a surge in so-called “wrench attacks,” in which criminals use threats or violence to force crypto holders to hand over funds or seed phrases, bypassing digital safeguards. France has emerged as one of the countries worst hit by these assaults, with at least 41 crypto-linked kidnappings and home invasions so far this year. 

France emerges as wrench attack epicenter

France’s wrench attack incidents amount to roughly one every 2.5 days, after such attacks jumped 75% in 2025 to 72 global cases in a single year and millions of dollars in confirmed losses, with France recording the highest number for a single country. 

Related: Crypto execs ramp up security as wrench attacks increase

French tech outlet Generation-NT reported on Tuesday that, beyond victims’ social media footprints, police and cybersecurity specialists increasingly suspect some gangs are compiling target lists from leaked customer data, giving them information on who holds significant crypto and where they live. 

Those concerns have been sharpened by recent leaks at crypto companies. In January, hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger said a breach at its payment partner Global‑e had exposed names, contact details and order information for some hardware wallet buyers, effectively creating a new, high-quality list of confirmed crypto users tied to physical addresses.

Kidnappings span fake raids and ransom plots

Recent French cases have ranged from fake police raids to ransom kidnappings. In February, police arrested six suspects over the abduction of a magistrate and her mother in a plot to extort crypto from the magistrate’s partner, a digital asset entrepreneur. Another investigation in March detailed assailants posing as officers who forced a French couple to transfer close to $1 million in Bitcoin (BTC) under threat of violence.

French officials say crypto crime is shifting from code-based exploits to physical coercion. At Paris Blockchain Week, French minister Jean-Didier Berger said the government had launched a prevention platform for crypto holders and was working with the Interior Ministry on wider measures in response to the wave of kidnappings and home invasions tied to digital assets.

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