France Faces Rising Crypto Kidnappings After Multiple Ransom Cases

France is facing a sharper and more violent wave of crypto-linked kidnapping, with recent cases showing that attackers are not only targeting investors but also their parents, spouses, and children.

A 74-year-old man abducted in January in Voiron, southeastern France, has described how kidnappers held him for 16 hours and tortured him in an attempt to force his son to hand over €3 million in cryptocurrency. The victim said three men stormed his home at around 6 a.m., beat him immediately, and told him they had come for crypto access codes after claiming his son was a millionaire.

The man said his captors cut his finger and cheek, staged suffocation scenes using a large plastic bag, and recorded videos to pressure his son into paying. No ransom was paid. Police arrested three suspects, aged 19 to 23, after the victim was released in a forest later that night. They now face charges including torture or barbaric acts.

New Burgundy Case: Kidnappers are Targeting Families

Another case this week followed a similar pattern. Armed and masked attackers entered a home in the Yonne area of Burgundy, tied up the father, stole cash, jewelry, small silver bars, and a firearm, then abducted the mother and the couple’s 11-year-old son. Prosecutors said the group demanded a $400,000 cryptocurrency transfer.

The father managed to alert authorities after freeing himself. Investigators tracked the hostages to a hotel room in Boissy-Saint-Léger, near Paris, and rescued them the next morning. Seven men were placed in custody after the operation, which involved around 100 gendarmes, including the elite GIGN unit.

French authorities say these incidents are no longer isolated. The anti-organized crime prosecutor’s office said earlier this month that it was already handling 13 crypto-related kidnapping cases.

Investigators See a Broader Criminal Pattern Forming

The Voiron case offers a clearer look at how these groups operate. Investigators say the assailants often work as low-level executors who follow orders from remote organizers. In the January case, police believe the mastermind operated from abroad and directed the violence by phone while the kidnappers kept sending images and videos to the victim’s son.

Authorities also say many victims are identified through leaked databases, social media exposure, or detailed open-source intelligence research. In the Voiron case, the victim’s son reportedly appeared in data held by crypto firms that had been hacked and resold. In other cases, investigators say criminals use public records and online lifestyle signals to map targets and their relatives.

The wider backdrop points to rising pressure on crypto-related crime in Europe. A separate international case this week led to the arrest of a suspect in Ukraine in a cyber fraud and money laundering investigation involving more than $100 million. Together, the cases show how digital-asset crime is increasingly blending cyber fraud, extortion, and violent organized crime.

Related: Ukraine Arrests Cybercrime Suspect in $100M Global Fraud Case