Crypto investors based in France may face more risk of physical attacks and kidnappings. The threats, commonly known as wrench attacks, could be triggered after the tax authority suffered a data breach, resulting in 678K users’ data being leaked.
According to Jameson Lopp, a security analyst and CSO at Casa Wallet, over 28K of the victims earn more than 100K Euros.
About 400 have incomes over 1 million Euros. For him, France is a leading country for wrench attacks; the breach could elevate the risks if the victims become targets.
French and crypto wrench attacks
Stolen crypto funds, especially those linked to on-chain hacks, always get most of the headlines. However, the deadly and violent physical attacks are not widely covered. Still, they are an increasing key risk factor for crypto investors.
These wrench attacks involve home invasions and kidnappings targeting crypto investors, founders, influencers, and their relatives or close associates. For their release, the attackers demand crypto as ransom. Some victims have ended up being mutilated or dead, and only a few have been rescued by law enforcement.
For example, in February 2026, David Prinçay, CEO of Binance France, suffered a home invasion.
Last year, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger (BTC hardware wallet), was kidnapped alongside his wife, and the attackers demanded €10 million in ransom. But they were later rescued.
According to the Crypto Crime tracker, there have been 61 violent attack incidents this year, resulting in a cumulative loss of $143M.
France tops the list with home invasions and kidnappings as the most dominant tactics deployed by attackers.
Crypto attacks: Home invasions and kidnappings dominate
But a recent Chainalysis report reported lower estimated losses of about $30M. However, it also flagged France as a hot spot (with 36 incidents), followed by the United States and Brazil.
Interestingly, France’s precarious position has been largely blamed on the tax watchdog.
In fact, earlier this year, the Telegram founder Pavel Durov claimed that the French taxman’s employees directly sell personal data to criminal organizations. For him, that was the main reason for the rising crypto kidnappings in France.
Worth noting that the success rate of violent crypto crimes has dropped to 26% in 2026. But the latest breach could reverse the trend.
Reacting to the French tax authority breach, Curve Founder Michael Egorov said,
Ugh. Paying taxes is now a threat?
Another analyst noted that the recent Trezor breach alongside the French hack would collectively make the situation worse. Affected victims in the breach who are also crypto investors should take extra precautions for their physical safety.
Final Summary
- French tax authority breach has affected 678K users as analysts warn it could accelerate wrench attacks
- France leads in violent crypto kidnappings and home invasions with 36 incidents in 2026