Thomas Daniels
In the latest example of a so‑called “wrench attack,” a 23‑year‑old cryptocurrency enthusiast was reportedly abducted in Maisons‑Alfort, a suburb southeast of Paris, earlier this week. According to Le Parisien, the assailants held the victim captive for several hours and coerced his partner into handing over €5,000 (~$5,764) in cash, along with access credentials to a Ledger hardware wallet containing undisclosed crypto holdings.
The assailants allegedly used violence to force the couple to disclose their private keys or seed phrase—underscoring the growing use of physical intimidation tactics against crypto custodians. After the ransom exchange, the victim was released in Créteil. As of Thursday, no arrests have been reported.
This incident continues a troubling global trend of crypto-related abductions. In May, three kidnappers attempted to capture both the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO and co‑founder of the French cryptocurrency exchange Paymium. Similar rackets have surfaced in New York, India, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Spain, where assailants use torture and threats to extract wallet access from victims.
Early Bitcoin advocate and Casa custody co‑founder Jameson Lopp noted that there have been 232 physical attacks against crypto holders in the past 11 years—a statistic that includes “swatting” incidents like the one experienced by Hal Finney in 2014, following his reception of the first-ever Bitcoin transaction.
These recurring “wrench attacks” serve as a stark warning: individuals securing digital assets via hardware wallets are increasingly vulnerable to real-world threats. As the crypto ecosystem matures, enhanced physical security measures and public safety awareness must become essential components of personal asset protection.
