France witnesses another violent incident related to cryptocurrency: masked gunmen break into a home and kidnap, specifically targeting "encrypted USB drives"

Violent crimes related to cryptocurrencies in France have once again attracted attention. On Monday evening local time, three masked gunmen broke into a private residence in Manosque, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France, kidnapping a woman inside and stealing a USB drive containing her partner’s encrypted data. This incident highlights the ongoing risk of “cryptocurrency physical robberies” and “wrench attacks” in France.

According to French media outlet Le Parisien, the incident occurred on Chemin Champs de Pruniers. After entering the residence, the suspects threatened the victim with a pistol and used physical violence, then quickly fled with the targeted USB drive. The USB drive is believed to contain important encrypted assets or private key information, making it the clear target of the operation.

Police reports indicate that the victim was not seriously injured; she managed to free herself and call the police within minutes. The case has been officially filed, and local criminal investigation units along with the national police regional bureau are jointly investigating. The suspects are still at large.

Such cases are not isolated. Jameson Lopp, CTO of security company Casa, documented over 70 “wrench attacks” related to cryptocurrencies worldwide in his public database, with more than 14 reported in France, making it one of the high-incidence countries for crypto-related violent crimes in Europe. These cases often involve physical threats to force victims to hand over private keys, hardware wallets, or encrypted storage devices.

Network crime advisor David Sehyeon Baek told Decrypt that France has a relatively high crime base, and cryptocurrency wealth is highly concentrated among founders, traders, and public figures. Coupled with the widespread knowledge of digital assets, this makes the country a fertile ground for opportunistic and organized crypto crimes. He emphasized that compared to cash or traditional banking systems, cryptocurrencies offer high profits, rapid cross-border transfers, and relatively low traceability, making them more attractive targets for criminal networks.

Even more concerning is that vulnerabilities have appeared within France’s law enforcement system. Reports indicate that a French tax official was prosecuted last June for abusing access to the national tax database to target potential victims, including cryptocurrency investors, and leaking personal information to criminals. Investigations show that the official’s search activities were unrelated to their tax duties and even temporally linked to subsequent violent home invasions.

As the scale of crypto assets grows, the violent risks targeting holders in real life are gradually evolving from “marginal incidents” into a security issue that cannot be ignored.