Report: About 70% of global cryptocurrency hijacking incidents occur in France

According to Cointelegraph, Bitcoin journalist Joe Nakamoto stated that approximately 70% of violent kidnapping incidents (wrench attacks) targeting cryptocurrency holders and their families occur in France. Since 2026, there have been 41 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings in France, averaging one every two and a half days.

Nakamoto attributes this to the centralized storage of KYC (Know Your Customer) data. In the 2020 data breach incident involving hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger, the personal information, home addresses, and emails of over 270,000 users were exposed, providing criminals with precise attack targets. Casa CEO Jameson Lopp stated, "France is the canary in the coal mine, revealing how the surveillance system built by financial regulation can directly harm Bitcoin holders."

In response to such threats, industry experts recommend that holders use custodial services with security features that can trigger asset freezes and notify law enforcement in the event of an attack; they also suggest preparing a "decoy" wallet with a small amount of funds and maintaining a low profile in public to avoid exposing holding information.