A family in Vendin-le-Vieil in northern France was taken hostage early Sunday after four masked men broke into their home, according to BFMTV in a report cited by ChainCatcher.
The suspects entered the house at around 4 a.m. and tied up a couple and their two children with tape, holding them for more than three hours. The 40-year-old father, who works as an IT specialist in the local crypto industry, was separated from the rest of the family, beaten, and forced to hand over access codes. About €40,000, or roughly $46,000, in cryptocurrency was transferred out.
The Béthune prosecutor’s office said the four suspects fled by car and are still at large. During the attack, the family’s 12-year-old daughter was hit in the face with a car key. The victims were described as being in shock, and they were taken for forensic examination and given support from a victims’ assistance association.
The case has been opened as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang. The investigation has been assigned jointly to the regional judicial police and France’s cybercrime office.
France has seen a rise in crypto-related wrench attacks
The report said France is the country most heavily affected by this type of so-called wrench attack. Figures from the national prosecutor’s office for combating organized crime show that more than 70 crypto-related kidnappings and unlawful detention cases were recorded in the first eight months of 2026. Earlier this year, 88 people were charged in a separate enforcement operation.
Previous cases had often targeted high-profile wealthy victims, including the father of a crypto millionaire, the wife of a co-founder of The Sandbox, and the chief executive of Binance France. In this case, the victim was described as an ordinary IT worker.
Chainalysis said wrench attacks worldwide caused about $30 million in losses in 2026. CertiK, meanwhile, said losses reached $124 million over six months, up 12-fold.