Early Saturday morning in Alès, France, a married couple were tied up and threatened by armed attackers for two hours. The demand was simple: transfer cryptocurrency. Neighbors heard the screams and called police. But the suspects were gone before officers got there, and they are still at large.
France's Interior Ministry said the country logged 77 crypto-related kidnapping and extortion cases in the first half of 2026. That is higher than the total for all of 2025. Officials said some organizers seem to be running these operations from abroad. About 200 people have been arrested, and the ministry is stepping up intelligence sharing and international cooperation.
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