Crypto-kidnappings: Despite the crackdown in Morocco, the wave of violence is picking up again in France

Last year, the French authorities had managed to trace back to the mastermind of part of these operations, located in Morocco. Despite the dismantling of this criminal organization, the phenomenon persists. Other offenders seem to have taken over, motivated by the rise in the price of Bitcoin and the lure of gain.

On January 6, 2026, on the outskirts of Manosque, a woman was kidnapped and mistreated by three armed individuals seeking to obtain the private keys of her partner’s crypto wallet. The attackers left with a USB key.

On January 9, an engineer from Saint-Léger-sous-Cholet was the victim of a kidnapping at his home before being released 50 km away. The same evening, in Verneuil-sur-Seine, an investor and his family were tied up and beaten at their home by three armed men.

The identification of the victims is facilitated by major flaws. A tax employee is suspected of having provided sensitive information (addresses, income, family situations) to criminal networks in exchange for bank transfers.

Furthermore, repeated data leaks, particularly the one that affected the security company Ledger, allow the aggressors to precisely locate their targets by consulting information sold on the dark web.