Kidnapping of crypto blogger near Paris ends in release due to bankruptcy
Date: 2025-06-17 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: IN WORLD
Last weekend, a 26-year-old blogger known for his publications about cryptocurrencies on TikTok, where he has about 40 thousand subscribers, was kidnapped near Paris. The incident occurred when the young man was returning home to the Essonne department. According to Europe1, the attackers beat the victim and forced him into a stolen Renault Clio.
The criminals, of whom there were four, demanded €50,000 from the trader. However, after checking his crypto wallets and making sure that the victim did not have the necessary funds, they decided to let him go. This case was another in a series of attacks on crypto owners in the suburbs of Paris for the purpose of extortion.
According to Ledger co-founder Eric Larchevêque, 14 of the 50 such incidents worldwide occurred in France over the past year. These attacks have been dubbed “$5 wrench attacks” in the crypto community. The term refers to the humorous comic strip XKCD, where the hero explains that it is much easier to intimidate the owner of the keys with a cheap tool than to try to crack a complex encryption system.
French law enforcement is actively investigating a wave of such crimes. In early June, the alleged organizer of a series of kidnappings, who was wanted by Interpol, was detained. In addition, at least 12 other suspects are involved in the case, the exact number of which the police have not yet disclosed.
Recall that in January, criminals kidnapped Ledger co-founder David Balland and his companion in France. Balland lost a finger before he was released, and the girl was found tied up in the trunk of a car in Essonne. In May, the police in the same department arrested a group of criminals who held the father of a famous crypto millionaire and demanded a ransom of €5 million to €7 million for him.
Another incident occurred in May in the center of Paris, when unknown persons tried to kidnap the daughter of the head of the Paymium crypto exchange Pierre Noiz. The masked men wanted to drag her into a van by force, but the intervention of the girl's companion and passers-by prevented them from carrying out their plan.
This series of crimes near Paris demonstrates that owners of digital assets are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the threat of physical violence.
