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French cops are on the hunt for three armed suspects after a brazen home invasion in which fake police stole cryptocurrency, in what has become the latest “wrench attack” to rock France’s cryptocurrency community.
$1M Bitcoin Heist
A couple in their late 50s were reportedly forced to transfer around €900,000 ($1M) in Bitcoin after three men posing as police raided their home in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, near Versailles, French media outlet TF1 reports.
Sources cited by TF1 say the suspects tricked their way inside by claiming to be police, then threatened the woman with a knife, demanding her husband transfer Bitcoin to a wallet they controlled.
Reports indicate the assailants bound the man, wounded both victims, and fled the scene in a white van. The victims’ ordeal ended when the woman released her husband and notified neighbors at approximately 9:00 a.m.
The Versailles public prosecutor has confirmed the Bitcoin heist, saying France’s Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB) is handling the case, with potential charges, including kidnapping, armed robbery by an organized gang, and criminal conspiracy— but no arrests have been announced as of Tuesday.
‘Wrench Attacks’ Soar to Record Levels in France
The violent home invasion is part of a disturbing pattern of “wrench attacks,” where criminals use physical force rather than hacks to coerce crypto investors into handing over digital assets.
France has emerged as a European epicenter for “wrench attacks,” ranging from violent home invasions targeting crypto executives to ransom demands — including the shocking abduction and mutilation of Ledger CEO David Balland.
French authorities nabbed six suspects in early February after a magistrate and her mother were kidnapped in a crypto ransom plot targeting her entrepreneur partner. However, the surge in crypto-related crime shows no signs of letting up.
Last year, OG Bitcoiner and security expert Jameson Lopp tracked over 70 crypto-related wrench attacks worldwide — with France alone responsible for more than 14 reported incidents.
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Source: https://zycrypto.com/shocking-crypto-crime-fake-cops-steal-1m-in-bitcoin-from-french-couple-at-knifepoint/
