Crypto wrench attacks rise as French couple robbed of $1M in Bitcoin at knifepoint

A couple in western Paris was held hostage and forced to transfer roughly €900,000 ($980,000) in Bitcoin after three criminals posing as police officers broke into their home in what appears to be the latest crypto “wrench attack.”

Summary

• Three attackers posing as police forced their way into a home in Yvelines, threatening the victims with a knife and demanding a crypto transfer.
• The husband transferred roughly €900,000 in Bitcoin under duress before the suspects tied him up and fled.
• The attack adds to a surge of crypto-related kidnappings and extortion attempts in France, where criminals increasingly target digital asset holders.

The attack took place Monday morning in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt in the Yvelines department, where the suspects rang the doorbell and claimed to be police officers.

When the woman opened the door, the men forced their way inside and threatened her with a knife, demanding that her partner transfer the cryptocurrency to a wallet under their control.

Under duress, the husband complied and transferred the equivalent of €900,000 in Bitcoin (BTC). The attackers then tied him up while the woman suffered minor injuries before the group fled the scene in a white van.

The woman later managed to free her husband and alert neighbors, ending the ordeal shortly after.

The Versailles prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into charges including organized armed robbery, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy. The case is being handled by France’s Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB), and no arrests had been reported so far.

France sees rise in crypto “wrench attacks”

The incident adds to a growing wave of so-called “wrench attacks,” where criminals use physical violence or coercion to force victims to hand over digital assets rather than attempting technical hacks.

France has emerged as a major hotspot for such crimes. Earlier reporting shows that the country has seen dozens of crypto-linked kidnappings and extortion attempts, with investors and their relatives increasingly targeted as the value of digital assets rises.

The number of verified wrench attacks worldwide jumped significantly in 2025, with France accounting for a notable share of incidents.

Recent cases include the kidnapping of relatives connected to cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and a string of violent robberies aimed at forcing victims to transfer crypto funds. Authorities have made arrests in some investigations, but the attacks continue to surface across the country.