Crypto Kidnappings in France Out of Control!

[MArsland]

Again, what can governments do? This is not merely an issue for individuals to consider. It's a society-wide problem, too.

Before the state acts, we should first evaluate ourselves, do they often show off their Bitcoin or other asset ownership? because it must be remembered that all of that is like Newton Third Law there is something that triggers it. Therefore the anonymity of bitcoin asset ownership is the main principle and is not immediately echoed if it has no benefits.

[goldkingcoiner]

The savior complex of Europeans hits the wall named reality once again.

I would say if you are going to live in the third-world country like France is now, you should not flaunt your wealth. This is why anonymity is so important in crypto. But then again it is a double-edged sword that can be used by criminals either way. The better solution would have been to not import the war-torn third world populations in the first place. I guess the French would rather live in their own fantasy world than in a harsh, unequal reality.

The dogs bite the hand that feeds them, yet the idiots feed them again in hopes that next time they will not be bitten.

[Taskford]

There have been several high-profile kidnappings of crypto executives or their relatives in France, showing there is now a pattern of organized criminals targeting those thought to possess cryptocurrencies. While other countries have had similar incidents, for now France appears to have taken the lead in some of the boldest attacks. Recently, two relatives (a mother and child) of a crypto exchange CEO endured a bold kidnapping attempt in broad daylight in Paris.

So what can France and other countries do to stem the tide of such attacks? If this is not brought under control, this potentially may drive away everyday people who will have to fear a kidnapping attempt if they hold Bitcoin. These attacks should thus be understood as terrorism being committed against bitcoiners and their families.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250514-france-summons-cryptocurrency-businesses-after-kidnappings

Although its very unfortunate to see those situation happening but still its great that french government is taking action towards those situation https://www.cointribune.com/en/the-french-government-is-responding-to-the-wave-of-kidnappings-targeting-crypto-entrepreneurs/

The growing number of this cases is really alarming and its good that police officials is aware then do something about these cases. What we do hope is that there's no second kidnapping victim would occur and government would find an effective solution to eliminate those group of people doing this kind of crime.

[pushups44]

Again, what can governments do? This is not merely an issue for individuals to consider. It's a society-wide problem, too.

Before the state acts, we should first evaluate ourselves, do they often show off their Bitcoin or other asset ownership? because it must be remembered that all of that is like Newton Third Law there is something that triggers it. Therefore the anonymity of bitcoin asset ownership is the main principle and is not immediately echoed if it has no benefits.

Thank you for your response. Beyond acting individually - an important facet here, though one that has been harped on more than any other - governments need to take security threats very seriously. Obviously, it's the nature of Bitcoin to attract individualists who believe in personal sovereignty, but this is slightly disingenuous as Bitcoin is becoming a reserve asset for nations and is being integrated into the core financial structure of the world. Thus, it's more than just an individual "don't tell people you own Bitcoin" issue. Governments must figure out ways to fight this type of violent crime.

It's both an individual and a society-wide problem. My guess is that this will make people think twice about establishing crypto businesses in France. This will hurt France.

[CryptSafe]

On the other hand, I am curious to ask this to the general house, do you think it is safe to use the local exchange where you are well known in that locality? because I feel this is another threat on its own.

If the exchange is reputable, I mean they have a very high trust worthy profile, then it's not a bad idea for me to use it, unless they have had a case of hacks or leaked information before, that's only when I would avoid the exchange, because after they ask for KYC and carelessly allow users informations to be exposed, that means they could put users at risk because their information can get into the hands of those thieves. Another thing, cryptography users should be extremely careful in the exchange they perform KYC or better still avoid exchange that request for KYC.

I was curious to ask this question because so far, all the France-related attacks have been locals and somehow related to their local exchange, and it looks like the possibility of their information being leaked or something, and the attackers attack them directly or their family to say.

Sometimes, it might not necessarily mean that a hack occurs, but I am convinced that customers' information might get leaked through staff or whoever trades or is careless with customers' data for rewards. If I am not mistaken, there has been no news of any hack on any of the local French exchanges of late, but prominent and local people are being attacked by criminals in a well-planned manner.

[suzanne5223]

It seems these crypto kidnappings are all happening in France from some reason.
I don't hear about them anywhere else, at least not yet.

Yes, there is a reason behind everything that happened, and according to what I read through my curiosity about the reason why some crypto holder executives were targeted by criminals in France.
The Chainalysis CEO, Jonathan Levin, said, "For whatever reason, there is a perception that’s out there in France that crypto is an asset that is untraceable, and that this lends itself to criminals acting in a certain way."
I believe the above reasons, with the inclusion of BlackRock and some government plans on using Bitcoin for reserve, are the reason why we see criminals targeting holders.

[Nwada001]

Now France is suffering from homelessness and high crime rates and doesn't know what to do with all those people from Senegal Cameroon and so on that fill up their prisons.

The French government shouldn't be disturbed with what to do about the high crime rate. If the people who are causing those problems are immigrants, the best thing to do with anyone who is caught is send them back home, and those who migrated there illegally should also be sent back.

You can't be sympathizing with people who are causing your citizens sleepless nights, but those legal immigrants who are working genuinely should be allowed to stay; anyone who poses a threat should be sent packing.

[dzungmobile]

The French government shouldn't be disturbed with what to do about the high crime rate. If the people who are causing those problems are immigrants, the best thing to do with anyone who is caught is send them back home, and those who migrated there illegally should also be sent back.

You can't be sympathizing with people who are causing your citizens sleepless nights, but those legal immigrants who are working genuinely should be allowed to stay; anyone who poses a threat should be sent packing.

It is an exisiting problem in France and unfortunately it is a popular issue around Europe too. They have too low birthrate and need to open their borders for immigrants but those people must be quality and legal for entering. However, by many reasons in recent years, many illegal immigrants were accepted and law enforcements in European Union countries have become softer. This cause a kind of systematic problem that in turn increases crime rate in European Union but surely if can be changed with time to be better if governments change their approaches from soft to hard.

The famous saying nowadays in Western countries is "If you import the third world, you will become the third world", at national scale.

[Marykeller]

Let me guess. The kidnappers are gangs from Africa.

France is one of the countries in the EU that took the most migrants back when the left thought it was a good idea. So ethical, so full of sympathy towards the people who leave their countries to seek welfare checks in the North. Now France is suffering from homelessness and high crime rates and doesn't know what to do with all those people from Senegal Cameroon and so on that fill up their prisons.

Since you are making guesswork, for the kidnappers to be gangs from Africa. I won't accept your guess to be true unless it is proven otherwise that the kidnappers are gangs from Africa really. And their identity reveals to the world, the harm Africa is causing in France. Till when that time comes, no continent citizens are far from being accused of being responsible for the act of kidnapping happening in France. Kidnapping we can find them in other nations, not in Africa only.

This act of kidnapping is condemnable by every nation. No continent is in support of it. I wish the kidnappers will be caught and brought to justice by sentencing them to death or life imprisonment

[Circle Socks]

Crypto was supposed to provide people more freedom and control over their moneybut now it’s placing some at considerable risk. What’s happening in France is a wake up call, not just for the government but also for the crypto community. There has to be better coordination between law enforcement and crypto firms to track and prevent these crimes.
At the same time more education is needed around privacy and security, because if people don’t feel comfortable they’ll start walking away from it altogether.

[qwertyup23]

I think there was a similar thread posted about this a few days/weeks ago where another kidnapping incident happened in another country.

This is very unfortunate considering that the advent of cryptocurrencies are booming in every country. If criminals are now targeting high-profile cryptocurrency investors, this would generally affect the overall image of cryptocurrencies. Instead of inspiring others to invest, this would hinder them from proceeding further, thereby creating a fear that can be associated with earning cryptocurrencies.

I just hope that the implementation and execution of laws and the law enforcement agency takes these kinds of matters seriously. Even outside cryptocurrency, the fact that crimes related to money are rampant tells a sign that we have to be vigilant with what we post and share.

[yhiaali3]

European governments -including France- are constantly issuing strict laws against crypto companies and users, but unfortunately, they are not enacting the necessary laws to protect them from such recent incidents. Governments must protect their citizens by enacting laws that allow for harsh penalties to deter criminals.

Unfortunately, they are doing everything they can to prevent European users from maintaining their privacy through strict regulations, but they fail to consider the fact that they are putting their citizens at risk by exposing their privacy.

[arabspaceship123]

These reports aren't making crypto business owners & their families feel safe. They're going to be very scared because they don't want to be next. If it doesn't stop in France criminals in other countries will copy them it's going to get out of control.

[Agbamoni]

Not long ago, I watched a movie here a robbery took place at an Apple store, and unexpectedly, the criminals demanded payment in Bitcoin.  It made so much sense as they knew that once Bitcoin is sent to an anonymous wallet and then mixed, it becomes extremely difficult to trace.  Ok.. that brings us to why crypto enthusiasts and CEOs have become targets, in Paris France. Criminals know there's lot of money involved and that digital assets offer anonymity if they can get their hands on them. The recent kidnappings only reinforce how dangerous it can be to flaunt wealth online or offline  especially to people in the crypto world without proper security.

[Mahanton]

These reports aren't making crypto business owners & their families feel safe. They're going to be very scared because they don't want to be next. If it doesn't stop in France criminals in other countries will copy them it's going to get out of control.

For sure they have been preparing for that because it was that plausible in the first place and knowing that crypto is something that could be stolen without being that tracked then they will easily be trying out to abduct someone and made or ask out for some random in exchange for their families safety and that would be always the common set up for this. For those who do own business or crypto owners specially to those who had been owning that huge amount then having some security wont be harming them out, although it would be adding up on the expenses but for the sake of safety of your family and loved ones then its always been that recommended on getting one specially if you are a known crypto business owner then its not that hard to distinguish once your information being exposed. I do agree with those sayings that its better to make yourself that low key rather than on flexing your wealth online on which you are just that simply digging your own grave on this case. There are just that those instances that you cant be able to hid up yourself just because your business is already big and there's no way that you would be able to hide yourself and just like on what i have said that it will be that worth on getting some security because you can be able to afford it out. There are just that those people who are just that too confident that they are just that being safety but no one really knows that there's someone whose been that trying out to look on your movement and just that waiting up for the opportunity to have that stealing up your crypto assets. Actually its just that easy and if you arent that careful then you are that at very risky situation.

[peter0425]

Again, what can governments do? This is not merely an issue for individuals to consider. It's a society-wide problem, too.

Before the state acts, we should first evaluate ourselves, do they often show off their Bitcoin or other asset ownership?

I do not think we should victim blame. We really should offer consequences to the criminals who committed the crime. Prevention is better than cure always but we also can't just ignore such acts.

because it must be remembered that all of that is like Newton Third Law there is something that triggers it. Therefore the anonymity of bitcoin asset ownership is the main principle and is not immediately echoed if it has no benefits.

I agree that we should be more careful with who we tell our financial situations to but it is not that impossible that a criminal just randomly picks out someone and finds crypto in them. This has happened before. They could invade a house as well and threaten to do something if the victims do not cooperate so there should be actions taken before it gets worse.

[Hazink]

These reports aren't making crypto business owners & their families feel safe. They're going to be very scared because they don't want to be next. If it doesn't stop in France criminals in other countries will copy them it's going to get out of control.

People just need to be careful. Be your own security boss. Try as much as you can not to flaunt wealth around. Crypto owners might not be the only ones being attacked, but crypto is making the headlines since it's something that can be easily tagged with anything.

I know it's not possible to hide that you own nothing when you come from a family that's fully involved in crypto and an exchange owner, but living a quiet life in most cases can safeguard someone from being a target.

[nakamura12]

In my opinion, people who owns cryptocurreny that isn't known to own a lot of money in crypto shouldn't flaunt what they have because they will het robbed or similar situation to the one you referenced in this thread. Even people who is known to be wealthy are even robbed in their house how much if they flaunt their wealth either in crypto or fiat then they will be surely get robbed or kidnapped sooner or later. As others have said, prevention is better than cure which I definitely agree with. For crypto, it is possible that people can't track it so they most likely target the mother and child for crypto rather than fiat. In short, people should be careful even if it is fiat or in crypto.

[summonerrk]

There have been several high-profile kidnappings of crypto executives or their relatives in France, showing there is now a pattern of organized criminals targeting those thought to possess cryptocurrencies. While other countries have had similar incidents, for now France appears to have taken the lead in some of the boldest attacks. Recently, two relatives (a mother and child) of a crypto exchange CEO endured a bold kidnapping attempt in broad daylight in Paris.

So what can France and other countries do to stem the tide of such attacks? If this is not brought under control, this potentially may drive away everyday people who will have to fear a kidnapping attempt if they hold Bitcoin. These attacks should thus be understood as terrorism being committed against bitcoiners and their families.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250514-france-summons-cryptocurrency-businesses-after-kidnappings

The police can't do anything about it because there are so many cryptocurrencies and it's impossible to know who will be attacked next. Everyone hides their cryptocurrency reserves, and if someone is a public figure, such as the director of an exchange or investment fund, then the thieves carry out targeted, very planned attacks, and therefore these serious guys need to take care of their own safety: hire serious, strong security. After all, if someone figured out how to make a fortune on crypto, then why doesn't he think about how to protect himself and his relatives from kidnapping.

[Baki202]

The French government shouldn't be disturbed with what to do about the high crime rate. If the people who are causing those problems are immigrants, the best thing to do with anyone who is caught is send them back home, and those who migrated there illegally should also be sent back.

And the government is always taking a lot of things for granted until it gets out of hand, and this is a perfect opportunity for them to make use of the ongoing situation to address a lot of pronlems and never can be sure that the immigrants are the onces causing issues and want people to be sent back home just because you think they are the onces behind the ongoing problem.

You can't be sympathizing with people who are causing your citizens sleepless nights, but those legal immigrants who are working genuinely should be allowed to stay; anyone who poses a threat should be sent packing.

And as far as if comes to the issue of crime is concerned, all parties are sole contributors, and it is good that the issue is addressed because crime is a huge problem for society, so there is nothing that can obviously be done. We know crime is bad,, and those who are responsible should pay.