France Tax Data Leak Could Fuel Scams, Attacks Targeting Bitcoin Holders

[As-Soon-As]

France Tax Data Leak Could Fuel Scams, Attacks Targeting Bitcoin Holders
A hacker is reportedly selling personal and financial records tied to more than 678,000 taxpayers and businesses in France.

A reported breach of France’s tax authority exposed data tied to 678,437 people and businesses.
The records allegedly include income figures, addresses, tax identifiers, and family information.
The data could help criminals craft targeted scams against wealthy taxpayers and Bitcoin holders.
A hacker is selling a trove of French tax records that could expose more than 678,000 people and businesses, including Bitcoin holders, to phishing, identity theft, and targeted attacks.

Source Link: https://decrypt.co/375715/france-tax-data-leak-wrench-attacks-bitcoin

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?
Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?
Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Lock this thread as I already created as similar topic: French Couple's Nightmare: 3 Invasions After Buying Crypto House.

[As-Soon-As]

Lock this thread as I already created as similar topic: French Couple's Nightmare: 3 Invasions After Buying Crypto House.

Look, I presented the issue differently, but if it's not up to standard, I'll lock the topic.

[joniboini]

Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

Not sure I understand this question correctly. Are you suggesting scammers will use similar attacks to make crypto holders expose their seed phrase with the same modus operandi, or do you mean they will try to brute force and literally hack the network? If it's the latter, how could they use methods targeting database from a centralized company? Sounds a bit far fetched.

[BluebloodCXVI]

It was the France’s tax authority (DGFiP) that was affected by the breach; the attackers seem to have used stolen VPN credentials to access people’s personal tax data, including their names, addresses, tax IDs, income and family information but bitcoin’s blockchain and cryptography still remains completely unaffected by all of this.

The bigger concern here now is the targeting and social engineering involved in pulling of something like this.

Criminal elements can use leaked personal and financial data to create convincing scams and identify potential crypto holders who are wealthy.
Some will even go as far as using threats or violence to force a victim into surrendering their crypto.

As it is now, people should just try and avoid disclosing their crypto holdings publicly, be cautious with any unsolicited tax related message they may receive, always verify contacts through an official channel, and also try considering other security measures such as hardware wallets and multisig.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

If you mean, "the possibility of Bitcoiners wallet to get hacked  because of the tax information that the hacker has obtained" Then I'd say is not that possible except the targeted individuals don't have a tight wallet security. Where I'm afraid is when the hackers sells the personal information and home address of those Bitcoiners to the thieves that goes to the home of these people for a violent attack. If they are not doing so already, then I think the government of that country needs to take the matter very serious to apprehend the hackers that stole the confidential tax data, so that more people won't be harmed.

[_act_]

This happened in France that crypto wrench attacks are mostly common.

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?
Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?
Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

They can be at risk if there is anything about crypto or bitcoin mentioned on the tax report leaked. But if such information is not among the information that was leaked, money is still money and there is possibility of attack.

There is nothing impossible because the hackers can send phishing emails or messages.

They just have to be careful, but most people can not completely avoid wrench attack.

[Danish Ali]

will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?

Not after a Bitcoin Hack though, yes. Leaked data makes criminal know the address and income, Risk is: If they believe you do have Bitcoin, they will not hesitate to engage in physical attack or kidnap (or attempted kidnap). It is something that had already occurred several times with crypto CEO, but also on the road.

is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

No, this is altogether a different realm from Bitcoin blockchain. No central server to have to hack into, no database. As long as your coins require your private key, they are safe on the chain.

how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

However, if you are holding in public, dont talk about that, if you are in France and reading this now be extra cautious who knows your address, use hardware wallet.

[MArsland]

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?
Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?
Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

I think it depends on the data the hacker gets, because it's impossible for tax data to include private keys. The tax information only includes ownership of the amount of assets, not that the government gets direct access to the wallet. Well because in France the theft of crypto asset owners is quite massive, the data sold can be used by the thief to target certain individuals with crypto asset ownership, as in the case of cases that have happened.

[Botnake]

Lock this thread as I already created as similar topic: French Couple's Nightmare: 3 Invasions After Buying Crypto House.

Look, I presented the issue differently, but if it's not up to standard, I'll lock the topic.

I believe your topic is different as it's discussing the effect of this hack in general and how it will impact those whose records were leaked and sold.

Now this is where the danger is, we trust our financial records to a company because they're supposed to be confidential but they couldn't protect them. Since tax authorities always love to impose penalties for non-compliance, then maybe it's also time to make them answerable for this kind of mess that could put people's lives at risk.

[Luzin]

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?
Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

Of course, everyone will feel worried, especially Bitcoin holders. I think these thieves will send phishing links to all the data they got. So they won’t waste the data they bought. From the data they have, they might not even know you own Bitcoin. So they will randomly send phishing emails to try to take over email accounts, phone numbers, bank accounts. After that, they will work on trying to take your assets.

Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

No need to panic, what was stolen wasn't a private key or seed. So a KYC data leak doesn't mean losing BTC. But it could later lead to follow-up attacks on assets we own. We need to quickly take preventive steps by always monitoring your account activity. Make a strong password, avoid hacker emails, and maybe even move your digital asset balances. Set up additional security like 2FA or biometric protection.

[Lucius]

~snip~
As it is now, people should just try and avoid disclosing their crypto holdings publicly, be cautious with any unsolicited tax related message they may receive, always verify contacts through an official channel, and also try considering other security measures such as hardware wallets and multisig.

It's best if they (the tax administration) don't even know that you have cryptocurrencies, even if it means that you avoid paying taxes. There are a lot of people who can't sleep peacefully because they owe taxes, but it turns out that if you pay taxes to the government, you have to live in fear that your data might be stolen and sold to criminals.

I'm more afraid of criminals than the state, you can usually reach an agreement with these others or, if you have a good lawyer, get the tax debt to expire.

[m2017]

France Tax Data Leak Could Fuel Scams, Attacks Targeting Bitcoin Holders
A hacker is reportedly selling personal and financial records tied to more than 678,000 taxpayers and businesses in France.

France seems determined to outdo itself. The country is emerging as a leader among nations that are "dangerous" for bitcoiners. If a country can't ensure data security or protect its citizens from exposure, perhaps it should at least encrypt such data? Will those responsible be punished (specifically the high-ranking officials whose failure to implement adequate security measures caused this incident)? And how will those whose data was stolen be compensated for the resulting "problems"? (I suspect the answer is "not at all", and that these law-abiding taxpayers will simply be left to fend for themselves by the regulator).

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?

Haven't you realized yet, given everything happening to crypto owners in France?

Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

What do you mean? Hacking the blockchain? Why hack it when all the data is publicly available? Though with the caveat that the data isn't personalized (unless users have published their addresses themselves).

Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

It is unlikely that this tax data contains information about specific crypto holdings. I suspect malicious actors could indirectly infer the identities of potential cryptocurrency owners and attempt to get their hands on the assets. All in all, that is precisely what caused all the uproar in the crypto community.

I am also curious about something else: do these lists include data on high-ranking officials and influential French citizens? What has been their reaction to the incident?

[Alpha Marine]

Living in a country like mine, I am already convinced that my data has been exposed long ago. I just try to protect my personal information so that every single scammer in the world cannot access it, and try to make sure the ones that already have it cannot use it to hurt me in any way. Even bank staff sell information to scammers. It's so surprising how scammers have the account number, account name and bank of an account you just opened less than a week ago.

I watched a TikTok video of Turcker Calson interviewing a hacker who said there was a data breach that leaked the personal information of most Americans in 2024. I looked it up and found [=urlhttps://databreach.com/breach/national-public-data-2024]National Public Data Breach[/url], which exposes the date of birth of almost all Americans. Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, and other records.
With stuff like this, I already know my data is out there somewhere because it's worse in my country. All I can do now is make sure I don't get hurt with that information.

[laspol65]

Literally their personal data has been hacked, so there is no need to fear that the wallet's Bitcoin will be hacked. So if security and privacy are required at the present time, then you can plan to keep Bitcoin in a strong wallet, because in this situation, the more Bitcoin you store in multiple wallets, the more confidential it will be.
Because it is very difficult to find Bitcoin holders from where so many people's personal data has been hacked, you have to keep Bitcoin more secret at this stage, so I think it is better for everyone to use their own strategy.

[Byebyebtc]

Holding those informations will bearly affect anybody holding Bitcoin although it's can be a threat to an extent but not directly. In a situation whereby they have access to this information and they get to hack some personal possessions they will be able to request for the victims bitcoin informations through trusted sources (email etc..) and that is the only way it's can get an effect on someone's bitcoin holdings apart from that the only issue any victim will face is their faith money in the bank but for Bitcoin there is a whole lot of process in order achieve that.

[As-Soon-As]

Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

Not sure I understand this question correctly. Are you suggesting scammers will use similar attacks to make crypto holders expose their seed phrase with the same modus operandi, or do you mean they will try to brute force and literally hack the network? If it's the latter, how could they use methods targeting database from a centralized company? Sounds a bit far fetched.

I wanted to know if all the people in France who are holding Bitcoin will be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings. Because since personal documents have been hacked, is the protection of Bitcoin holders guaranteed in a country that cannot protect people's personal documents?
Maybe even if Bitcoin is not literally seized, pressure can be created on Bitcoin holders. Because can Bitcoin holders be identified according to the documents?

I think it depends on the data the hacker gets, because it's impossible for tax data to include private keys. The tax information only includes ownership of the amount of assets, not that the government gets direct access to the wallet. Well because in France the theft of crypto asset owners is quite massive, the data sold can be used by the thief to target certain individuals with crypto asset ownership, as in the case of cases that have happened.

Since it is a personal document, the total amount of assets will be mentioned, if the total amount of assets is mentioned and if the category mentions Bitcoin, then that person must have Bitcoin holdings. Hackers can get ahead of themselves by taking small steps, which is why Bitcoin holdings should be careful.

They can be at risk if there is anything about crypto or bitcoin mentioned on the tax report leaked. But if such information is not among the information that was leaked, money is still money and there is possibility of attack.
There is nothing impossible because the hackers can send phishing emails or messages.
They just have to be careful, but most people can not completely avoid wrench attack.

Since there is a fear that the amount of the transaction will be mentioned, it carries the highest risk if hackers use phishing emails to send a message to customers through any source. And people will be at risk, their documents must mention the amount of money. It is natural that this is a tax document, so the amount of money will be mentioned because taxes are levied on money.

[Darker45]

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?

Of course, they're at risk. They could be receiving targeted attacks because of the sensitive information that are leaked, or I should say they'll be attacked for sure. I just hope attacks would be limited to malicious links, phishing, fraud calls, and whatnot and not crimes that involve physically hurting or kidnapping targets.

Or is there a possibility that Bitcoin will be hacked like this tax information hack?

No way could Bitcoin experience a similar attack. How could it happen when Bitcoin neither collects nor keeps personal data?

Since their personal documents were stolen, how much caution do Bitcoin holders need to follow?

Aside from improving their physical security, I guess the basic dos and don'ts apply. No clicking on unofficial and unexpected links or communication. No downloading of apps, extensions, upgrades, and the like outside official sources. Treat every email, SMS, and call with suspicion. Self-custody. Use all available security measures. As always, backups aren't meant to be shared whatever happens.

[arwin100]

Now my question is, will those who live in France and hold Bitcoin be at risk with their Bitcoin holdings?

Of course, they're at risk. They could be receiving targeted attacks because of the sensitive information that are leaked, or I should say they'll be attacked for sure. I just hope attacks would be limited to malicious links, phishing, fraud calls, and whatnot and not crimes that involve physically hurting or kidnapping targets.
 

First thing came up on my mind is this case https://financefeeds.com/france-logged-77-crypto-abduction-and-extortion-cases-tax-data-may-explain-why when you said about kidnapping and other crimes.

This is really the big risk of those data leaking, because we don't know what are the other things those criminals have our data could do to us.

If cases like this happened and we know our data is compromised, better to prepare for any possible scams and maybe other more worse situation that might happen to us.

[Synchronice]

They can be at risk if there is anything about crypto or bitcoin mentioned on the tax report leaked. But if such information is not among the information that was leaked, money is still money and there is possibility of attack.

There is nothing impossible because the hackers can send phishing emails or messages.

They just have to be careful, but most people can not completely avoid wrench attack.

Honestly, the possibility of someone facing a physical threat is very low to my mind because Bitcoin is money after all and wealth is a wealth, wealthy people don't hide just because they are wealthy and those who are very wealthy, have security around them.
Now the thing is, these emails and information will be used to send them phishing emails and use a social engineering. If the person is smart and not only wealthy, then they should be safe because they already know that they'll be a victim of such things and they shouldn't fall for the bait. The bait is simple, they'll either ask them to enter their credentials on a phishing website or send their private keys on the email, download a certain software and so on. Of course, it's easy to ignore such messages since that sounds scam for everyone who has a slight critical thinking.