France Becomes Global Hotspot for Physical Attacks on Bitcoin Holders: 90 Cases in Over 7 Months, Data Leaks May Be the Main Cause

October 9 — Official French data shows that from January 1 to mid-August 2026, France recorded a total of 90 cryptocurrency-related kidnapping, extortion, threat, and violent theft cases, averaging one incident approximately every 2.5 days. During the same period, police carried out 223 arrests, with 126 people imprisoned from January to July.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis tallied that as of mid-2026, France had 30 publicly recorded cryptocurrency violent attacks; security firm Gart.io tracked 73 real-world attacks in France during the year, higher than 66 in the United States and 27 in the United Kingdom.

Eric Jardine, head of research at Chainalysis, believes the surge in attacks is likely related to large-scale data breaches. The French tax data leak and the user data breach disclosed by crypto tax filing platform Waltio in 2026 may have allowed attackers to obtain cryptocurrency holders' identities, home addresses, and asset information.

The report also noted that more than 40% of related attacks in France involved victims' relatives or acquaintances, and criminals may have pre-targeted victims through social media, on-chain data, and leaked information. French authorities are coordinating investigations through a specialized judicial body for organized crime.