France leads in attacks on cryptocurrency owners

Since the beginning of the year, France has recorded 90 cases of crypto-related crimes, including kidnappings and extortion. This means one new case every two and a half days.

Authorities have arrested 223 suspects, of whom 126 are already in custody. Investigations are being conducted as organized crime cases.

France ranks first in Jameson Lopp's database for the number of physical attacks on cryptocurrency holders since 2014.

The primary targets of criminals are locals: 93% of victims are French citizens. More than 40% of attacks are directed not at crypto owners themselves, but at their relatives and acquaintances.

The main source of information for attackers is data leaks revealing asset holdings and home addresses.

Even buying a house from former digital asset owners can lead to break-in attempts if their addresses were compromised on the dark web.

Crypto crime in France, Bitcoin physical security, statistics of cyberattacks on crypto investors