Four masked men broke into a family home in Vendin-le-Vieil, a town in northern France, in the early hours of Sunday morning and held a couple and their two children hostage for over three hours, according to reporting by BFMTV and the Béthune prosecutor's office.
The intruders, hooded and armed, entered the house around 4 a.m. and bound the family with black tape. They separated the father, a 40-year-old salaried IT specialist working in the digital currency sector, and assaulted him while demanding access credentials and security codes. During the ordeal, the attackers struck the couple's 12-year-old daughter in the face with car keys. The family's 8-year-old child was also present during the incident.
The intruders left with approximately €40,000 (about $46,000) in cryptocurrency before the family managed to free themselves from the tape. Firefighters arrived at the residence at 7 a.m. The victims were examined for injuries and referred for forensic medical evaluation. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into unlawful detention and extortion, with the case classified as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang and referred to regional judicial police and France's anti-cybercrime office. All four suspects remain at large.
Rising Trend of Wrench Attacks in France
This incident represents part of a broader pattern of violent crimes targeting individuals in the cryptocurrency sector in France. Previous cases have involved attacks on the father of a crypto millionaire, the wife of a Sandbox co-founder, and the chief executive of Binance France. This case is notable for targeting a salaried worker rather than a high-profile figure, with a significantly smaller sum taken.
France has become the most affected country globally for these types of attacks. The national anti-organised crime prosecutor's office recorded more than 70 kidnappings and unlawful detentions linked to cryptocurrency during the first eight months of 2026, leading authorities to charge 88 individuals in a crackdown earlier this year, including some minors.
On a global scale, wrench attacks have escalated significantly. Chainalysis reported $30 million stolen through such attacks during 2026, while CertiK documented losses of $124 million across a six-month period, representing a twelvefold increase.
