A crypto investor and his family were bound with cable ties and beaten during a violent home invasion in Verneuil-sur-Seine, France, on Friday evening, as armed attackers targeted the family’s digital assets before fleeing toward a nearby train station.
The incident adds to France’s escalating crisis of crypto-related violence, bringing the country’s total to 14 documented attacks in recent weeks.
According to LeParisien, three armed men burst into the family’s residence around 8 p.m., wielding a handgun as they forced their way inside.
The father, who heads a crypto investment firm, and his wife endured repeated beatings before attackers restrained them and their two children with cable ties.
The family managed to free themselves under circumstances that remain unclear and sought refuge with neighbors, who immediately contacted the police.
Authorities confirmed the assailants fled toward Verneuil-sur-Seine’s train station but remain at large.
The Criminal Investigation Department is tracking down the criminals. | Source: LeParisien.Criminal Networks Exploit Government Data to Target Victims
The attack follows shocking revelations that criminals access tax databases to identify cryptocurrency holders.
French prosecutors imprisoned tax official Ghalia C. on June 30, 2025, after discovering she used “Mira” tax software to provide addresses and financial details to organized crime networks.
Investigators found that she specifically searched for crypto investors, billionaires, and prison officials before selling their information for approximately 800 euros per operation.
“This woman abused her position in a completely abnormal manner to serve a hardened criminal,” prosecutors stated during her hearing.
Police linked her data sales to multiple violent robberies, including a September 26, 2024, attack on a prison officer whose home address she provided to armed assailants.
She refused to unlock her phone or identify her criminal contacts during interrogation.
France Leads Global Surge in Physical Crypto Attacks
Physical violence against cryptocurrency holders has reached unprecedented levels, with security researcher Jameson Lopp documenting 269 total attacks globally since tracking began.
The year 2025 has recorded 65 incidents through early January, averaging more than one per week.
France leads all nations with 14 confirmed cases, representing nearly a quarter of Western Europe’s total.
Source: HaseebqCriminals successfully steal assets in 2/3 of documented attacks, while 60% of perpetrators eventually face capture.
Attackers have adopted sophisticated tactics, including fake delivery uniforms, stolen service vans, and extensive surveillance operations.
Western Europe accounts for 27% of global attacks, followed by North America at 24% and Asia-Pacific at 20%.
Recent incidents demonstrate escalating brutality.
Just days before the Verneuil-sur-Seine attack, three hooded individuals invaded a home in Manosque, tying up a woman at gunpoint while demanding crypto data from a USB drive.
In November, a San Francisco resident lost $11 million when an attacker posing as a delivery driver forced entry during early morning hours.
A British Columbia family endured waterboarding and sexual assault as attackers stole $1.6 million in cryptocurrency after initially demanding 200 Bitcoin.
Market Growth Drives Violence as Criminals Shift Tactics
Investor Haseeb Qureshi’s analysis revealed a 0.67 correlation between crypto market capitalization and attack frequency, with 45% of the variance in violence explained by price movements alone.
“Crypto was actually more dangerous in 2015 and in 2018, back when crypto was very small,” Qureshi noted, observing that while Coinbase’s monthly users increased 60-fold from 2 million to 120 million, violence hasn’t grown proportionally.
Attack severity has intensified dramatically. Current data shows 51% classified as “serious” involving armed robbery or kidnapping, 21% as “severe” including torture, and 5% resulting in fatalities.
Source: HaseebqSecurity researcher Jameson Lopp advises crypto holders to keep their wealth anonymous and avoid face-to-face trades entirely.
He talked particularly about Dubai. “Dubai is actually from a number of different perspectives very risky,” Lopp noted, though acknowledging the UAE maintains a 100% success rate in capturing criminals before they escape.
The Verneuil-sur-Seine investigation continues with no arrests announced. Authorities have not disclosed whether financial losses occurred during the attack.
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