A French couple in their late 50s was coerced into transferring $1 million worth of Bitcoin after three assailants posing as police officers invaded their home in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, west of Paris. The attackers used knives to threaten the victims, tied them up, and physically injured them before fleeing the scene in a white van, marking a dangerous escalation in targeted physical attacks on crypto holders.
Why are 'Wrench Attacks' targeting crypto holders in France?
The term "wrench attack" refers to the physical coercion of an individual to surrender their private keys or transfer digital assets. Unlike digital hacks that exploit smart contract vulnerabilities—such as those tracked on DefiLlama—these incidents exploit the one weakness that remains constant regardless of security protocols: the human element.
As on-chain transparency increases, high-net-worth individuals who interact with exchanges or public wallets become visible targets. In this specific incident, the suspects utilized the authority associated with law enforcement to gain entry, a sophisticated social engineering tactic that bypasses traditional home security measures.
The Data on Physical Crypto Crime
According to data from CertiK, physical threats to crypto owners are trending upward. The following table highlights the alarming shift in the threat landscape:
| Metric | 2025 Statistic |
|---|---|
| Verified Wrench Attacks Worldwide | 72 |
| Year-over-Year Increase | 75% |
| France's Share of Global Incidents | ~26% |
| Total European Share of Incidents | ~40% |
Is your physical security keeping pace with your on-chain holdings?
This incident is not an isolated event in France. Earlier this year, French authorities intervened in a kidnapping case involving a magistrate and her mother, which was linked to a crypto-entrepreneur partner. Furthermore, an executive at Binance France was targeted in a similar home invasion attempt.
What actually matters is the realization that as Bitcoin adoption grows, the "attack surface" for criminals shifts from code to the physical world. For those holding significant assets, the industry standard is moving away from keeping large balances in single-signature wallets or maintaining a public profile linked to one's real-world identity.