Four masked men tied up a couple and their two children during an overnight home invasion in Vendin-le-Vieil, northern France, before forcing the father to transfer approximately €40,000 in cryptocurrency.
The attackers forced their way into the house at around 4 a.m. on September 20 and restrained the family with tape. The father was separated from his partner and children, threatened and assaulted while the group tried to obtain access credentials for his crypto holdings.
The incident lasted nearly three hours before the attackers fled. Emergency services reached the family at around 7 a.m. after the father freed himself and raised the alarm.
Father Forced to Transfer €40,000 in Crypto
The couple’s children are aged eight and 12. The 12-year-old girl suffered a minor head injury during the attack, while the father was struck several times as the assailants demanded his authentication codes.
Béthune public prosecutor Étienne Thieffry confirmed that an investigation has been opened for unlawful confinement and organized extortion, offenses carrying potential prison terms of up to 20 years. Investigators from Pas-de-Calais, Nord and France’s anti-cybercrime office are handling the case.
No arrests had been made at the latest update. Police are also investigating how the attackers identified the victim as someone with cryptocurrency holdings.
The attack follows the September killings of Mexican musician Jonathan Meléndez, his pregnant wife, their three-year-old daughter and a household worker during a suspected Bitcoin cold-wallet robbery. Investigators in that case alleged the attackers were searching for a wallet believed to contain millions of dollars in Bitcoin.
France Remains Center of Crypto Wrench Attacks
France has become one of the main centers of physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders and their families. A count cited earlier this year placed the country at roughly 70% of reported wrench attacks, with 135 crypto-related violent incidents recorded since 2023 under the broader French tally.
CertiK’s narrower verified dataset recorded 33 attacks in France during the first half of 2026, representing 63.5% of its worldwide total and 84.6% of European incidents. Home invasions rose sharply during the period, while kidnappings remained another major attack category.
Family members have increasingly been used to pressure people connected to crypto. Attackers attempted to abduct the wife of The Sandbox cofounder Sébastien Borget from their Seine-et-Marne home in May before neighbors intervened.
Chainalysis found that relatives or associates were targeted in more than 40% of French incidents in its dataset. The four suspects in the Vendin-le-Vieil attack remained at large as the investigation continued.
Be the first to comment