- Four masked men broke into a home in Vendin-le-Vieil, France, at around 4 a.m. Sunday and bound a family of four with black tape.
- The father, a 40-year-old salaried IT specialist in crypto, was assaulted and forced to hand over his access codes.
- Approximately $46,000 (€40,000) was stolen, and the 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys during the ordeal.
- All four suspects remain at large, as France records over 70 crypto-related kidnappings in the first eight months of 2026.
Four masked men broke into a family home in Vendin-le-Vieil, northern France, at around 4 a.m. Sunday, binding a couple and their two children with tape and forcing the father to transfer approximately $46,000 in cryptocurrency, BFMTV reported. The four hooded suspects entered the residence at around 4 a.m. and bound the family with black tape, staying for more than three hours, according to the Béthune prosecutor’s office.
The father, a 40-year-old salaried IT specialist in the digital currency sector, was separated from his family and assaulted until he provided his access codes, Bitcoin/quatre-individus-en-fuite-apres-avoir-sequestre-une-famille-pour-lui-derober-des-cryptomonnaies-a-vendin-le-vieil_8201837.html” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow external noopener”>a police source told France Télévisions. The couple’s 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys during the ordeal. Firefighters reached the house at 7 a.m. after the family worked itself free.
The victims were described as in a state of shock and were referred for forensic medical examination. The case has been opened as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang, with investigations handed to regional judicial police and France’s anti-cybercrime office.
France has become the worst-affected country globally for these so-called wrench attacks. The national anti-organized crime prosecutor’s office has recorded more than 70 crypto-related kidnappings and unlawful detentions in the first eight months of 2026. On a global scale, Chainalysis counted $30 million taken in wrench attacks during 2026, while CertiK put losses at $124 million across six months, a twelvefold rise.
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