France adds the tenth cryptocurrency kidnapping
France has witnessed this year the tenth kidnapping linked to digital currencies, where a man was held for 5000 euros and his bank key. It was unclear how many digital currencies were in his wallet, but the attackers have not yet been arrested.
Law enforcement has taken this terrifying pattern seriously, having arrested gang leaders in Morocco earlier this month. Either the gang is still active, or there are unrelated imitators. Both scenarios are ominous.
France witnesses another kidnapping related to cryptocurrencies
The cryptocurrency industry has always had a dark side, but the current wave of crimes represents an entirely new level of violence. Kidnappings related to cryptocurrencies have occurred on multiple continents.
But France is experiencing a particularly dark period
So far, French law enforcement has only provided general details about the kidnapping victim. A 23-year-old man was kidnapped in Maisons-Alfort, a suburb of Paris, and his partner was forced to hand over 5000 euros and the password to his wallet.
The police have not disclosed the value of the funds in this wallet, or whether the victim was running a business in this field. This last question is extremely concerning. Authorities have promised to take new measures to protect French entrepreneurs in the cryptocurrency field from kidnapping.
The CEO of a Web3 company and its founders and their families have been targeted in this wave of violence, creating an atmosphere of fear in the country's cryptocurrency community. Earlier this month, France collaborated with Morocco to arrest key leaders in the kidnappings, but some suspects remain at large.
Furthermore, these men have been known to hire or recruit local agents to carry out acts of violence without ever visiting France. In other words, these imprisoned leaders may have no relation to today's incident. One organized gang has sparked the crime wave, but it is now making international headlines.
Based on what we know, today's attackers are believed to be imitators. Both possibilities are extremely frightening for France, especially since today's kidnapping apparently succeeded. The perpetrators were aware of the victim's dark wallet, had access to the device, and are not in custody.
And it seems that the government's efforts to prevent this wave of horrific crimes have not been sufficient so far.