{"id":42227,"date":"2026-04-28T09:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:00:10","slug":"french-authorities-indict-88-people-following-surge-in-violent-crypto-wrench-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227","title":{"rendered":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

French authorities have indicted 88 people following a spate of violent crypto-related kidnappings known as \u201cwrench attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Named after a popular xkcd webcomic<\/a>, wrench attacks involve a criminal using violence, intimidation or confinement to compel a crypto holder to reveal their private keys or passwords.<\/p>\n

France has been a hotbed for these types of robberies, with the country\u2019s National Anti-Organized Crime Prosecutor\u2019s Office (PNACO) noting<\/a> there have been more than 135 incidents since 2023.<\/p>\n

The kidnappings are often put together by organizers abroad, who coordinate with recruiters in France, according to a February report<\/a> from the Organized Crime Information, Intelligence and Strategic Analysis Service of the Judicial Police (SIRASCO)<\/p>\n

The recruiters link the organizers with young people with criminal records, who carry out online intimidation and physical attacks.<\/p>\n

The victims of these kidnappings are usually men between the ages of 20 and 35 who are involved with digital assets as investors, entrepreneurs or influencers.<\/p>\n

Physical attacks against crypto holders are now a \u201cstructural threat\u2019 to digital asset ownership, according to the blockchain security firm CertiK.<\/p>\n

The firm\u00a0noted<\/a> in a report earlier this year that the frequency of wrench attacks skyrocketed by 75% in 2025.<\/p>\n

CertiK documented 71 incidents in 2025 that resulted in more than $40.9 million in losses, a 44% year-on-year increase.<\/p>\n

Follow us on X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Telegram<\/a><\/span><\/em>
\n
\nDon’t Miss a Beat \u2013 Subscribe<\/a> to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox <\/span><\/em>
\n
\nSurf The Daily Hodl Mix<\/a><\/span><\/em>
\n<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

&nbsp<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any assets including cryptocurrencies, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n

Generated Image: MIdjourney<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The post French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019<\/a> appeared first on The Daily Hodl<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

French authorities have indicted 88 people following a spate of violent crypto-related kidnappings known as \u201cwrench attacks.\u201d Named after a popular xkcd webcomic, wrench attacks involve a criminal using violence, intimidation or confinement to compel a crypto holder to reveal their private keys or passwords. France has been a hotbed for these types of robberies, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42228,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nFrench Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"French authorities have indicted 88 people following a spate of violent crypto-related kidnappings known as \u201cwrench attacks.\u201d Named after a popular xkcd webcomic, wrench attacks involve a criminal using violence, intimidation or confinement to compel a crypto holder to reveal their private keys or passwords. France has been a hotbed for these types of robberies, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cryptomag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dailyhodl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/altcoin-picks-up-recent.jpg?resize=1024,600\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Crypto Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cryptomagz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cryptomagz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Crypto Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Crypto Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040\"},\"headline\":\"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227\"},\"wordCount\":350,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227\",\"name\":\"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?p=42227#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cryptomag\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040\",\"name\":\"Crypto Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Crypto Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/cryptomagz\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cryptomag.finance\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag","og_description":"French authorities have indicted 88 people following a spate of violent crypto-related kidnappings known as \u201cwrench attacks.\u201d Named after a popular xkcd webcomic, wrench attacks involve a criminal using violence, intimidation or confinement to compel a crypto holder to reveal their private keys or passwords. France has been a hotbed for these types of robberies, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227","og_site_name":"Cryptomag","article_published_time":"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/dailyhodl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/altcoin-picks-up-recent.jpg?resize=1024,600","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Crypto Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@cryptomagz","twitter_site":"@cryptomagz","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Crypto Magazine","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227"},"author":{"name":"Crypto Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/#\/schema\/person\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040"},"headline":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019","datePublished":"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227"},"wordCount":350,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/wp-content\/uploads\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227","url":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227","name":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019 - Cryptomag","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/wp-content\/uploads\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-28T09:00:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/#\/schema\/person\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/wp-content\/uploads\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/wp-content\/uploads\/altcoin-picks-up-recent-CWOsDD.jpg","width":1024,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?p=42227#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"French Authorities Indict 88 People Following Surge in Violent Crypto \u2018Wrench Attacks\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/","name":"Cryptomag","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/#\/schema\/person\/f749cd846c4f13ef717c12a20ce9d040","name":"Crypto Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2c24e7a3322cdb9140c7dde381c870ae2c527e0dc5af67ed7a7db042bb2e1d14?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Crypto Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/cryptomag.finance","https:\/\/x.com\/cryptomagz"],"url":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cryptomag.finance\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}