In recent months, France has been the scene of several kidnappings to cryptoactive users.
Today more than ever, it is key to maintain a low profile and not share keys or holdings in networks.
In recent months, kidnapping of cryptoactive users have become frequent news, with France standing out as one of the critical foci of this growing wave of crime. These attacks, which usually include high rescue demands in cryptocurrencies, underline the importance of acting prudence and avoiding information about our activities in this area.
Many of these kidnappings are known as “English key attacks”, a term that comes from an online comic that satirized how even the most advanced cybersecurity can be violated in a simple and brutal way. In the cartoon they hit a victim with an English key to force her to reveal her passwordsillustrating how this method combines physical violence with extortion.
Thus, criminals resort to this tactic to kidnap cryptoactive users, threatening them to force them to deliver the private keys of their digital wallets. In some cases, The victims have suffered multiple physical wounds and have remained deprived of their liberty for several days.
From Paris to Buenos Aires, then we examine some of the most recent incidents related to this criminal modality.
David Balland’s case, co -founder of Ledger (France)
On January 21, David Balland, co -founder of Ledger, and his wife, were victims of a violent kidnapping in their residence in Méreau (center of France). The kidnappers separated them immediately and transferred them to different places to keep them captive.
During the captivity, the kidnappers communicated with another of the Ledger co -founders through a WhatsApp account associated with a telephone number of Southeast Asia. In that contact, demanded a rescue in cryptocurrenciesalthough until now the authorities have not officially confirmed the amount requested. As part of the strategy to gain time, Security forces chose to send a bitcoin (BTC) to the captors.
David Balland was released on January 22 during a Gign operation, the elite tactical unit of the French gendarmerie. However, It was injured: The kidnappers amputated a finger And they sent a video of mutilation to Ledger as a pressure form. His wife was found the next day, on January 23, tied inside a vehicle in Étampes, south of Paris, although without physical injuries.
Kentucky’s “Crypto King” and the kidnapping in Soho (New York)
As Cryptonotics reported, at the beginning of May a new case shocked the community: An Italian businessman was kidnapped and tortured for more than two weeks in a luxurious Soho apartmentin New York.
The main defendant is John Woeltz, an American investor nicknamed the “Crypto Kin” of Kentucky, who would have planned the kidnapping with the aim of obtaining the access keys linked to Bitcoin of the young European. The 28 -year -old victim managed to escape after asking for help in the street, visibly injured and signs of having undergone intense sessions of physical and psychological violence.
After his arrest, Woeltz was accused of several crimes, including kidnapping, aggression and criminal possession of a weaponand was arrested without the right to bail due to the high risk of escape. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the alleged kidnapper had means to leave the country, such as a private jet and a helicopter; It was also reported that a young Italian, Beatrice Folchi, was initially arrested for her possible involvement in the case, although she was released while the investigations advance.
Falling attempt to Rapture to relatives of CEO (France)
In May, France was again the scene of arrests related to crimes directed towards cryptoactive users and their relatives. About twenty people were arrested between Monday and Tuesday of last week.
One of the incidents involving several of the detainees occurred on May 13 in District 11 of Paris, when Three hooded men They tried to kidnap To the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO of the Paymium cryptocurrency exchange platform. The eposo of the victim physically brought himself, but was beaten and sprayed with pepper gas.
A neighbor managed to capture the scene from his window, registering moments of chaos and violence: shoves, screams and the distressing struggle of women to free themselves while the aggressors tried to drag her by force. In a moment of despair, the victim managed to snatch a gun from one of the attackers – which turned out to be a repressed air replica – and threw it away.
Aid screams warned of several passersby, which intervened decisively. One of them took the gun replica and shot in the air to intake the attackers, while another faced them with a fire extinguisher. It was this rapid citizen reaction that forced the aggressors to flee from the place.
Kidnapping a couple in Buenos Aires (Argentina)
In a recent case that occurred in Buenos Aires, a couple of Russian citizens was kidnapped in the Palermo neighborhood. As they declared the police, Both work in business linked to cryptoactive And they met with two compatriots in a local bar to deal with commercial matters. Later, they agreed to continue the meeting in a rented apartment, where the situation took a dramatic turn.
Once inside the property, the suspects attacked them, They were confiscated by the phones and immediately transferred about USD 43,000 to a digital wallet. They also recorded a video with the victims, who sent their relatives in Russia demanding an additional rescue of USD 100,000 through a QR code, before escaping from the place.
The situation took another turn when one of those affected managed to shout for help from the balcony, alerting employees of a near restaurant, who called 911. Minutes later, the city police arrived at the scene and rescued the couple. The criminals fled from the country, one towards the United Arab Emirates and the other to Türkiye. Interpol has already issued a red alert for capture.
Zimbabuense couple is kidnapped and sent to another country (Zimbabue-Sudaprica)
On May 13, 2024, a Zimbabuense couple, Professor Shepherd Sikhosana and his wife Sekayi Adelpha Sikosana, She was kidnapped for a criminal band that tried to seize its cryptoactives, valued at that time in 13.9 million dollars.
Making interpol agents, The kidnappers transferred the couple to Zimbabue Without going through migratory controls on the border of Beitbridge, the main crossing point between South Africa and Zimbabue. Already in Zimbabuense territory, they kept them captive in an apartment in Tropez Flats, in the Eastlea neighborhood, Harare.
During their captivity, the captors threatened the victims with alleged Russian hitmen to prevent their relatives from contacting, but the couple managed to send their geographical location, which allowed local authorities to intervene and rescue them.
How to reduce the chances of this happening?
For those who operate with cryptocurrencies, discretion is key. Avoid talking about investments, amounts or profits, especially in social networks or unreliable environments, can make a big difference; It is also advisable to use alias when interacting in communities or when carrying out transactions, so as not to link financial activity with real identity.
In everyday life, it is essential to adopt basic security measures: Vary routines, avoid encounters with strangers in private spaces and not share the location in real time. In case of high assets, it may be convenient to invest in personal safety services, install applications with panic buttons on the phone – which allow trusted contacts to be alerted or the police with a single touch – or establish emergency protocols with family members and nearby people.
As for the custody of the funds, it is best to Diversify assets in several wallets and opt for cold storage solutions (Cold Wallets) that are not connected to the Internet; It is also useful to establish automatic retirement limits and maintain seed phrases and private keys in safe places and out of physical reach, even in situations of coercion.
With the cases set forth in this article we do not seek to sow fear, but to raise awareness. As the value and adoption of cryptoactives grow, the associated risks also increase. That’s why, More than alarming, it is essential to act responsibly, take sensible precautions and stay alert. Personal and financial security should not be a secondary issue, but an integral part of our day to day, especially if we handle large -scale investments.
