Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram messaging application, denounced the increase in physical violence against bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency investors after 41 kidnappings were recorded in France during the first three and a half months of 2026. This figure represents an average of one attack every 2.5 days in French territory.
Durov presented these statistics through a message on the social network X, yesterday, April 24, where he directly linked the increase in crime with security breaches in government databases.
These incidents do not consist of digital wallet thefts. On the contrary, these are direct physical attacks. Criminals deprive investors or their relatives, including parents and children, of their freedom through torture and threats to force them to make transfers of bitcoin or crypto assets as a ransom payment.
The origin of this crisis is found in the leak of sensitive information from public institutions. Durov pointed out the case of Ghalia C.a former employee of the French tax administration. The woman was arrested in 2025 on charges of using official databases to track addresses and assets of investors. Later, he sold this information to criminal networks. This data flow made it easier for criminals to select targets based on wealth accumulated in bitcoin and their exact addresses.
The seriousness of the situation was demonstrated last Monday, April 20, in the Burgundy region. A woman and her 11-year-old son were kidnapped by a group demanding a ransom in cryptocurrency. According to reported According to the newspaper Le Monde, the release occurred on Tuesday after an operation by 100 agents that ended with seven detainees.
This event reinforces that France is the epicenter of these attacks; just last February, it had concentrated 11 of the 14 global cases registered at the beginning of the year, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
More personal data in the hands of the State increases the risk
Durov used these events to criticize Paris’ pressure on Telegram, where the government requires greater user identification and access to private messages.
“Now the State also wants IDs and private messages from social network users,” said the programmer. Their position maintains that the centralization of personal data by the State increases the risk that the information ends up in the hands of criminals after being stolen or sold by corrupt officials.
The businessman has a history of friction with French justice since his arrest on August 24, 2024. At that time, he faced 12 criminal charges that included complicity in the administration of platforms for illicit transactions and money laundering. His recent complaint reinforces his defense of privacy against what he considers a system of mass surveillance that violates the integrity of citizens.