In France, a Family Was Held Hostage for €40,000 in Cryptocurrency

• Four assailants broke into a family home in northern France and held them for about three hours.
• The father was forced to transfer €40,000 in cryptocurrency.
• The suspects fled, and police are still searching for them.

In the French commune of Vendin-le-Vieil, four assailants attacked a family and forced the father to transfer €40,000 to them in cryptocurrency. The incident took place on the night of September 19–20, 2026. This was reported by local media. 

At around 04:00, four men wearing masks and gloves entered the house, where the couple and their children, aged 8 and 12, were inside. The adults were tied up, after which the assailants searched the premises. The father works in the tech sector and, according to French media, has ties to the cryptocurrency industry.

The attackers isolated the man in a separate room, used violence against him, and demanded information to access his crypto assets. As a result, he transferred €40,000 to the assailants. The family was held for about three hours.

After the criminals left, the man was able to call for help. All four family members were in shock. The 12-year-old girl also suffered a minor head injury.

The Bethune prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the unlawful detention of multiple people and extortion committed by an organized group. 

The investigation is being handled by the Pas-de-Calais and Nord criminal police units, with support from France’s cybercrime unit. These crimes carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Investigators are also trying to determine how the attackers obtained information about the man’s connection to cryptocurrencies. The four suspects remain at large.

Previously, we covered a Chainalysis report stating that in the first six months of the year, losses from physical attacks on crypto industry participants exceeded $30 million. 

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