TechFlow News, March 10: According to Cointelegraph, a French couple was attacked at their home in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, west of Paris, by three armed intruders posing as police officers. The assailants threatened the couple with knives, forcing them to transfer approximately €900,000 (roughly $1 million) worth of Bitcoin. The victims were then bound and injured before the perpetrators fled the scene in a white van. The case has now been transferred by the Versailles Prosecutor’s Office to the Anti-Gang Unit for investigation; no arrests have been reported so far.
This incident marks the latest “wrench attack”—a term referring to violent or coercive tactics used to compel cryptocurrency holders to surrender their digital assets—in the cryptocurrency sector in recent years. According to cybersecurity platform CertiK, such attacks surged globally by 75% in 2025, reaching a total of 72 incidents, with France leading the world at 19 cases. Since the start of this year, France has witnessed multiple kidnappings and home invasions targeting cryptocurrency professionals.
