A market analysis review reveals a troubling trend: over the first six months of 2026, criminals using physical violence have stolen more than $30 million from digital asset holders. The situation in France, which has become the global epicenter of such incidents, is of particular concern.
This refers to so-called "wrench attacks"—kidnappings, home invasions, and hostage-taking aimed at forcing the transfer of cryptocurrency. The criminal community has quickly realized that digital asset holders are an ideal target: their funds can be converted instantly and without the possibility of reversing a transaction.
The paradox of statistics: more attacks, but fewer successful ones
If the current pace continues, 2026 will become a record year in the entire history of observations, exceeding last year's figure of $58 million. At the same time, the $30 million figure reflects only episodes where the victim actually handed over their funds. My estimates show that the real scale is significantly higher: taking into account failed attempts, blocked transfers, and recovered assets, the total amount reaches approximately $316 million in 2024, $180 million in 2025, and $107 million for the incomplete 2026.
The key trend is a decline in attack success rates for the third consecutive year. By the end of June 2026, ransoms were obtained in only 26% of cases (12 out of 46 episodes). For comparison, a year earlier this figure was 49%, and in 2024—67%. Criminals are acting increasingly chaotically and on a mass scale, which reduces their effectiveness.
France: a new hotspot
The highest number of incidents since 2023 has been recorded in France, the United States, Brazil, and Thailand, but it is the French cases that stand out. Until 2025, only isolated cases were registered in the country; then the number grew to 19 per year, and by mid-2026 it reached 30 publicly known episodes. The real scale is noticeably larger: at the end of June, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported more than 75 documented incidents related to cryptocurrencies.
The surge is directly linked to a data leak. In 2024, an employee of the Paris tax office was suspected of stealing and selling files on wealthy cryptocurrency holders—including names, addresses, phone numbers, and tax histories. These materials were purchased by criminal intermediaries, and attacks "went like an avalanche": the frequency rose from 1.9 incidents per month in 2025 to approximately 4.6 in the first half of 2026.
Tactics and victim profile
The methods of pressure have also changed. Whereas previously attackers targeted only the asset owner themselves, by early 2026 relatives and acquaintances were involved in approximately 25–30% of cases, and in France—in more than 40%. The geography has expanded beyond the capital region: episodes have been recorded in Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse, and Nantes.
Almost everywhere, victims are locals rather than tourists: in Sweden their share reached 100%, in France—93%, in Brazil—82%, in the United States—77%. The exception is the Netherlands with 67% of visitors, but only three incidents have been recorded there, making the statistics unreliable.
Where the stolen money goes reveals how well criminals understand cryptocurrencies. Some immediately transfer assets to major exchanges without even trying to hide their tracks—such cases are solved the fastest. Others move tokens through decentralized platforms, cross-chain bridges, and MEV bots, just to avoid identity verification. Still others work with criminal networks: in one case, funds passed through a fast-exchange service and an over-the-counter laundering platform that had previously served drug cartels and terrorist financing schemes.
My expert conclusion: the cryptocurrency market is facing a new reality where physical security is becoming just as critical as cybersecurity. The rise in the number of attacks amid their declining success rate indicates that criminals are acting blindly, but data leaks are turning this chaos into a systemic threat. Investors need to reconsider their approaches to asset storage and personal security, especially in France, where the situation has spiraled out of control.