Crypto entrepreneurs and their families in France will receive enhanced security measures amid a recent rise in crypto-related kidnappings in the country, Politico reported.<\/p>\n
According<\/a> to the May 16 report, the measures include priority access to police emergency lines, home security assessments, and safety briefings from French law enforcement to ensure best practices are being followed.<\/p>\n France\u2019s Interior Minister Bruno <\/strong>Retailleau introduced the security measures as part of a broader effort to counter the recent wave of attacks.<\/a><\/p>\n “These repeated kidnappings of professionals in the crypto sector will be fought with specific tools, both immediate and short-term, to prevent, dissuade and hinder in order to protect the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n Law enforcement officers will also undergo “anti-crypto asset laundering training,\u201d Retailleau noted.<\/p>\n Retailleau met with several local leaders from the crypto industry to discuss the measures following three crypto-related kidnapping incidents in recent months.<\/p>\n The latest incident occurred on May 13, when assailants attempted to abduct the daughter<\/a> and grandson of Pierre Noizat, CEO of the French crypto platform Paymium. Fortunately, they managed to fend off the attack, which occurred in broad daylight.\u00a0<\/p>\n The assailants tried to force the pair into a waiting van, but Noizat\u2019s daughter managed to take one of the guns off an assailant and throw it away, local police said.<\/p>\n En plein Paris, un homme a \u00e9t\u00e9 violent\u00e9 par des individus cagoul\u00e9s, habill\u00e9s tout en noir. Ils tentaient de l’enlever. Un homme a surgi, extincteur \u00e0 la main, pour les faire fuir. \u2192https:\/\/t.co\/P0qV6PR40v<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9f4r2Gi7ho<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) May 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n On May 3, Paris police freed the father<\/a> of a crypto entrepreneur who was held for several days in connection with a 7 million euros ($7.8 million) kidnapping plot.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>SEC hacker sentenced to 14 months in prison<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In January, the co-founder of crypto hardware wallet provider<\/a> Ledger, David Balland, was abducted from his home in central France<\/a> during the early hours of Jan. 21. He was held captive until a police operation on the night of Jan. 22 secured his release.<\/p>\n Retailleau said<\/a> earlier this week that he believes the incidents were likely connected.<\/p>\n There have been over 150 crypto-related robbery or kidnapping incidents since 2014, with 23 of those incidents occurring in 2025 alone, according<\/a> to a GitHub database maintained by Bitcoin cypherpunk Jameson Lopp.<\/p>\n Lopp noted<\/a> many of these criminals typically identify future victims through social media posts, public conversations, meetups, and conferences.<\/p>\n He strongly advises against peer-to-peer trades<\/a> \u2014 particularly with people you don\u2019t trust \u2014 flaunting wealth on social media and wearing crypto-branded clothing.<\/p>\nTwo kidnappings and a failed attempt in France this year<\/h2>\n