Crypto Worker's Children Held Hostage in Latest French ‘Wrench Attack,’ $46,000 Taken

Four hooded men forced their way into a family home in Vendin-le-Vieil in the early hours of Sunday and detained a couple and their two children, authorities said. The intruders bound the family with tape and stayed in the house for more than three hours, according to a police source cited by France Télévisions. Prosecutors identified the father as a 40-year-old salaried IT specialist working in the digital currency sector. The attackers separated and assaulted him, compelling him to provide identification details and access codes that allowed them to transfer about €40,000 in cryptocurrency. A source close to the investigation said the family's 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys. Firefighters reached the home at about 7 a.m., after the suspects had fled. The victims were described by prosecutors as being in a state of shock and were referred for forensic medical exams; a victim support association has been assigned to assist them. All four suspects remain at large and the case has been opened as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang. Authorities have handed the inquiry to the regional judicial police and France's anti-cybercrime office. The attack adds to a wider pattern of 'wrench attacks'—violent, often home-based abductions linked to crypto access—which have disproportionately affected France. The national anti-organised crime prosecutor's office recorded more than 70 crypto-related kidnappings and unlawful detentions in the first eight months of 2026, and earlier enforcement actions led to charges against 88 people. Industry watchers have reported substantial global losses from similar attacks in 2026, with Chainalysis estimating $30 million taken and CertiK reporting $124 million in losses over six months.