French Couple Robbed of $1M Bitcoin in Fake Police Heist

Edgen Crypto

·Mar 10 2026, 14:31

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Key Takeaways

A French couple was forced to transfer approximately $1 million in Bitcoin during a violent home invasion by criminals posing as police. The incident highlights a sharp increase in physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders, with France emerging as a significant hotspot for such crimes.

Violent Extortion: Three assailants disguised as police officers entered a home west of Paris, threatening a couple with a knife to force a €900,000 ($1 million) Bitcoin transfer.
Rising Physical Threats: The robbery is part of a troubling trend known as "wrench attacks," which saw a 75% global increase in 2025, according to cybersecurity firm CertiK.
France a Regional Hotspot: France recorded 19 confirmed wrench attacks in 2025, the highest number of any country, signaling a concentrated risk for European crypto investors.

Fake Police Extort $1M in Bitcoin in Paris Suburb

Criminals posing as police officers extorted approximately €900,000 ($1 million) in Bitcoin from a couple in their late 50s during a home invasion on Monday morning. The incident occurred in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, a suburb west of Paris, when three suspects entered the victims' home.

The assailants threatened the couple with a knife and compelled the husband to transfer the digital assets. After securing the funds, the attackers tied up the man, injured both victims, and fled the scene. The Versailles prosecutor’s office is investigating the case, which includes allegations of armed robbery by an organized gang and sequestration.

Wrench Attacks Grew 75% in 2025 as France Becomes Hotspot

The robbery is the latest example of a "wrench attack," where criminals use physical violence or threats to steal digital assets directly from their owners. According to data from cybersecurity platform CertiK, these types of attacks increased by 75% globally in 2025, with 72 verified cases reported worldwide.

France has become a center for this criminal activity, accounting for 19 of those incidents in 2025—the highest of any nation. Europe as a whole represented about 40% of all wrench attacks last year. This event follows other high-profile crypto-related crimes in the country, including the kidnapping of a magistrate's family for a crypto ransom and a home invasion targeting an executive at Binance France earlier this year, underscoring a pattern of escalating physical risks for cryptocurrency holders in the region.