A fake courier tried to steal a French crypto worker’s private keys at gunpoint, but was disarmed in a struggle, underscoring France’s surge in “wrench” attacks.

In the early morning hours of April 11, a French crypto worker and his family narrowly escaped an armed home invasion after a man posing as a delivery driver tried to force him to hand over private keys at gunpoint, in the latest example of so‑called “$5 wrench attacks” targeting digital asset holders. The incident, detailed in local reports from the Montpellier region and since echoed in national coverage of crypto crime, saw the attacker enter the family home, corral the victim, his wife, and their children into the living room, and demand wallet access while brandishing a handgun.

Fake delivery, real gun

When the victim’s answers apparently confused the intruder, the assailant stopped to call an accomplice, creating a brief opening that allowed the 40‑year‑old crypto worker to wrestle for control of the weapon. Neighbours called police as the struggle spilled out of the house, and after a three‑day manhunt, officers arrested a 25‑year‑old suspect from Hérault, who has since been charged by a Montpellier court with attempted armed robbery and remanded in custody.

France’s rise as a crypto hub — and target

The attack fits a broader pattern. France’s interior ministry and local media have tracked a sharp rise in physical robberies and kidnappings linked to cryptocurrency, with authorities estimating at least 41 crypto‑related kidnappings so far in 2026 alone — roughly one every 2.5 days, up from about 20 such cases between 2023 and 2025. A recent intelligence brief noted that 10 out of 20 global kidnapping‑for‑crypto cases recorded by mid‑2025 had occurred in France, attributing the concentration partly to Paris’ push to become a global crypto hub and host frequent high‑profile industry events.

High‑visibility figures have also been hit. In February, masked gunmen attempted a home invasion targeting Binance France president David Prinçay in Val‑de‑Marne, fleeing only after realising he was not home, while other gangs have kidnapped relatives of crypto executives on Paris streets and in satellite towns around the capital. In March, a couple near Versailles were forced at knifepoint to transfer roughly $1 million worth of Bitcoin to attackers impersonating police, underscoring how criminals now routinely exploit both social engineering and brute force to reach seed phrases and hardware devices.

French officials have begun promising “preventative measures” for crypto professionals and wealthier retail holders, including specialised police units, awareness campaigns, and enhanced security at conferences such as Paris Blockchain Week, where VIPs have recently been escorted by police motorcades. For rank‑and‑file crypto workers, though, the latest handgun incident in Montpellier is a blunt reminder that operational security now extends well beyond cold storage opsec and into basic personal safety — from home access controls and delivery protocols to how loudly they talk about their holdings in public.