French family bound for hours as attackers demand €40,000 in crypto

Four masked men have held a family of four captive for more than three hours at their home in northern France and forced the father, an IT worker in the crypto sector, to transfer €40,000 in digital assets. Summary Four masked men held a family of four captive for more than three hours and forced the father to transfer €40,000 in crypto. The attackers assaulted the father for his access codes, while his 12 year old daughter was struck in the face. French authorities are investigating the case as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang, with all four suspects still at large. France has recorded more than 70 crypto linked kidnappings and unlawful detentions during the first eight months of 2026. According to BFMTV, the attackers entered the family home in Vendin-le-Vieil at around 4 a.m. Sunday and restrained the couple and their two children, aged eight and twelve. The Béthune prosecutor’s office said the 40-year-old father works as a salaried IT specialist in the digital currency sector. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into unlawful detention and extortion following the attack. Attackers forced victim to reveal crypto access codes Once inside the property, the four hooded men bound the family with black tape and searched the house, France Télévisions reported, citing a police source. The attackers later separated the father from the rest of his family and assaulted him while demanding access to his cryptocurrency. He was forced to “communicate his identification information and codes,” the police source said. During the ordeal, the couple’s 12-year-old daughter was struck in the face with car keys, according to a source close to the investigation. The attackers eventually obtained roughly €40,000, worth approximately $46,000, before leaving the property. The family managed to free themselves after the group drove away, and firefighters arrived at around 7 a.m. Prosecutors said the victims were in a state of shock after the attack and were referred for forensic medical examinations. A victim support association has been assigned to assist the family. Investigators are treating the case as kidnapping and extortion by an organized gang. The investigation has been handed to regional judicial police and France’s anti-cybercrime office, while all four suspects remain at large. French crypto home invasions continue in 2026 The Vendin-le-Vieil attack follows several home invasions involving people with direct or indirect links to cryptocurrency in France. On Sept. 2, crypto.news previously reported that a French couple were tied up for more than two hours at their home in Alès while two masked attackers demanded cryptocurrency transactions. Their young child was inside the property during the attack.