Whether the market is bullish or bearish, criminal groups targeting cryptocurrency holders don’t seem to be bothered by such details. Proof of this can be found in the four kidnapping attempts carried out in the Chalon-sur-Saône region against a single victim.
Attempted kidnapping of a cryptocurrency holder in Chalon-sur-Saône
The string of incidents continues in France, despite the arrest last June of the alleged mastermind of an organized gang responsible for several such cases since 2023, who had been holed up in Morocco. The crimes involved kidnappings and torture to extort fortunes held in cryptocurrencies.
These operations are often meticulously planned and involve several coordinated individuals, as in the recent case revealed yesterday by the Journal de Saône-et-Loire. A cryptocurrency investor from the Chalon-sur-Saône region, clearly identified as a lucrative target, narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt.
🪙 Six men were arrested and taken into custody in Chalon-sur-Saône. They are suspected of attempting to kidnap a man who owns cryptocurrency. For the fourth time.https://t.co/8vt1kh3Jgq
— Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire (@lejsl) November 25, 2025
According to available information, six men, including two minors, participated in this criminal operation to seize funds held in their target’s crypto wallet and then demand a “digital ransom” for its release.
The attempted kidnapping was interrupted by the arrival of the police on the scene and the arrest of all the members of the gang in action on November 22. They were immediately taken into custody in Chalon-sur-Saône for questioning, which revealed a disturbing level of determination.
An arrest after four unsuccessful attempts
According to initial findings from the ongoing investigation, this aborted kidnapping attempt was not the first orchestrated by this gang. Even more troubling is the fact that the operation in Chalon-sur-Saône followed four other unsuccessful attempts… against the same target. Indeed, the first two operations orchestrated against this cryptocurrency holder were clearly unsuccessful, while the third was interrupted by a welcome intervention from the police, but did not lead to any arrests.
This relentless pursuit is troubling, considering that the police intervention during the third attempt should have put an end to this string of attacks against one and the same person. However, the perpetrators’ motivation seems to have remained intact in the face of the prospect of emptying his crypto wallets.
This case echoes the recent robbery of the ex-boyfriend of Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, which took place not long ago in the United States and resulted in the theft of $11 million in Bitcoin and Ethereum. It leaves us with the unpleasant impression that criminals are not at all deterred by periods of sharp decline in the crypto market.
