- Trending
- Comments
- Latest
Three masked gunmen broke into a home in southern France, restrained a woman at gunpoint, and stole a crypto USB drive believed to contain digital asset credentials—the latest in a surge of violent attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders across the country.
On Jan. 6, a woman was held captive in her home in Manosque after masked gunmen targeted her partner’s crypto USB drive, according to French daily Le Parisien. The attack adds to a mounting list of physical assaults linked to digital asset ownership and places France at the center of a troubling global trend.
According to police reports cited by Le Parisien, three hooded assailants forced their way into the couple’s residence on Chemin Champs de Pruniers around 7:30 p.m. The attackers restrained the woman, threatened her with a handgun, and physically assaulted her while demanding access to crypto-related information.
Their objective was clear: a crypto USB drive believed to contain private keys or wallet credentials. After seizing the device, the attackers fled the scene. The victim later managed to free herself and alert authorities. She was not hospitalized, but investigators described the incident as a clear case of targeted crypto extortion.
The Manosque attack marks France’s 14th crypto-related physical assault in recent months, according to data compiled by security researcher Jameson Lopp, whose public database tracks violent incidents against digital asset holders worldwide.
Globally, Lopp’s database has recorded 269 physical attacks linked to cryptocurrency ownership. Of those, 65 occurred in 2025 alone—averaging more than one incident per week.
France currently leads global statistics, with law enforcement suspecting organized crime groups are behind multiple kidnappings and home invasions targeting crypto USB drive holders.
Western Europe now accounts for roughly 27% of all recorded attacks, followed by North America at 24% and the Asia-Pacific region at 20%. In nearly two-thirds of cases, attackers successfully stole assets, while about 60% of perpetrators were eventually apprehended.
The Manosque robbery comes against a disturbing backdrop: French prosecutors recently revealed that criminals have been exploiting government databases to identify crypto holders.
According to Le Parisien, tax official Ghalia C. was imprisoned in June 2025 after investigators discovered she used internal tax software known as “Mira” to locate and sell personal data to organized crime groups. Prosecutors allege she specifically searched for crypto investors, including individuals suspected of storing assets on crypto USB drive devices.
“She abused her position in a completely abnormal manner to serve hardened criminals,” the public prosecutor said in court filings.
Authorities say she was paid roughly €800 per operation and received funds via cash deposits and Western Union transfers.
One documented case involved a prison officer whose home was stormed by armed attackers in September 2024 after his address was allegedly supplied through the same data leak. Prosecutors argue the pattern shows systematic targeting of high-value individuals, including crypto holders.
Her lawyer has denied the allegations, saying “the justice system is making assumptions,” but prosecutors have linked her activity to multiple violent incidents.
The surge in crypto USB drive robberies appears to correlate with broader market dynamics. Investor and venture capitalist Haseeb Qureshi analyzed attack data and found a correlation coefficient of 0.67 between crypto market capitalization and the frequency of violent incidents.
“Simple regression yields an R² of 0.45, meaning 45% of the variance in violence is explained simply by price,” Qureshi said in a published analysis.
However, Qureshi noted that when adjusted for user growth, crypto was actually more dangerous in earlier years. “Crypto was more dangerous in 2015 and 2018, when adoption was far smaller,” he said, pointing to Coinbase’s growth from 2 million to 120 million monthly active users.
Still, he acknowledged a recent uptick in severity. “There has indeed been a recent increase in violent events per user, roughly in line with 2021 levels.”
Beyond frequency, the nature of attacks has changed. According to Lopp’s classification, 51% of recent incidents are now deemed “serious,” involving armed robbery, kidnapping, or home invasion. Another 21% qualify as “severe,” including cases of torture, while fatalities account for about 5%.
Criminals increasingly rely on surveillance, impersonation, and social engineering. Home invasions now represent roughly a quarter of all incidents, with attackers often posing as delivery workers. Over-the-counter trades and in-person crypto exchanges have become especially dangerous, with victims lured to hotels or private locations.
Security experts stress that preventing crypto USB drive thefts starts with reducing visibility. “Shut up. Stop flaunting your wealth,” Lopp said bluntly when asked for advice.
He recommends avoiding face-to-face trades, using multisignature wallets, and distributing assets across multiple storage methods. Qureshi echoed that guidance, urging holders to avoid signaling crypto ownership in public and to live in secure buildings with 24/7 surveillance.
He also advised using data removal services, setting up PO boxes, and maintaining decoy wallets that could be surrendered under duress without compromising full holdings.
The Manosque case remains under active investigation, with authorities still searching for the three suspects. Financial losses tied to the stolen crypto USB drive have not yet been disclosed.
As adoption grows, the incident underscores a stark reality: while crypto technology is digital, the risks facing its users are increasingly physical—and, in some cases, violently rough.
