Leaked French data is now a hit list for crypto scammers

Scammers are using data stolen in recent French breaches to identify crypto holders and call them while posing as Binance or Meria support, according to Meria CEO Owen “Hasheur” Simonin. Victims are told their funds are at risk and pushed to move them to a “safe” address the scammers control.

The warning comes as French data leaks have raised concerns over how compromised personal information can be combined across private companies and public institutions. According to Simonin, criminals are exploiting this information to make scam calls appear more credible, often posing as customer service representatives from established crypto platforms such as Binance or Meria.

The scams typically rely on panic and urgency. Victims are told that their cryptocurrency holdings or accounts are allegedly under threat and are instructed to move their assets to another address for protection. Instead, the transfer sends the funds directly to the scammers.

Simonin said the growing availability of leaked information could make these attacks easier to personalize, while the wider adoption of artificial intelligence could further increase the scale of fraudulent operations.

French data leaks expose information used by crypto scammers

The connection between French data leaks and crypto scams has become a growing concern as personal information from different incidents can potentially be combined. Simonin said the problem extends beyond individual companies, pointing to breaches affecting both private businesses and public institutions.

“We’re going through a phase where data leaks are piling up in private companies as well as in the public sector: all these leaks intersect. That’s how we identify crypto holders and the platforms they use,” — Owen “Hasheur” Simonin, founder and CEO of Meria.

According to the entrepreneur, scammers have reportedly been contacting cryptocurrency users while impersonating legitimate customer-service representatives. The attackers allegedly use information about their targets to make the calls appear genuine.

This makes French data leaks particularly relevant to cryptocurrency users because leaked personal information can potentially provide criminals with details that help them establish credibility. Rather than relying on random calls, scammers can use known information to approach individuals who are more likely to hold digital assets.

The issue also illustrates how information exposed in separate incidents can become more valuable when combined. A single piece of leaked information may appear relatively harmless, but multiple datasets can potentially provide criminals with a clearer picture of an individual and their financial activities.

How the fake crypto support calls work

The fraudulent calls reportedly follow a relatively straightforward pattern. A scammer contacts a crypto user while claiming to represent an exchange or cryptocurrency service. The caller then warns that the user’s account or funds have been compromised.

The objective is to create enough fear that the victim acts before carefully verifying the caller’s identity.

Once the victim is convinced, the scammer instructs them to transfer their cryptocurrency to another wallet or address supposedly designed to protect their funds. In reality, the transfer places the assets under the scammer’s control.

“If you panic and follow through, that’s where your money will go—to their address,” — Owen “Hasheur” Simonin, founder and CEO of Meria.

Simonin also warned that legitimate cryptocurrency services generally do not unexpectedly contact customers and ask them to conduct transactions as a security measure.

“A service won’t contact you out of the blue, unless you’ve reached out to them on a very specific issue. Even less so to ask you for a transaction or personal information,” — Owen “Hasheur” Simonin, founder and CEO of Meria.

The warning is particularly significant in the context of French data leaks because scammers may have enough information about a target to make an unsolicited call appear authentic. Users who already have accounts with cryptocurrency platforms may therefore be more vulnerable to social-engineering tactics built around stolen personal information.

French data leaks add to France’s wider crypto security concerns

The reported increase in fraudulent calls comes against the backdrop of broader cryptocurrency-related crime in France. The story also points to the growing use of so-called wrench attacks, in which criminals use physical violence or threats to steal cryptocurrency from holders.

Unlike digital attacks that attempt to exploit weaknesses in blockchain networks or cryptocurrency software, these crimes target people directly. The rise of both physical and social-engineering attacks highlights the importance of protecting information about cryptocurrency ownership.

In August, France’s General Directorate of Public Finances, known as DGFiP, reported a data breach in which hackers accessed information belonging to 678,000 taxpayers. The incident has added to concerns surrounding French data leaks and the potential consequences of compromised personal information.

The breach is significant because tax-related information can contain sensitive details that criminals may attempt to combine with information obtained from other sources. The story does not establish that the DGFiP breach directly caused the fraudulent crypto calls, but it forms part of the wider series of French data leaks cited by Simonin.

AI could expand the scale of crypto scams

Simonin also expects artificial intelligence to affect the evolution of fraudulent crypto support operations. As AI tools become more accessible, scammers may have greater computing resources and automation capabilities for conducting attacks.

The concern is not limited to the quality of individual scam calls. Automated systems could potentially allow criminals to contact larger numbers of targets while tailoring messages to information available about each victim.

For cryptocurrency users, French data leaks therefore represent more than a conventional privacy concern. Information exposed through breaches can become an ingredient in highly targeted social-engineering campaigns, particularly when criminals are able to identify a person’s connection to a cryptocurrency platform.

The warning from Simonin underscores the importance of skepticism toward unsolicited calls claiming to involve cryptocurrency accounts. The central tactic described in the report remains straightforward: create fear, establish urgency and persuade the victim to move funds.

As French data leaks continue to draw attention, the security challenge extends beyond protecting passwords or blockchain wallets. The information surrounding cryptocurrency users can itself become a valuable target for criminals, particularly when separate datasets are combined.

French data leaks also demonstrate why users should treat unexpected requests involving cryptocurrency transfers or sensitive personal information with caution. The reported scams depend heavily on convincing victims that immediate action is necessary.

For users, verifying communications through official channels before taking any action remains particularly important when an unexpected caller claims to represent a cryptocurrency platform. The rise in reported fraudulent calls shows how criminals can exploit both compromised information and human reactions to security threats.