Known on TikTok, a cryptocurrency trader kidnapped and held for 50,000 euros

A new kidnapping in the cryptocurrency world . According to information from Europe 1 confirmed by Le Figaro , a 26-year-old trader was kidnapped during the night of Friday 13 to Saturday 14 June while returning home in Juvisy (Essonne). Followed by 40,000 subscribers on TikTok, the young man was forced into a Renault Clio stolen by his captors.

Four people beat him and held him for over an hour, according to Le Figaro, in an attempt to extort the equivalent of €50,000 in cryptocurrency. They were able to access the victim's bank account, but the victim ultimately didn't have the expected amount. The four attackers then released him. They are being sought by law enforcement. The trader, meanwhile, was given a six-day total work stoppage (ITT).

Since the beginning of the year, several kidnappings and attempted kidnappings linked to the cryptocurrency community have occurred. This dark series began in January with the kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner. He was eventually released and his partner was found tied up in a vehicle. The judicial investigation continues, with at least nine suspects charged.

On May 13, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the spectacular attempted kidnapping of the daughter and grandson of the CEO of the cryptocurrency company Paymium , immortalized by a video that went viral, had a strong media impact. In this case and another one foiled in extremis near Nantes at the end of May, 25 people, aged 16 to 23, were charged.

Another example: at the end of January, a man in his thirties, a cryptocurrency operator, was held captive in Troyes, Aube. Four people ambushed him by promising him a professional meeting, before demanding €20,000 to let him leave. The thirty-year-old was, however, able to contact a friend, who alerted the police. The victim was released without injury, and the four suspects were arrested.

Kidnappings that sometimes end much worse. In August 2021, a 19-year-old man was killed in Plancher-Bas (Haute-Saône) by three people who attempted to steal his bitcoins worth nearly €200,000. The instigator of the murder was sentenced on June 13 to thirty years in prison with a two-thirds minimum sentence. His two accomplices were sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.