Rising Concerns About Targeted Crypto Crimes

• France’s crypto boom draws crime rings targeting founders with brutal abductions.
• EthCC 2025 tightens security as attacks on crypto elites shake French blockchain scene.
• National task force and police reinforcements deployed to protect crypto community.

This summer, as thousands of crypto enthusiasts flock to the French Riviera for the Ethereum Community Conference (EthCC), authorities and organizers are gearing up for much more than just tech talks and networking receptions. 

The major event, slated for June 30 to July 3 in Cannes and featuring high-profile figures like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, will see security ramped up to levels usually reserved for the city’s prestigious film festival. 

This unprecedented decision follows a deeply troubling recent wave of violent attacks that have shaken the French crypto community to its core, raising grave concerns about safety and protection for high-profile attendees.

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Rising Threat as Organized Crime Brutally Targets Crypto Wealth in France

In recent months, at least six attacks on crypto founders or their relatives have rattled the French blockchain community. Victims were abducted, and in some cases, brutally mutilated. 

These assaults, reported by security expert Jameson Lopp, include the kidnapping of David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his wife. Criminals severed one of Balland’s fingers during a 36-hour ordeal before police intervened. A similar fate met the father of a crypto millionaire in Paris just weeks later.

These cases highlight a chilling pattern: organized crime groups are now targeting crypto wealth in sophisticated, premeditated operations. France, increasingly seen as Europe’s crypto hub due to favorable regulations, has also become a magnet for such criminal networks. The intersection of soaring asset values, regulatory growth, and increased media visibility has created a perfect storm.

Jerome de Tychey, co-founder of EthCC and CEO of Cometh, acknowledges the risks but remains confident in the safety plans. Cannes already boasts over 500 CCTV cameras and a large police presence. For the conference, additional officers from the surrounding region will reinforce surveillance and on-site protection.

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To further deter threats, French authorities recently rolled out emergency hotlines and home security inspections for at-risk crypto figures. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleu launched a national task force in March, aiming to combat organized crime’s infiltration into the financial sector.