Victim’s empty wallet ends latest French crypto kidnapping

The ongoing wave of crypto kidnapping-for-ransom in France has recently claimed another victim. But this time, the attackers walked away empty-handed.

A 26-year-old TikTok influencer was the latest target in the troubling trend of crypto-linked kidnappings in France. According to local outlet Europe 1, the victim was abducted late Friday night while returning home in Juvisy-sur-Orge, a residential commune in the southern suburbs of Paris. He was forced into a stolen vehicle by four men, and then reportedly beaten and tortured.

The attackers demanded the influencer to provide €50,000 in cryptocurrency to secure his release, banking on his social media presence and 40,000 followers as proof of wealth. 

However, their quest turned out unprofitable when they realized that the influencer had little to no money in his account. With no ransom worth collecting, they let him go. 

French authorities have handed the case over to the Organized and Specialized Crime Division, as it marks the latest in the rising trend of crypto-related kidnappings in the region. Just weeks ago, police rescued the father of a wealthy crypto investor and popular streamer who had been abducted and mutilated by captors demanding €7 million in crypto.

Another such case involved the attempted kidnapping of the 34-year-old daughter of the CEO of the Paris-based crypto exchange Paymium, who was eventually rescued by her partner and bystanders. While the attackers fled in this case, investigators tied the incident to the same kidnapping network.

Authorities say multiple arrests have been made in connection to the ongoing trend, and more efforts are underway to find others involved in the extortion scheme. Among those detained is a 24-year-old French-Moroccan national named Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, who was recently arrested in Morocco and is suspected of masterminding several of the recent kidnappings.