France records 90 crypto-related kidnappings and extortion cases in seven months

France recorded a total of 90 crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders over the past seven months, including kidnapping, extortion, threats and theft. In the first half of this year alone, 77 cases were reported, far above the 45 recorded in all of last year. The crimes are known as "Wrench Attack," in which perpetrators directly threaten crypto holders to steal their assets. The method is understood to involve using leaked personal data to identify victims and track their home addresses. One case involved a data breach at crypto tax reporting platform Waltio that exposed information belonging to about 50,000 users. French authorities arrested around 200 people during related investigations and, by this spring, had indicted 88 people in connection with 12 cases, including 10 minors.