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French police are searching for three armed suspects after a brutal home invasion in which fake police stole cryptocurrency, the latest “key attack” on the French crypto-currency community.
$1 Million Bitcoin Heist
A couple in their late 50s were forced to hand over around €900,000 ($1 million) in bitcoin when three men posing as police raided their home in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, near Versailles, French news agency TF1 reported.
Sources cited by TF1 say that the suspects entered the house, pretending to be policemen, then threatened the woman with a knife and demanded that her husband transfer the bitcoins to a wallet under their control.
Reports indicate that the assailants tied up the man, injured both victims and fled the scene in a white van. The investigation of the victims ended when the woman released her husband and informed the neighbors around 9:00.
Versailles prosecutors confirmed the Bitcoin theft and said the case was being investigated by France’s anti-piracy brigade (BRB) on possible charges including kidnapping, armed robbery by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy, but no arrests had been made as of Tuesday.
 
“Key attacks” in France reach record levels
The violent home invasion is part of a troubling pattern of “key attacks,” in which criminals use physical force rather than hackers to force crypto investors to hand over digital assets.
France has emerged as a European hub for “key attacks,” ranging from violent home invasions targeting crypto executives to ransom demands, including the shocking kidnapping and wounding of Ledger CEO David Balland.
French authorities arrested six suspects in early February after a judge and his mother were kidnapped in a crypto-ransom scheme that targeted his business partner. However, the rise in crypto-related crime shows no signs of letting up.
Last year, OG Bitcoiner and security expert Jameson Lopp tracked more than 70 crypto-related hacks around the world — with France alone responsible for more than 14 reported incidents.
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