Crypto: Several attacks for a wallet of only 300 euros!

Supposed fortunes, very real violence. In Picardy, as everywhere in France, families are subject to attempts to extort cryptocurrencies, sometimes repeated by different teams. However, some victims only have a few hundred euros, or even no digital assets. The Amiens research section is investigating these attacks, the targeting of which is based in particular on personal data that has been stolen, resold or has become obsolete. Focus today on the work of these investigators like no other.

Crypto extortion: Stolen files expose the same families several times

The Courrier Picard report dedicated to the fifty years of the Amiens research section describes a persistent targeting mechanism. According to Warrant Officer David, regional crypto referent, files containing the contact details of holders are circulating on underground markets. Their resale allows unrelated groups to appear successively among the same people.

In Arvillers, a resident suffered four intrusion attempts between the end of December and mid-January. Hooded and armed men were convinced that she held a fortune. However, his wallet only contained 300 euros, which the attackers did not recover. The report mentions artificially inflated amounts in the files to increase their resale value.

Addresses may also be out of date. In Grivesnes, a couple suffered several intrusions because they occupied the former home of a cryptocurrency holder. During one attack, the victims were beaten and tied up before the perpetrators realized their mistake. An alarm installed subsequently caused a new attempt to fail.

These files show that the danger does not depend only on real heritage. Incorrect information is enough to designate a target, while the circulation of the file maintains the threat after the failure of a first team.

The gendarmerie seeks to trace the executioners to the order givers

In Revelles, on October 31, 2025, three men broke into a family home to demand the 200,000 euros in crypto that the father was supposed to hold. A sponsor followed the operation by videoconference. The attackers hit several occupants before fleeing without loot. The family then put their house up for sale.

According to the same report, contractors recruit performers on Telegram or Snapchat, with promises of remuneration. The participants do not necessarily know each other and may lose all contact after the operation. Investigators use telephones, DNA traces, vehicles and toll passages to reconstruct their journey.

When a transfer takes place, blockchain analysis provides additional insight. On public networks, movements remain searchable, but an address does not directly reveal the identity of its holder. The successive transfers and dispersion of funds therefore complicate investigations.

The research section combines this monitoring with the elements collected in the field to get back to the sponsors. However, an arrest does not make the files already distributed disappear: another team can take over the same target!