Masked Gunmen Tie Up Woman in France, Steal Crypto USB
Three masked men broke into a home in Manosque, France, held a woman at gunpoint, tied her up, and stole a USB drive containing her partner’s cryptocurrency data. The perpetrators threatened and slapped the victim before fleeing; she freed herself and alerted the police, who have launched an investigation. France has seen a rise in violent crypto-related crimes, with over 14 incidents reported and the country recognized as a hotspot due to visible concentrations of crypto wealth, high baseline criminal activity, and increasing digital asset expertise. Criminal networks are increasingly targeting digital assets for the potential of better profits and lower traceability compared to traditional financial channels. The incident follows revelations of a French tax official indicted for abusing access to government databases to identify and leak information about cryptocurrency investors to criminals, sometimes preceding home invasions.
