“I will gather in Beauvau the entrepreneurs, there are some in France, who are in these cryptocurrencies, so that, with them, we work on their security” and “so that they are also aware of the risks,” Bruno Retailleau assured on Europe 1/CNews.
“We must take measures together to protect them. But the sponsors, wherever they are – perhaps even abroad – we will find them,” he further promised.
In recent months, several executives of companies specializing in cryptocurrencies, as well as their relatives, have been targeted. The latest kidnapping attempt, aborted but spectacular, on Tuesday in the middle of the street in Paris, targeted the daughter and grandson of the CEO of the Paymium exchange platform.
In late January, Ledger co-founder David Balland and his partner were kidnapped from their home in Cher. The alert was raised by Eric Larchevêque, the other co-founder of the crypto wallet specialist, who received a video of a severed finger of David Balland, accompanied by a large ransom demand in cryptocurrencies.
Held captive in Châteauroux, David Balland was released on January 22. His partner was found tied up in the trunk of a vehicle in Essonne the next day.
At least nine people have been charged in this case, including the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping.
In early January, a 56-year-old man was found in the trunk of a car near Le Mans, several hundred kilometers from his home in Ain. According to several media outlets, he was the father of a cryptocurrency influencer based in Dubai, who regularly posts videos about his earnings. A “very high” ransom was demanded.
On May 1, the father of a man who had made a fortune in cryptocurrencies was kidnapped by four hooded men, also in the middle of Paris, and released two days later. Five people have been charged in this case.
