Headline: Fake officers hold French couple at knifepoint, force €900K Bitcoin transfer in Versailles-area home invasion
Three men posing as police officers allegedly stormed a home in Le Chesnay, near Versailles, and forced a couple in their late 50s to transfer roughly €900,000 (about $1 million) in Bitcoin, French broadcaster TF1 reports.
According to sources cited by TF1, the suspects gained entry by claiming to be police, then pulled a knife and threatened to stab the woman unless her partner moved the crypto to a wallet they controlled. The Versailles public prosecutor’s office has confirmed the theft and said the case is being handled by France’s Brigade for the Repression of Banditry (BRB). At the time of reporting no arrests had been announced; potential charges under investigation reportedly include kidnapping, armed robbery, organized crime and criminal conspiracy.
The attack fits a growing pattern of so-called “$5 wrench” crimes, in which criminals use physical coercion rather than cyber means to seize digital assets. These robberies typically target owners at home after attackers identify likely victims via public signals, data leaks or social-engineering tactics. France has emerged as a hotspot for such violent incidents, which have included high-profile abductions and other assaults targeting crypto executives. Last May, French police arrested 12 suspects linked to crypto kidnapping probes, but the wave of physical attacks on crypto holders has continued.
This latest case underscores the limits of purely digital security: even well-secured funds can be taken through real-world coercion, raising fresh concerns for investors and industry leaders about personal safety and the need for protective measures.
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