In brief – A 32-year-old man has been indicted in Nancy over a so-called “wrench attack” targeting a crypto holder. – The man was one of three who allegedly posed as police officers to attack a couple in a bid to steal $20,000 in cryptocurrency. – The attack followed a January…
ta breach at French crypto tax platform Waltio that affected 50,000 users. Three men allegedly posed as police officers to attack a couple at their Nancy home, attempting to steal their cryptocurrency portfolio after obtaining their personal information from a breached crypto platform, Le Parisien reported
A 32-year-old man from Vaujours (Seine-Saint-Denis) has been indicted in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) over the attack, and charged with attempted extortion with a weapon, attempted kidnapping by an organized gang, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Per Le Parisien, the attack saw a 45-year-old woman accosted outside her apartment. Both she and her husband were “brutally beaten” after he came outside to investigate the noise, with the would-be robbers fleeing after the couple’s daughters called the police from inside the house.
Police recovered plastic zip ties and a €5 euro note left by the attackers, whom witnesses described as having been armed with an Uzi submachine gun. The attack reportedly came after the husband’s €20,000 crypto holdings were exposed following a January data breach at French crypto tax reporting platform Waltio. The breach revealed email addresses, 2024 trading gains and losses, and cryptocurrency balances for approximately 50,000 users, with the hackers responsible attempting to extort Waltio before selling the stolen data.