Couple Targeted In Three Home Raids Over Nonexistent Crypto

In France, the crypto threat no longer stops at the screens. In the Somme, a young couple suffered three home invasions for cryptos they claim never owned. The origin of this nightmare: compromised personal data, exploited by criminals convinced they would find a crypto wallet at their victims’ homes. Recruitment of executors, violence, extortion: the case reveals how a digital leak can lead to a physical attack. After the verdict from the Amiens court, the couple now considers a radical decision: selling their house to flee. In brief A couple with no connection to the crypto ecosystem suffers three violent attacks at their home in Montdidier. A leak of tax data on the dark web was actually targeting the previous owners of the house. Young and precarious executors were hired online by anonymous principals. The Amiens court hands down sentences of up to 18 months in prison for the attackers. Three violent intrusions for a nonexistent virtual asset The ordeal of a young agriculture professional and a banking administration executive, both in their twenties, begins on June 24 in the town of Montdidier, in the Somme, while physical assaults have already yielded over 30 million dollars this year. Indeed, a first group of intruders attempted to force their home before fleeing due to the dogs’ reactions. On June 26, 48 hours later, a second team entered their residence with unparalleled violence. This group liquidated one owner before beating the other severely. Through a terrible staging, the attackers filmed the scene live via the Snapchat application to put pressure on the two victims. They then demanded the transfer of their crypto wallets. However, faced with the couple’s total incomprehension and inability to provide any private key, the assailants realize their strategic error and retreat. Despite the installation of a sophisticated alarm system by the owners to ensure their protection, a third intrusion occurs on July 17. This time, it is cut short thanks to the siren activation. Such relentless determination finds its explanation in an upstream security breach beyond the two victims’ control. It should be noted that the couple had purchased this house two years earlier, unaware that this property belonged to a wealthy retired couple. Thus, tax information as well as the exact address of the previous owners were hacked and revealed on the dark web, as stated by the defense lawyer, Maître Giuseppina Marras. The intruders relied on outdated data, convinced they were targeting holders of fortunes and crypto wallets. No longer safe on their property, the couple has now decided to sell the house, information disclosed by their lawyer on August 11 at the hearing, considering the trauma caused.