French police have recently cracked a series of kidnapping cases related to cryptocurrencies. Among the 25 suspects involved, there are teenagers and minors. The cases have drawn attention due to the younger age group involved in digital asset crimes.
According to the French judicial department, this series of cases mainly targeted cryptocurrency holders for kidnapping and extortion. Most of the victims were locked down because they exposed their asset information on social media or in offline transactions. Police investigations show that some minor suspects have learned criminal methods through the dark web, used the anonymity of cryptocurrencies to transfer ransom, and even participated in planning kidnapping processes. Among them, the youngest suspect is only 15 years old and is suspected of assisting the gang in tracking the movements of the victims’ assets through virtual currency wallets.
The Paris prosecutor’s office pointed out that criminal gangs usually lure victims to meet with the bait of “offline Bitcoin transactions”, and then carry out kidnappings and force them to transfer digital assets. In some cases, the suspects also used decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms to quickly split ransoms in order to evade regulatory tracking. As of now, the police have recovered approximately 800,000 euros worth of crypto assets, involving major currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
French cybersecurity expert Amelie DuPont analyzed that the sharp increase in minors’ participation in cryptocurrency crimes is related to the insufficient popularization of digital asset knowledge and the proliferation of dark web crime tutorials. Teenagers have a biased understanding of the anonymity of blockchain, mistakenly believing that cryptocurrency transactions cannot be traced, thereby lowering the psychological threshold for crime. She emphasized that parents and schools need to enhance education on digital asset security, and at the same time, regulatory authorities should intensify the crackdown on crimes related to cryptocurrencies.
This incident highlights a new trend in cryptocurrency crimes – the interweaving of younger criminal groups and specialized methods. The French police have called on the public to be vigilant, avoid exposing asset information through informal channels, and choose safe places and accompany others when conducting offline transactions. The judicial department stated that it will formulate special education and correction plans for minors involved in cases, and at the same time promote regulatory collaboration on cryptocurrency transactions within the European Union.
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