The disturbing rise in cryptocurrency-related kidnappings across France continues, with a recent incident involving a young TikTok influencer narrowly escaping with his life—and no ransom paid.
Late Friday night, a 26-year-old content creator with around 40,000 followers on TikTok was abducted while heading home in Juvisy-sur-Orge, a quiet suburb south of Paris. According to a June 15 report from French outlet Europe 1, the victim was forced into a stolen vehicle by four men and subjected to physical assault and torture.
The attackers, assuming the influencer’s online popularity equated to significant crypto wealth, demanded €50,000 in digital assets in exchange for his release. However, their expectations quickly unravelled when they discovered the influencer’s account held little to no funds. With no payout in sight, the suspects ultimately released him.
Authorities have since transferred the case to the Organized and Specialized Crime Division, treating it as part of a broader pattern of crypto-fueled abductions plaguing the region. In a recent high-profile case, the father of a wealthy crypto investor and streamer was kidnapped and mutilated before police managed a successful rescue. Another attempted kidnapping targeted the daughter of the CEO of Paymium, a Paris-based crypto exchange. In that instance, the woman was saved by her partner and passersby before the attackers fled.
Investigators believe the incidents are linked to a coordinated criminal network. Several arrests have already been made, and French authorities have reportedly apprehended more suspects connected to the violent abduction of a crypto entrepreneur’s father, whose finger was severed as part of a shocking ransom demand.
Additionally, other arrests have been made, including the recent detention of 24-year-old French-Moroccan national Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou in Morocco. He is suspected of orchestrating multiple abductions tied to this growing extortion scheme.
French law enforcement has pledged to intensify efforts to dismantle the network and prevent further attacks as concerns mount over the intersection of social media visibility, perceived crypto wealth, and personal security.
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