Robbed – Earlybirds Invest

A violent attack in central Paris has left a man without a hard drive containing €2 million worth of Bitcoin.

The incident, which took place on Tuesday evening, August 5, is the latest in a growing pattern of crypto-related crimes in France.

Details Of The Attack

According to local media reports, the incident began at around 7:15 p.m. at the Peninsula Hotel, a luxury establishment located on Avenue Kléber in Paris’s 16th arrondissement. Hotel staff alerted the police after witnessing five unknown men approach one of their guests and demand, “Give us 400,000 euros, and it’s over.” The victim was then forcibly taken from the hotel to an area near the Arc de Triomphe, where he was physically assaulted.

Officers from the anti-crime brigade quickly responded and arrested all five suspects in the 8th arrondissement. Initial investigations revealed that the group may be connected to a nearby nightclub, where the victim allegedly owed €40,000. Police believes the suspects were attempting to collect that debt by force.

The victim was briefly interviewed by authorities and said he had been beaten and threatened. He reported that the attackers took his iPhone 13 Pro Max and a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth around €2 million. He added that a previous incident had occurred the week before, during which the same individuals had displayed a weapon.

The suspects were taken into custody at the First District Police headquarters for extortion. During the night, investigators from the Anti-Banditism Brigade took over the case. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that five people were in custody and that investigations and hearings are ongoing.

This isn’t the first time Paris has made the headlines for crypto-related crime. The country has endured a series of violent kidnappings targeting individuals in the industry. The most recent case happened in May and involved a failed attempt by a masked gang to abduct relatives of the co-founder of French Bitcoin exchange Paynium. Twenty five suspects were later indicted for the failed abduction.

Another incident saw the father of a crypto millionaire being hijacked while walking their dog. David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his wife were also taken from their home in France in January, with French special forces rescuing the couple after a 58-hour ordeal. The operation led to multiple arrests, including individuals with prior crypto-related convictions. Both cases involved a ransom demand, with the victims being released with missing fingers.

SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored)
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Exclusive): Use this link to register a new account and receive $600 exclusive welcome offer on Binance (full details).

LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE position on any coin!

Drugged, Injured, and Robbed

According to a report by MyLondon, the Portland native had stepped out for drinks at The Roxy nightclub in Soho and planned to return to his Bayswater hostel shortly after 1:30 AM. But after calling a legitimate Uber through the app, a man resembling the driver’s profile pulled up in a different vehicle, a dark sedan rather than the listed Toyota Prius.

Lured by familiarity, Irwin-Cline accepted a cigarette from the driver, which he believes was laced with scopolamine, a drug known to render victims pliable and amnesic.

What followed was a blur: Irwin-Cline recalled that he intermittently lost consciousness, during which he said to had handed over passcodes, and vaguely navigated through his apps before being ejected from the vehicle. He also said that the driver struck him during the abrupt escape.

The attacker reportedly exploited Irwin-Cline’s Revolut app to access multiple crypto wallets and extracted roughly $72,000 in XRP, $50,000 in Bitcoin, and smaller altcoin amounts. The victim’s phone and laptop were both compromised – his laptop was remotely wiped, and his phone was stolen.

Despite a desperate scramble to recover his accounts, aided by a flatmate back in the US, the digital assets were gone within hours. He said he was left barely able to walk and emotionally devastated.

While he does not believe he was deliberately targeted, the attack mirrors rising cases across Europe involving so-called “wrench attacks,” where physical coercion is used to force crypto access. The Metropolitan Police and FBI cybercrime team are now investigating, but Irwin-Cline fears the odds of recovery are slim.

Physical Attacks Escalate

As the industry gains wider acceptance and popularity, there has been a worrying increase in physical assaults targeting individuals holding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Earlier this month, a failed kidnapping attempt in Paris targeted the daughter and grandson of a prominent crypto executive. Masked attackers ambushed the family during a school drop-off but fled after the couple resisted, with one attacker’s gun later revealed to be a replica. The incident, caught on camera, adds to a string of violent crypto-related crimes in France. Victims were confirmed to be relatives of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat.

Previous attacks include a kidnapped crypto millionaire’s father and a ransom assault on Ledger’s co-founder, both involving mutilation.

The post US Tourist Drugged and Robbed in London: $123K in XRP, BTC Vanishes appeared first on CryptoPotato.