Source: Cointelegraph
Original: “Chainalysis CEO Reveals a Clue About Recent Crypto Attacks in Paris”
Some criminal organizations seem to have not received the message—that cryptocurrency is traceable—which may explain a recent series of kidnapping incidents related to cryptocurrency, said Chainalysis CEO Jonathan Levin.
According to Cointelegraph, Levin stated at the 2025 Consensus crypto conference that law enforcement has become increasingly successful in tracking stolen funds and cryptocurrency ransom payments, leading to “a large number of arrests.”
“For some reason, there is a perception out there that cryptocurrency is an untraceable asset, which does allow criminals to act in a certain way,” he said.
“Clearly, some of the organized crime groups carrying out these attacks have not realized that cryptocurrency is not untraceable, and some of these groups are concentrated in France, but not limited to it.”
So far this month, Paris has seen two serious cryptocurrency-related attacks. On May 13, three assailants attempted to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder and CEO of the French crypto exchange Paymium.
Earlier this month, on May 3, Paris police rescued the father of a crypto entrepreneur who had been held for several days as part of a kidnapping scheme worth €7 million (approximately $7.8 million). These attacks prompted the French Minister of the Interior to meet with crypto professionals to address the growing security concerns.
In October last year, blockchain investigator ZachXBT warned that he had received reports of cryptocurrency burglary victims in Western Europe at a much higher frequency than in other regions.
“The message that needs to be conveyed is that these payments are traceable, and these units within law enforcement have been very successful in holding some people accountable when dealing with kidnapping cases,” Levin said.
“Even if they are not the direct kidnappers, they can be traced back to the organized crime groups that orchestrate these crimes,” he added.
Online streamer Amouranth became a victim of a home invasion robbery in March 2025, where several armed assailants threatened her at gunpoint, demanding her crypto wallet keys. Four suspects were charged and arrested by law enforcement in connection with this incident.
Levin expressed hope that organized crime groups would take a cue from the arrests of crypto robbers, particularly that this “is not a profitable business,” and in some cases, ransom payments may even be recovered.
“It is also possible to recover some of the payments. I think the overall goal is not necessarily to recover funds, but to hold these people accountable,” he said.
However, despite some successes by law enforcement in tracking down criminals targeting the crypto industry, Levin noted that the surge in offline robbery incidents remains a “frustrating” situation, and the industry should take additional measures to curb theft.
“People need to be very careful about the personal information they share online,” he said.
This year, according to a GitHub list created by Casa co-founder and crypto punk Jameson Lopp, there have been 22 face-to-face theft incidents related to cryptocurrency, while 28 were reported in 2024.
However, the actual numbers may be higher. A study released by the University of Cambridge in September last year found that these so-called “ransom attacks” are often underreported due to fears of becoming a victim again.
Related: French Minister to Meet with Crypto Companies After Kidnapping Attempt
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