Prominent on-chain investigator ZachXBT has disclosed his confidential involvement in a major French crypto kidnapping case, assisting authorities in tracking and freezing $800,000 of a $2 million ransom. The 2023 case, involving streamer TeufeurS, saw six suspects arrested after ZachXBT and the Binance Security team helped intercept the funds. The victim subsequently abandoned cryptocurrency and left France for family safety.

ZachXBT joins cases against crypto thieves in France

ZachXBT has been known for tracing funds and helping retail holders. He has taken up cases of hacks or entirely on-chain scams. He has also assisted authorities in several recent crypto theft cases in France. 

ZachXBT has specialized in asset freezes and, where possible, in identifying wallet holders. He advises crypto owners to report losses as soon as possible to increase the chance of intercepting some of the funds. 

‘I prioritize these types of cases as they have grown more frequent amidst this disturbing trend,’ wrote ZachXBT in a post on X.   

As Cryptopolitan reported earlier, a fast reaction may be the key to salvaging some of the stolen crypto. In the past year, stolen coins or tokens moved even faster, challenging investigators to move fast and call for freezes where possible. 

Freezing funds was also one of the decisions in the recent Kelp DAO hack. Funds from personal kidnappings may be easily intercepted, as the initial wallets are well known. 

France is seeing an increase in physical attacks to steal crypto

French authorities reported 41 kidnappings or physical attacks linked to crypto ownership since January. 

The latest attack happened on April 21, when police impersonators extorted a family for nearly $1M in BTC. 

🚨🇫🇷 Nouveau braquage crypto en France : une famille séquestrée trois heures à Ploudalmézeau (Finistère), 700 000 € extorqués en cryptomonnaies.

Ce lundi 20 avril 2026 peu avant 9h, 2 individus cagoulés et armés d'un pistolet automatique se sont introduits dans un pavillon des… https://t.co/mwvmdiX2NA pic.twitter.com/cEh7Q7E6B7

— France Cryptos 🔗 (@FranceCryptos) April 22, 2026

The robbers held the family hostage until they agreed to transfer the funds. France uses Euro area rules on crypto ownership, under which wallet holders must declare their main address on all exchange or brokerage platforms. 

Any data leak may allow attackers to dox owners and discover their real-world location. Based on Triple A data, around 5% of French citizens own crypto assets. Surveys have shown that up to 23% of the population may own crypto, based on Coinmarketcap data. France also ranks in the 22nd spot based on global crypto adoption, slightly above the average for the EU. 

French tax law may be the other culprit, as citizens must declare digital asset accounts, even if the crypto was acquired abroad. Wallets are tracked and subjected to self-reporting on capital gains.

Citizens must also report self-hosted wallets and link them to their identity. At least one case of leaked tax data has been connected to crypto kidnappings. 

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