Near Paris, France, the wife of Sebastien Borget, one of the founders of the popular blockchain-based virtual world platform The Sandbox, survived an alleged cryptocurrency-related kidnapping attempt. The incident took place at the couple’s home in the Seine-et-Marne region.
The attackers wore masks and waited in the vehicle
According to information in the French media, the attack occurred around 20.30 on Tuesday evening. A person who appeared to be a courier approached the house and managed to get the door opened. As soon as the door was opened, more than one masked person entered the property, grabbed Borget’s wife by force and tried to put her into the Citroën C3 brand vehicle waiting at the scene.
Neighbors who heard the woman’s screams during the incident immediately intervened and allowed the attackers to escape. Police announced that the woman survived the attack uninjured.
Following what happened, the local police detained two people in a short time. However, the police reported that six people in total acted in an organized manner, and four other perpetrators were being sought. Police sources think that the person targeted in the attack may have been specifically targeted because of his wife’s reputation in the cryptocurrency industry.
Mini dictionary: The Sandbox is a popular metaverse platform that runs on the Ethereum blockchain and allows interaction with digital assets such as virtual land and NFTs.
Attacks in the crypto industry are on the rise
There has been a remarkable increase in cryptocurrency-related crimes in France recently. In recent months alone, there have been physical attack attempts and robberies on the homes of prominent figures in the crypto industry in various countries and cities.
According to initial police assessments, the main reason for the attack was Borget’s high-profile position in the crypto world. Crypto assets often stand out in cases of physical attack and blackmail because they offer anonymous and fast transfer opportunities.
Institutions increase security measures
Other physical attacks that have occurred recently in the crypto world have also caused great repercussions in the industry. On-chain analytics company Specter recently reported that a user affiliated with Kraken and Coinbase was hacked and lost approximately $6.7 million in digital assets. It was stated that tokens such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and cbBTC were among the stolen assets. It was determined that some funds were processed on the Tornado Cash platform, which serves to hide identity.
Mini dictionary: Tornado Cash is a crypto mixing protocol running on the Ethereum network that anonymizes users’ digital asset movements. This feature often causes it to be used in illegal transactions.
Due to increasing attacks, major crypto companies have implemented significant security investments. According to Bloomberg, some exchanges spend millions of dollars on security for senior executives and their families, and additional precautions are taken for employees.
Leading exchanges such as Coinbase and Gemini announced that they have strengthened their private security teams and developed additional security protocols to protect personnel, especially in risky positions.
While the ability to transfer digital assets quickly and irreversibly makes crypto holders more vulnerable to physical attacks, the police are trying to take additional measures to prevent this risk.
It is noteworthy that the common point in most of the recent cases of violence, robbery and attempted kidnapping in France is that the targeted people manage money with digital assets.
After the kidnapping attempt targeting Borget’s wife, the police continue to track down the attackers, who are still at large.
