I believe crypto users specifically are being targeted due to the irreversible nature of crypto transactions. There is also the mistaken assumption among criminals that crypto transactions are untraceable. However, if crypto becomes a bigger part of the traditional finance world - which is likely - these kidnappings could increase and non-crypto people may end up getting targeted. So governments need to develop countermeasures to prevent kidnappings from spiraling out of control - for now it's out of control in France. The French government is on trial so to speak - if these attacks continue, the voters will throw out whoever is in charge, because it's embarrassing for the nation.

There are scammers in all countries and in all ethnicities. Many Indians are hard-working and honest, so they should not be swept under careless generationalizations. There are potential security issues related to outsourcing, but this is not in any way related to the ethnicity of the people who are outsourced.

I agree! There should be, ideally, no way to access crypto directly from your smartphone. I know this will upset some Bitcoin purists who want Bitcoin to be used for everyday transactions, but these kidnappings are showing some real dangers to openly using Bitcoin. Uncensored and irreversible transactions are ripe to be a crime magnet - it's just not worth it from the standpoint of personal safety.

I can't say I blame people who store crypto in a way that makes it impossible for kidnappers to steal it - this means it's stored in a way that makes everyday purchases impossible. In other words, the seed phrases are nowhere near the person kidnapped, completely inaccessible, and he has no recollection what it is. So the kidnappers end up empty-handed with the police looking for them.

France will offer crypto executives and their families enhanced security:

The measures include priority access to the police emergency line, home visits and safety briefings from law enforcement to advise on best practices, the French interior ministry said.

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-crypto-entrepreneur-extra-security-kidnapping-attempt/

The reason why this token is not delisted is because the volume on it is insanely high, sometimes eclipsing $15 million in a day. This means Binance or whoever trades it is likely making a decent amount of money off of it. So why is this token so popular to trade? I have no idea. But the volume is massive.

As an update, I have been getting free daily spins with the FUN tokens I have locked, most of which I got for free anyway. The site has been fairly reliable for the last month or two, with the only issue being a delay with instant BTC withdrawals. So I give credit to FBC for showing some reliability on my end.

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Thank you for your response. Beyond acting individually - an important facet here, though one that has been harped on more than any other - governments need to take security threats very seriously. Obviously, it's the nature of Bitcoin to attract individualists who believe in personal sovereignty, but this is slightly disingenuous as Bitcoin is becoming a reserve asset for nations and is being integrated into the core financial structure of the world. Thus, it's more than just an individual "don't tell people you own Bitcoin" issue. Governments must figure out ways to fight this type of violent crime.

It's both an individual and a society-wide problem. My guess is that this will make people think twice about establishing crypto businesses in France. This will hurt France.

Does anyone have thoughts about what France and other countries can do at a policy-level to reduce such a attacks? Obviously, people should be more private with regard to their finances and hobbies. But what can governments do? 

I think the mods have let this thread continue because this topic is important. So to the small number of "thread-complainers": ignore this thread or contribute meaningfully by adding what, if anything, you think governments can do.

Again, what can governments do? This is not merely an issue for individuals to consider. It's a society-wide problem, too.

You are right - Western Europe is seen as more accommodating to immigrants than Eastern Europe. Also, Western European countries are generally wealthier than Western European countries, so they are thought to provide more benefits to immigrants. I believe the standard of living of Eastern Europe is high by global standards, but not as high as Western Europe - though this may change in a couple of decades. It seems that Western Europe is seeing an uptick of violent crime lately.

I'm here. My angle here is more about the policy that can be implemented to reduce such attacks. Given the prevalence of such attacks all of a sudden, some attention is needed. I don't see why there should only be one thread on such an important topic, but if the mods feel it should be so, I am OK with it. Also, I believe that if a person is against a particular threads being made, the best response is no response, similar to dealing with trolls. Lately I have noticed complaints about threads that, again, are simply kicked up due to the complaints. I find this weird because even complaining about something is time consuming, when the nature of time itself is finite.

Anyway, I hope French authorities will take such incidents more seriously, because this may have the effect of scaring away crypto businesses from the country.

There have been several high-profile kidnappings of crypto executives or their relatives in France, showing there is now a pattern of organized criminals targeting those thought to possess cryptocurrencies. While other countries have had similar incidents, for now France appears to have taken the lead in some of the boldest attacks. Recently, two relatives (a mother and child) of a crypto exchange CEO endured a bold kidnapping attempt in broad daylight in Paris.

So what can France and other countries do to stem the tide of such attacks? If this is not brought under control, this potentially may drive away everyday people who will have to fear a kidnapping attempt if they hold Bitcoin. These attacks should thus be understood as terrorism being committed against bitcoiners and their families.

It seems to me that France and other countries must drastically increase the penalties for such kidnappers - organized crime must understand that the potential payoff will be met with lifetime imprisonment if caught. France and other countries should work to counter these groups with better intelligence. Unless more resources are pooled to protect crypto investors, and harsher penalties issues to these criminals, we will continue to see this problem grow, with negative effects for the economy of France and other countries.

This is terrorism. These people should be considered terrorists. They should be dealt with as such, and not as ordinary criminals.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250514-france-summons-cryptocurrency-businesses-after-kidnappings

I started staking FUN tokens that I earned for free, and lately I have been getting free daily WoF spins each day. So it's now working and consistent on my end, with a hyperlink available on the site each day that I visit. So other than some delays when requesting a payout, it's working for me. So it seems gradually the site is improving its service.

This is not true. Non-citizens can sue in foreign countries, and especially in the Netherlands.


There's no need for sarcasm. You are correct that filing a lawsuit would be impractical in the vast majority of cases, but if there are sufficient numbers of people who are missing funds - and to be fair there might not be in this case, because FBC has actually been paying out to numerous people, if not virtually everyone lately - a lawyer in the island or other jurisdiction might be interested in the case. In this case, judgments would be enforceable under international law. This is a hypothetical, however. In the case of FBC, the site appears to be cleaning its act a bit and actually behaving, although the site seems to have unresolved technical issues.

I calculated it at $2,700, but it's still unacceptable. I found out that the company, FBC BV, is based in Curaçao, a Dutch territory in the Caribbean. This would explain why the Dutch government imposed a penalty on the site: https://next.io/news/regulation/ksa-imposes-weekly-penalty-fbc-bv/

So it seems to me the Dutch government is a possible avenue for those missing funds. Obviously, I would prefer the site owner to resolve these issues before they escalate. I just don't think whoever runs the website is out of reach - just because people say and believe so does not make it true.

I invite others to look further into this. I will continue to explore this issue from time to time.

I earned the FUN tokens for free, so I locked them up. So it's no loss other than time if this site goes down. Come to think about it, running a website like FBC requires a high level of technical expertise and ethics, especially in the absence of regulations in the opaque world of crypto gambling. However it's also potentially very profitable. So running such a business into the ground would suggest incompetence - possibly shown by the many technical issues reported by users. On the other hand, a gambling site could be targeted by regulators somewhere eventually, so I'd be more careful in dealing with customers - but I don't run the show. These people could bring unwanted attention to themselves with these antics.

I wouldn't exactly suggest moving on with that amount of satoshis, especially since the site is within an arm's reach of governments. See here: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/fbc-dutch-penalty-bitcoin-gambling-website/

I would continue to try to follow up, and if that's not possible reaching out to a government authority. I hope FBC can make this person whole if the story is true.

With all due respect - and you seem like a friendly guy - this is just not true in all cases. There are reports, covered by legal websites and authorities, of devices getting seized. We also are hearing stories lately of people being detained at airports - sometimes without cause legally - and it's quite probable they get their devices seized. What you are writing about here are your experiences and what most people will experience - though even this is stretching it with a touch of generosity.



TSA has engaged in very intrusive and questionable behaviors far removed from promoting public safety. All you are doing is repeating government talking points - and again I mean no offense, as you seem respectful. TSA agents have been known at times to engage in theft. Much of their protocol, not always followed by individual agents, is arguably not serving the public in promoting safety. I understand that airports need to be secured, so I won't be an ass here and say they serve absolutely no purpose, but I'll go out on a limb and guess they engage in plenty of security theater.

This happened 11 years ago but I have a feeling this isn't the only case.

TSA Harasses Traveler After 'Seeing Bitcoin' In His Bag

https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-tsa-screening-2014-2

There has been a lot of discussion and link-posting regarding the CBP - who are far from pristine on the privacy issues discussed - and less on the TSA and private security goon squads that can bring trouble to bitcoiners.

To this day, many uneducated people associate bitcoin with criminality. I think we all know a high level of education is not a requirement to join the TSA or private security.

What boggles the mind here is that when it comes to security, we should generally - in my view - take an overly cautious approach, rather than an approach based on statistical averages. We SHOULD look at anomalies or exceptions. Thus, I find it bizarre that the claim that only some people's devices are being checked - to say nothing about the many other issues that can arise - means it's not a problem people should worry about.

I guess the libertarian slant has not reared its head on this issue. Wow.