In a quiet rural corner of northern France, a young couple has endured a nightmarish series of home invasions linked not to their own finances but to the digital wealth of the property’s previous occupants.
The pair, an agricultural worker and a bank executive in their late twenties, purchased a modest house near Montdidier in the Somme department about two years ago.
Unbeknownst to them, the former residents—a retired couple who had amassed a fortune estimated at around one million euros through cryptocurrency investments—had their tax records and former address exposed on the dark web.
That outdated information made the new owners repeat targets for criminals seeking crypto assets the current residents do not possess.
The ordeal began on 24 June, when a group of intruders forced their way onto the property.
The family’s dogs quickly drove the would-be thieves away before any serious confrontation occurred.
Two days later, a second team managed to enter the home. They restrained one occupant and physically assaulted the other.
In a particularly brazen detail, the attackers streamed portions of the violence live on Snapchat.
Only after realizing the people inside did not match the profile of the wealthy crypto holders they expected did the group abandon the effort and flee.
Alarmed by the successive break-ins, the couple installed a security system. On 17 July, that alarm proved decisive.
A third group of assailants approached the residence equipped with a crowbar, balaclavas, and cable ties, but the warning sound forced them to retreat before they could gain entry.
Two young men from the Paris region, aged 20 and 21, later faced justice for their roles in this final attempt.
One admitted accepting a vaguely described “mission” via Telegram that promised between 15,000 and 30,000 euros, motivated in part by a desire to help clear his mother’s debts.
The other, a rideshare driver, received 300 euros to transport the team from the Île-de-France area to the Somme.
Neither had prior criminal records.
Investigators from the Montdidier gendarmerie pieced the case together through CCTV footage, phone records, and DNA evidence recovered from a motorway toll ticket on the A1.
Authorities arrested the two defendants in early August, and they appeared before the Amiens criminal court on 10 August.
Both confessed, attributing their actions to poor judgment, stupidity, and greed.
The court handed the younger man a three-year sentence, with 18 months to be served in custody, while his accomplice received 18 months with nine months firm.
Both remain detained and face a three-year ban from the Somme department as well as from contacting each other. They have a short window to appeal.
The victims, absent from the hearing, have made clear they no longer feel secure in the house and intend to sell it.
Their lawyer summed up the misfortune succinctly: the couple bought the property in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The case highlights a broader pattern of so-called “wrench attacks” in France, where criminals use physical force rather than digital hacking to seize cryptocurrency. Leaked personal data continues to put ordinary people at risk long after the original targets have moved on, underscoring the lasting dangers of exposed financial information in the digital environment.