TikTok Crypto Trader Freed Amid Botched €50,000 Ransom

- Kidnappers release TikTok crypto trader after discovering empty accounts - Incident marks growing trend of crypto-related attacks in France Kidnappers in France abducted a 26-year-old TikTok crypto trader on June 14, 2025, and released him the following day, June 15, 2025, after the captors discovered he did not have the funds to meet their extortion demands. On June 16, 2025, Cointelegraph reported that the incident happened on Friday night, June 14, when the trader was returning to his home in Juvisy-sur-Orge, Northern France. French radio station Europe 1 initially reported the event. According to these initial reports, four assailants in a stolen vehicle perpetrated the kidnapping, demanding €50,000 (approximately $57,000) in cryptocurrency. The assailants beat and held the trader, who has around 40,000 TikTok followers, for over an hour before releasing him on Saturday, June 15, after he showed them his account's low balance. France’s Organized and Specialized Crime Division is investigating the incident, and authorities have granted the trader six days of work incapacity benefits. This event is part of a rising trend of crypto-related kidnappings in France, highlighted by several recent incidents. For example, on May 13, 2025, assailants attempted to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, co-founder and CEO of French crypto exchange Paymium. Similarly, on May 3, 2025, Paris police rescued a crypto entrepreneur's father who kidnappers had held for several days, severing one of his fingers as part of a €7 million ransom plot. In a related case from January 2025, assailants abducted David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and also severed one of his fingers. In response to these incidents, French authorities have made numerous arrests. For instance, on June 11, 2025, France 24 reported that authorities made several arrests related to the abduction of the crypto entrepreneur’s father. Separately, on June 4, 2025, authorities arrested Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou in Morocco, an alleged key figure behind recent kidnappings. Additionally, on May 31, 2025, the Paris public prosecutor’s office charged 25 individuals, including six minors, with offenses connected to multiple plots targeting prominent crypto figures and their families. Furthermore, authorities indicted Badiss Bajjou's ex-partner on June 7, 2025, and on June 10, 2025, reports stated she faced charges for money laundering and receiving stolen goods. According to CoinMarketCap on June 16, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $30,000 as of 12:00 UTC, and its 24-hour trading volume has decreased by 1.5%.