On the morning of May 13, in the center of the eleventh arrondissement of Paris, four unidentified masked men tried to kidnap the daughter of Pierre Noise, co-founder and CEO of the French cryptocurrency exchange Paymium, which is one of the first trading platforms in France.

Since digital asset exchanges usually generate huge profits on user transaction fees during periods of market growth, Nuaz's condition has made his relatives the target of possible abduction.

The robbers tried to force their daughter into a van, but the woman's companion and passersby were able to prevent the abduction.

(Attempted abduction of the daughter of the head of a crypto company in Paris)

The 34-year-old victim was accompanied by her 2-year-old child and his father. This did not bother the intruders, but the man stood up for her, after which passersby joined him. One of them threw a fire extinguisher at the kidnappers, and the other picked up a pistol that the attackers had lost.

Realizing that the abduction had failed, the attackers fled. Later, their stolen Chronopost van (a French delivery service) was found empty nearby.

The partner of the woman who prevented the abduction suffered the most injuries. The video shows that the criminals purposefully beat him in an attempt to free the woman and drag her into a van.

The Paris Prosecutor's Office has referred the case to the Anti-Banditry Directorate for investigation.

This incident was another case of attempted crimes against individuals associated with the cryptocurrency industry, as well as their relatives.

Moreover, even if the victims do not belong to the world of digital assets, criminals can still demand a ransom in the form of a crypt.

This year, there has already been a series of kidnappings in France related in one way or another to cryptocurrencies.

In early May, the father of a crypto millionaire was abducted in Paris. A source close to the investigation of the new incident said that the method of abduction on May 13 was chosen the same as in that abduction - the criminals then used a UPS delivery van.

Five young men between the ages of 18 and 26 were charged in that case, and they were taken into custody pending trial.

According to a public tracker from an early Bitcoin user and technical director of the Casa platform, Jameson Lopp, this is the 22nd physical attack against people connected to the world of coins in 2025. Previously, they took place in France, Spain, Hong Kong, and other cities and countries.

This is not a complete list, as information about some crimes is not made public. However, this figure is already comparable to 32 such cases that occurred in 2024. In addition, it will surely surpass the result of 2023, during which 24 such incidents were recorded.

You can also recall the incident with a Turk who tried to conduct an offline transaction with millions of dollars worth of crypto in Hong Kong. He was the victim of an attack during the exchange, which means that someone let slip about his activity.

At the same time, in Brazil, the victim of the kidnapping was a Spanish businessman who was abducted by criminals posing as law enforcement officers. They drugged the victim, demanded $50 million in digital assets, and held the entrepreneur for five days before he was able to escape.

Michael Englander, co-founder and head of the Polish Plasbit crypto exchange, commented on what is happening in Paris. According to him, the event should be an alarming signal for representatives of the blockchain industry, as it indicates the formation of a broad negative trend.

"If you're in the crypto and you keep bragging about it online, you're not just stupid, you're endangering your family," he said.

It is important to note that the founder of Paymium, Pierre Noise, is a public figure, so the attackers knew about his activities in advance.

«However, ordinary people should definitely talk as little as possible about their investments in crypto — and especially successful ones».

Firstly, this information is likely to be disseminated further than planned by its source. Secondly, a bull run in the cryptocurrency industry, like the current one, draws attention to the coin industry of many people who were not previously associated with the niche. It also poses serious risks.

Lawyer Sasha Hodder, who specializes in cryptocurrency cases, announced the development of cryptocurrency thefts.

"Now it's not just social engineering or SIM swapping attacks."

In other words, it is safer to tell only relatives about your connection with the crypt. Although this is also not necessary.

The incident in Paris highlights the growing physical threat to those involved in cryptocurrencies.

The new bull run wave and the publicity of some investors are increasing the risks. Therefore, even private asset holders should reconsider their behavior on the Internet and avoid publicity — family safety is more important than recognition on social networks.

Be careful and please take care of yourself.