Two of the six men accused of trying to kidnap the wife of The Sandbox co-founder Sébastien Borget have been arrested after they called an Uber to flee the scene, according to local reports.
One of the attackers, disguised as a delivery driver, allegedly convinced Borget’s wife to open the door to their home in the Île-de-France region of northern France. Then five masked accomplices ran into the yard and tried to force her into a nearby car, Le Journal du Dimanche reported Thursday.
Neighbors intervened and forced the attackers to flee. The four fled in a vehicle, while the other two fled on foot and ordered an Uber, which was then intercepted by the Meaux Anti-Crime Brigade, according to Le Journal du Dimanche. The two suspects were reportedly found with a replica gun, cable ties and balaclavas.
Preliminary police investigations linked the attack to cryptocurrency. It comes amid a surge in crypto-key attacks since 2025, with Web3 security firm CertiK identifying Europe as a hotspot in a report earlier this month, with the majority of attacks taking place in France.
CertiK added that most of these attacks are carried out by “complete amateurs” recruited through messaging apps such as Telegram or Snapchat, and the orchestrators are located outside the country.
Countries across Europe, particularly France, have seen a large number of French key attacks this year. Source: CertiK
Four suspects are still on the run
Borget’s wife is reportedly unharmed, and four other members of the group are still on the run.
Blockchain Intelligence Company TRM Labs reported last May, French key attacks are on the rise due to the perceived pseudonymity of crypto transactions, the public visibility of wealth, and the ease with which bad actors can collect personal information online.
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The company also said it is becoming common for bad actors to target family members of cryptocurrency owners. Last May, four men tried kidnap daughter and granddaughter of Pierre Noizat, director of the French exchange in Paris. In the same month, the French police saved the kidnapped father of a crypto entrepreneur who was held for ransom.
Casa Chief Security Officer Jameson Lopp has recorded 38 crypto key attacks so far this year, according to its list of incidents dating back to 2014.
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