Telegram CEO Links 41 French Crypto Kidnappings to Tax Data Leak

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov attributes 41 crypto-related kidnappings in France over four months to a leaked tax authority database exposing wallet addresses, holdings, and histories. This escalates from April 22 reports of €700,000 ($820,000) stolen at gunpoint in a Ploudalmézeau home invasion and $800,000 frozen from a 2023 kidnapping's $2 million ransom, with Binance aiding arrests. Cases surged from 30 in 2025 to over 40 by April 2026, including a €900,000 bitcoin seizure in March. France's Finance Ministry launched a DGFiP audit amid eroding holder confidence, rising custody demand, and privacy shifts.