The Sandbox founder's wife was nearly kidnapped at their doorstep! Another crime targeting "crypto wealth" occurs

The wife of Sébastien Borget, co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, survived an attempted kidnapping at their home in Seine-et-Marne, France, this Tuesday. The suspects disguised themselves as delivery workers to trick her into opening the door, after which five masked accomplices rushed in and attempted to force her into a vehicle. The perpetrators fled after neighbors heard her cries for help and intervened. The two arrested suspects are minors. (Previous coverage: French crypto millionaire receives "severed finger video" of father demanding millions of euros in ransom; all 7 perpetrators are in their 20s) (Background: French Interior Minister summons crypto millionaires! Kidnappings and extortion surge; advice given to avoid wearing Web3 apparel and posting assets online) Kidnapped at your own doorstep! According to a report by the French Le Journal du Dimanche, on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 20, a person wearing a delivery uniform rang the doorbell of a residence in Villenoy, Seine-et-Marne, France. Sébastien Borget's wife opened the door, and the entire incident unfolded within seconds. Five masked individuals emerged from nearby and rushed behind the delivery worker, attempting to force the victim into a car waiting by the roadside. No words were exchanged during the struggle, only the sound of the victim screaming. Neighbors heard the commotion, shouts, and footsteps, and looked out from their windows. Realizing the operation had failed, the masked men let go and fled into the streets. The entire event, from the ringing of the doorbell to the escape, likely lasted less than two minutes. Sébastien Borget's wife was not physically injured, but she was understandably traumatized. French police subsequently arrested two suspects in the vicinity, discovering a replica handgun, multiple plastic zip ties, and masks in their possession. They were born in 2009 and 2010, aged 16 and 15 respectively. This was not a crime of impulse; the zip ties were intended for binding wrists, the masks for concealing identities, and the replica handgun for intimidating the victim. It was a planned kidnapping operation, thwarted only by the intervention of neighbors. The other four accomplices remain at large, and preliminary investigations suggest the attack is linked to cryptocurrency. Sébastien Borget, 40, is the co-founder and COO of the metaverse platform The Sandbox. The Sandbox allows users to create and trade digital assets in a virtual world using NFTs and SAND tokens; his identity is not a secret within the crypto community. This is not an isolated incident. According to data from the French National Police, there have been 41 recorded cases of crypto-related kidnapping or illegal detention in France since January 1, 2026, averaging one case every 2.5 days, with 88 individuals prosecuted. Earlier this year, a French crypto entrepreneur received a video of his father’s finger being severed, with a demand for millions of euros in ransom; all seven perpetrators were in their 20s. In February, a mother and daughter were held hostage in their home by masked gunmen and were only saved after a neighbor intervened. In April, a mother and her ten-year-old son were kidnapped for 20 hours while the perpetrators extorted hundreds of thousands of euros in cryptocurrency from the father. The pattern is nearly identical: targets are identified through KYC data leaked from exchanges, addresses and family members are confirmed via public records, and the attacks target the most vulnerable family members—wives, mothers, or children—rather than the holders themselves. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has announced that a new round of countermeasures is being prepared. The wife of The Sandbox co-founder was fortunate; she encountered a group of underage offenders rather than the seasoned criminals seen earlier this year who were bold enough to sever fingers, and her neighbors happened to be home and heard her. But in other cases, not everyone is so lucky. What happened during the kidnapping attempt on the wife of The Sandbox co-founder? On May 20, suspects disguised as delivery workers tricked Borget's wife into opening the door of their home in Seine-et-Marne, France, after which five masked accomplices attempted to force her into a car. Neighbors heard her cries and intervened, causing the perpetrators to flee. The two arrested suspects, aged 15 and 16, were found with a replica handgun and zip ties. How serious is the crypto kidnapping problem in France? Since 2026, 41 crypto-related kidnapping cases have been recorded in France, averaging one every 2.5 days, with 88 people prosecuted. Perpetrators typically use leaked KYC data from exchanges to identify targets and attack family members rather than the holders themselves. The French Interior Minister has announced that a new round of countermeasures is being prepared.