French Tax Agent Suspected Of Selling Crypto Users’ Personal Data To Criminals
The French tax agent, identified as Ghalia C. in French media reports, is accused of accessing and selling sensitive information from internal databases of French tax authorities. It is said that criminals then used this data in at least one domestic violence attack on a police officer and his wife, due to a dispute over cellphones that were smuggled into custody.
Ghalia also asked for information on known crypto-dealers who are suspected of having large amounts of digital currency, which they may have carried out for “$5 wrench attacks” where thieves use force to force an irreversible transfer of bitcoin, stablecoins, or other types of digital assets. In addition to the usual crypto hacking and online theft, as a recent example where an Office Space-style exploit was used, physical attacks on crypto users, where transfers are forced under the threat or use of violence, are becoming more common.
The tax agent in question recently lost his decision and will remain in custody after a hearing at a French appeals court. He admitted that he had provided the information but insisted that he had no knowledge of the consumer plans. In an English translation from French reports, he said, “I gave information about this person. I did not know anything about what was done and I would like to ask for forgiveness from the couple who were attacked.”
Prosecutors noted his refusal to answer his phone or name his sponsor, saying he abused his role to help a repeat offender. In addition to crypto users and a prison guard who was the victim of a home invasion, Ghalia is accused of selling the information of health inspectors, a judge, and billionaire Vincent Bolloré.
2025 marked an all-time record for physical crypto theft, and the largest number of these attacks took place in France. For example, there was the kidnapping of David Balland, the founder of the crypto hardware wallet Ledger, and his partner, who were held for ransom tied to their crypto assets. In addition, the kidnappers targeted the father of a prominent crypto businessman and even cut off his finger in the ransom plan, but the police intervened and freed him.
Of course, these threats go beyond France, as seen in the San Francisco home invasion late last year when an attacker disguised as a delivery driver arrived at a Mission Dolores residence in broad daylight, pulled a gun, filmed the victim, and forced the transfer of $11 million in crypto.
While 2025 set records for the role of crypto in widespread illegal flows, the blockchain analytics company Chainalysis says it reached $154 billion in illegal address transactions, Ghalia took payments in traditional ways through bank transfers and Western Union transfers.
There are no reports directly linking the sale of Ghalia data to one of the special crypto thefts that took place in France last year, but this case emphasizes how the unusual handling of personal information is at odds with the reality of irreversible digital currency payments. And this connection between crypto and the security of personal data is increasingly exposed in many cases, as was also shown by the case of a data breach in a third-party payment processor used by Ledger that was reported earlier this week.
Crypto enables complete financial independence, yet sensitive data remains vulnerable to centralized databases and has never seen the same improvements in more decentralized infrastructure. Bitcoin advocates and cypherpunks regularly flag government and institutional mandates for personal data processing and storage as major opsec risks. Unfortunately, widespread data mismanagement may continue until more breaches lead to the push for a new paradigm of data controlled by individuals as opposed to government and corporate-controlled jars.
