French Crypto Tax Platform Waltio Hit by Data Breach Affecting 50,000 Users
French authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into a data breach at Waltio, a cryptocurrency tax reporting platform used by tens of thousands of investors. The breach occurred when hackers gained access to sensitive user information and attempted to blackmail the company. This incident has raised concerns about personal data disclosure in the crypto industry, as targeted fraud and physical attacks against holders become increasingly common in France.
Authorities Link Waltio Breach to Shiny Hunters Extortion Attempt
In a statement released this week, French cybersecurity institutions confirmed that the Paris prosecutor’s office, through its cybercrime department, had ordered the Gendarmerie’s National Cyber Unit to determine the scale of the breach and identify users at risk. The event has raised new issues regarding personal data disclosure in the crypto industry as targeted fraud and physical attacks against holders become increasingly common in France.
Source: Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office
Officials advised users whose information may have been stolen to be wary of scammers posing as real service providers or other officials and using the stolen information to coerce them into handing over their digital assets. Law enforcement reported that some newer scammers have posed as crypto companies, bank fraud counter-units, or even law enforcement officers and judges.
France Tightens Oversight After Crypto Data Breach Amid Rise in Kidnapping Cases
French newspaper Le Parisien explained that the attack on Waltio was linked to a ransom demand from a hacker organization called Shiny Hunters. The group had allegedly obtained personal information from about 50,000 Waltio users, most of whom live in France, and said it had samples of the stolen information as evidence. Waltio later filed a complaint alleging attempted extortion and unauthorized access to the automated data system.
Waltio said its initial internal assessment found that the attackers accessed tax reports for the 2024 period. These documents included users’ email addresses, information on crypto profits or losses, and year-end asset balances. The company said that banking data, administrative records, and tax identification data were not affected and that its core infrastructure was not affected. Waltio added that its services remain operational and that customer funds are not at risk.
Waltio was founded in France and is headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand. It serves around 150,000 users and focuses on simplifying crypto tax compliance for European investors, particularly in France, Spain, and Belgium. The platform aggregates transaction data from more than 700 exchanges, wallets, and blockchains to calculate capital gains, losses, and betting income, and produces tax-compliant reports for local filings.
The investigation comes amid an intensified investigation into crypto-related data leaks in France. Over the past year, police have attributed a number of home invasions, kidnappings, and kidnapping attempts to criminals seeking to exploit victims’ knowledge of digital assets. Although the data leaks are not directly related to these crimes, investigative teams have not ruled out the possibility that the data is used to identify potential targets.
Fraud victims have been urged to preserve evidence, report to the police, and contact the data protection authority in France if they believe their personal data has not been adequately protected. The Waltio incident is not the first case of data disclosure in the crypto industry in the past. Hardware wallet maker Ledger announced earlier this month that there had been a breach of third-party payment processor Global-e, exposing its customers’ data.
Last month, crypto tax software developer Koinly also notified users of a possible email data breach related to the use of a third-party analytics platform. For more information on the Waltio data breach, visit https://cryptonews.com/news/waltio-data-breach-50k-users-france/
