Crypto Tax Alert: ShinyHunters Holds 50,000 Waltio Users Hostage in Bold Blackmail Plot

Waltio, a French enterprise specializing in fiscal calculations for cryptocurrency holders, has been targeted by a blackmail campaign orchestrated by the notorious ShinyHunters collective. The adversaries assert that they have compromised the personal telemetry of nearly 50,000 users and are threatening to divulge this information to the public.

According to local reports, Waltio has formally lodged a complaint with the specialized cybercrime division of the French Public Prosecutor’s Office, citing both the extortion attempt and the unauthorized intrusion into its information systems. ShinyHunters claims to possess email addresses and detailed cryptocurrency asset disclosures from 2024 tax filings. To substantiate their assertions, they disseminated a sample of the exfiltrated data; however, as noted by Le Parisien, the sample notably lacked sensitive banking, fiscal, or administrative credentials.

Waltio subsequently issued a situational update, emphasizing that the breach did not compromise its fundamental infrastructure or operational continuity. Representatives maintain that the system remains functional and that user accounts and proprietary data are secure. Crucially, they clarified that the perpetrators failed to acquire any information that would facilitate the unauthorized management of clients’ digital assets.

While Waltio did not elucidate the exact mechanism of the breach, the advisory highlighted that the primary peril facing affected individuals is subsequent fraudulent activity—specifically phishing campaigns, deceptive telephonic solicitations, and sophisticated social engineering attempts by imposters posing as support personnel.

ShinyHunters possesses a storied history of extortion, having previously demanded ransoms from the telecommunications titan AT&T, threatened the clientele of Ticketmaster, and targeted prominent Indian cryptocurrency exchanges. Their operational signature is consistent: they exfiltrate vast datasets and demand cryptocurrency ransoms under the threat of public disclosure. Amidst a rising tide of physical abductions and assaults targeting crypto-affluent individuals in France, such leaks amplify profound anxieties; once disseminated on the dark web, this data can serve as a blueprint for physical stalking or highly targeted psychological manipulation.