Three masked men beat a businessman with hammers during a 45-minute home invasion in Solihull, England, after forcing him at knifepoint to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency to them. The attackers, who communicated via live video call with an organizer, threatened to stab the man's seven-months-pregnant wife and kill her unborn baby unless he surrendered his digital assets. The couple, identified only as James and his wife by the BBC, said they feared for their baby's life during the attack in December. The man complied and transferred his crypto savings, also losing several Rolex watches. The baby was born at full term despite the trauma.
Police are investigating the attack, captured on home security footage. Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information. The three attackers are believed to be in their late teens or early twenties. One attacker was described as a Black male with a scar under his left eyebrow.
This attack exemplifies what security experts call a "wrench attack," a growing category of violent robbery targeting cryptocurrency investors. Chainalysis researchers reported that $30m (£22.6m) in cryptocurrency was stolen through violent robberies in the first half of 2026, making this year likely to become the worst on record for such attacks. Home invasions are rising this year, the researchers found. Hotspots include the US, Brazil and Thailand, but France has experienced the largest number of attacks, apparently after a tax office data breach exposed wealthy crypto holders.
Unlike bank accounts protected by institutional security, cryptocurrency held in self-custody digital wallets lacks those gatekeepers. Once crypto is transferred, recovery is extremely difficult due to the irreversibility and anonymity of blockchain transactions.
The businessman said he began amateur cryptocurrency investing in 2020, quit his job in 2023 to trade full-time, and lost everything in this attack. He told the BBC he has little hope of recovering the stolen funds but wants those responsible prosecuted and hopes his experience warns others about the physical security risks of holding significant crypto wealth.