Crypto Home Invasions Soar 20-Fold as Wrench Attacks Expose $124 Million in H1 2026
Crypto-related home invasions have increased dramatically in recent times. According to CertiK, a security firm that tracks such incidents, there was only one reported case of crypto-related home invasion in the first half of 2025. However, by the first half of 2026, this number had surged 20-fold.
The same report from CertiK found that physical coercion crimes, also known as wrench attacks, have increased significantly. These types of attacks bypass digital defenses by threatening a holder or their relative until someone surrenders access to funds. In the first half of 2026, CertiK counted 52 verified incidents of wrench attacks, up 33.3% from 39 cases in the previous year.
The financial exposure from these losses and ransom demands has also increased substantially, reaching $124.1 million in the first half of 2026, compared to about $10.5 million in the same period a year earlier.