UK Crypto Holders Face Growing Threat of Wrench Attacks

A West Midlands couple was violently attacked by masked men in their home, forcing them to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency. The December 2025 attack on a pregnant woman and her husband is now at the centre of a police appeal.

The attackers, who were connected via a live FaceTime video call, used physical force and intimidation to get the couple to transfer their funds. James, the husband, tried to fight off the intruders but was struck repeatedly with hammers to the face, head, and ribs. His pregnant wife was pinned to a sofa and threatened with a knife.

The attackers didn't need to understand cryptocurrency themselves - they just needed to control the room while someone else directed them on how to access the funds. The ordeal lasted around 45 minutes before the attackers left with the transferred crypto and several Rolex watches in a black BMW X3.

This is not an isolated case, but part of a growing UK threat known as 'wrench attacks.' Security researchers call this category of crime when physical force or intimidation is used to get someone to unlock a device or authorise a transfer. The term exists because no amount of cryptographic security can stop someone being coerced in their own living room.