Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten to kill baby
Masked robbers broke into a home in Solihull, UK, beating a crypto investor with hammers and threatening his pregnant wife.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Masked intruders broke into a businessman's home in Solihull, UK, in a brutal crypto robbery.
- Attackers beat the victim with hammers and held down his wife who was seven months pregnant.
- The victim was forced to transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in crypto via a live video call.
- Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the suspects.
A horrific home invasion in Solihull, UK, has highlighted the brutal rise of physical cryptocurrency robberies, after a businessman was beaten with hammers by masked intruders who forced him to transfer his digital savings.
The victim, whom the BBC refers to as James, used to work as an amateur investor before quitting his traditional job in 2023 to trade full-time. He recounted that three men forced their way through his front door and subjected him to a 45-minute assault.
James attempted to fight off the intruders, but they repeatedly struck him in the face, head, and ribs with hammers. Meanwhile, his wife—who was seven months pregnant with their third child—was forced down onto a sofa by one of the attackers.
The couple initially had no idea what the criminals wanted until one demanded James's phone. The attackers clearly knew he owned cryptocurrency, but lacked the technical knowledge to access it themselves, opting instead to receive instructions from an accomplice via a live video call.
Once the caller identified a crypto wallet holding substantial funds, the threats escalated severely. James's wife described the December incident as horrific, stating she feared her husband was dead when he lay unresponsive on the floor, and worried the immense stress would cause her to lose the baby. Fortunately, the child was born healthy at full term.
Security experts refer to this violent trend as a wrench attack, where physical force is used to bypass digital security. Unlike traditional bank accounts protected by financial institutions and fraud prevention teams, decentralized cryptocurrencies offer speed, anonymity, and irreversibility, making self-custody holders prime targets for organized criminal networks operating across the UK, France, the US, and beyond.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Police have yet to identify the attackers, prompting Crimestoppers to offer a £10,000 reward for information. Alan Edwards from the charity urged anyone with details about the three suspects, the getaway driver, or the man on the phone to come forward, assuring that the organization operates independently from police and maintains complete anonymity for informants.
Source: BBC Business
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