Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten to kill pregnant wife's baby in 'horrific' robbery

Crypto thieves attack man in home and threaten to kill pregnant wife's baby in 'horrific' robbery

A businessman was assaulted with hammers by masked men who forced their way into his home and threatened to kill his heavily pregnant wife unless he handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency.

Speaking to the BBC, the couple, who wish to stay anonymous, called the attack "horrific" and said they feared for their unborn baby's life.

After the man transferred his crypto savings, the attackers fled in a car driven by a getaway driver.

Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information about the attack, which was recorded on home security footage and is being investigated by police.

Experts say it is part of a growing form of violent theft known as a "wrench attack" that targets cryptocurrency investors.

As crypto coins have increased in value, reports of these violent robberies tied to digital assets have surfaced in the UK, France and the US.

Once the money is transferred, getting it back can be extremely difficult.

The man, whom the BBC is calling James, said three intruders broke into his Solihull home before carrying out an assault that lasted 45 minutes.

"The door gets pushed open, I can see gloves coming in, balaclavas," he said.

James tried to fight them off, but they struck him in the face, head and ribs with hammers.

His wife, who was seven months pregnant, was pinned down on the sofa by one of the criminals.

"He's got a pillow over her face," James said. "He's literally suffocating her on the sofa. I can hear her screaming, 'I can't breathe'."

The couple still did not know what the criminals wanted until one of the men ordered James to unlock his phone and give it to them.

James said the attackers seemed to know he owned cryptocurrency, but had little idea how to access it.

Instead, they were taking directions from someone else connected through a live video call.

"I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying: 'Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he's got'," he said.

When the caller found a crypto wallet holding substantial funds, the threats became far more severe.

"He was basically saying: 'Look, if you don't send us this money now, we're going to stab your wife in the stomach and kill your baby. We're going to kill your wife'," James said.

His wife, who also did not want to be named, described the December attack last year as "horrific" and said she feared James had been killed when he lay unresponsive on the floor.

"It was terrifying," she said.

The woman, who was in her early thirties, was expecting her third child at the time and said she feared the stress of the attack could cause her to lose the baby. The baby survived and was born at full term.

The men left after James transferred his savings - hundreds of thousands of pounds of cryptocurrency - to the digital wallet of the man on the video call.

They also stole several luxury Rolex watches.

James said that before they left, he heard the man on the video call tell his accomplices: "You can have 10 grand each but I am taking the rest."

Unlike money in a traditional bank account, cryptocurrency is often controlled directly by the owner through digital wallets or physical storage devices.

For criminals, that mix of speed, anonymity and irreversibility can make crypto holders appealing targets.

While the vast majority of cryptocurrency theft happens online through hacks and scams, crypto investigators at Chainalysis say "wrench attacks" have risen sharply in recent years.

According to their research, $30m (£22.6m) had been stolen so far this year up to June in violent robberies, making 2026 likely to become the single-worst year on record for violent crypto attacks. Home invasions are also increasing this year, it found.

The US, Brazil, and Thailand are hotspots, but France has seen by far the highest number of attacks, due to a data breach at a tax office that has apparently enabled wealthy crypto holders to be identified.

"The physical security assumptions that protect traditional wealth, such as bank vaults and armored cars, do not automatically apply in crypto. Often, holders keep their assets in comparatively low security setups, like self-custody wallets, that can be compromised without any institutional gatekeeper standing in the way," said researchers in their report.

James said he became an amateur investor in crypto coins in 2020 and earned enough to leave his job in 2023 to trade full time.

Now he has lost everything and is hoping to return to his traditional job.

Police have not yet identified the attackers.

Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to progress in the investigation.

Alan Edwards from the charity hopes people may have information about the three attackers, the driver who was parked outside without a face covering, or the man on the phone.

"These criminals are obviously serious and part of some kind of organised crime gang," he said.

"People might be scared to give us information but we are independent of the police and keep people completely anonymous."

The three attackers are believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, and one of them was a black male with a scar under his left eyebrow.

James said he has little hope of recovering the stolen funds, but wants those responsible brought to justice instead.

He also wants his experience to act as a warning.

"They threatened my wife and my baby," he said. "People need to understand these risks are real."