A British businessman was beaten with hammers by masked intruders who broke into his home and threatened to kill his heavily pregnant wife unless he handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cryptocurrency.
The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that the attack was “horrific” and left them fearing for the life of their unborn child.
The @BBCNews reports that a #reward of up to £10,000 is being offered for information after a young couple were attacked in their home and forced to transfer a substantial amount of #cryptocurrency.
The husband suffered significant injuries, and his pregnant wife was threatened… pic.twitter.com/4D4TBASN99
— CryptoUK (@CryptoUKAssoc) September 25, 2026
Police are investigating the incident, which took place at the couple’s home in Solihull in December last year. Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to those responsible.
The attack is being described as a so-called “wrench attack” — a form of physical coercion increasingly associated with cryptocurrency holders, in which criminals target investors directly to force them to surrender digital assets.
Hardware Wallet Targeted in Latest European Crypto Robbery
The man, referred to by the BBC as James, said three masked men forced their way into his home and subjected him to a 45-minute assault.
“The door gets pushed open, I can see gloves coming in, balaclavas,” he said. James attempted to fight back but was repeatedly struck in the face, head, and ribs with hammers.
His wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was held down on the sofa by one of the attackers. “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 initially did not know what the attackers wanted. That changed when one of the men demanded that James unlock his phone and hand it over.
According to James, the attackers appeared to know he held cryptocurrency but did not know how to access his funds. Instead, they received instructions from another individual via 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’,” James said. The caller eventually identified a cryptocurrency wallet containing a substantial amount of funds.
The situation then escalated, with James saying the attackers threatened to stab his wife and kill their unborn child unless he transferred the cryptocurrency.
“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.
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Hundreds of Thousands in Crypto Stolen from Terrified Couple
James eventually transferred his cryptocurrency savings, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, to a wallet controlled by the individual directing the attack remotely.
The criminals also stole several luxury Rolex watches before fleeing in a car driven by a getaway driver. James said he then heard the individual on the video call tell the attackers: “You can have 10 grand each but I am taking the rest.”
His wife, who was in her early thirties and pregnant with the couple’s third child, said she feared James had been killed after seeing him lying unresponsive on the floor.
“It was terrifying,” she said. The baby survived the ordeal and was subsequently born at full term.
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Rise in Crypto Robbery Attacks, With Europe the Hotbed
Europe is becoming a no-go zone for crypto people.
Crypto exec’s daughter nearly kidnapped in broad daylight back in 2025
Insane. 🫠 pic.twitter.com/GWJD7R0OEH
— Fuel (@fuelkek) October 3, 2026
The incident highlights the growing physical security risks faced by cryptocurrency holders as digital assets have become increasingly valuable.
Reports of crypto robbery attacks and other forms of physical coercion have emerged in the UK, France and the US, with criminals targeting investors they believe hold significant cryptocurrency wealth.
Unlike traditional bank transfers, cryptocurrency transactions can be extremely difficult to reverse once funds have been sent to an attacker-controlled wallet. Depending on the asset and circumstances, recovering stolen crypto can also prove challenging.
The Solihull attack was captured on home security footage and remains under police investigation.
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