Cryptocurrency physical attacks, often called “wrench attacks,” involve criminals coercing holders to surrender private keys through violence, abduction, or threats. These attacks focus on targeting holders, executives, and families. Based on public reports, 2025 has shown nearly double the number of physical crypto robberies globally compared to 2024 and the year hasn’t even finished yet.

Victims and Targets

High-net-worth individuals, executives, early adopters, influencers, and even casual holders serve as primary targets due to traceable holdings or public profiles advertising wealth. Their core interest lies in protecting personal safety and assets, facing in the face of life-threatening coercion, though their influence is low without collective action.

Recent Attacks

United States

On the morning of November 22, 2025, in San Francisco’s Mission Dolores neighborhood, a resident was held captive and robbed of their phone, laptop, and an estimated $11 million USD of crypto currency.

England

On November 4^th, 2025, a group of individuals was robbed on a trip from Oxford to London. A group of masked criminals stole valuables, phones, and forced one of the individuals to transfer 1.1 million Euros of cryptocurrency.

Thailand

On November 1^st, 2025, an individual was waiting for a taxi in Mahaseth road when a group of criminals assaulted him, stole money from his bag, and forced him to transfer $9,375 USDT of cryptocurrency.

Threat Trends

Escalation of Violence

The 2025 attacks show a trend of increasing violence involved in robberies and kidnappings. Certain attacks have even gone as far as utilizing torture techniques and ransoms to achieve payouts.

Targeted Attacks

Many of the attacks either have included surveillance or give details that show a high likelihood of surveillance. 2025 attacks have included the use of physical trackers, potential monitoring of online presence, and even traps set to lure victims in.

Use of Deception

Attackers appear to be more frequently using impersonation tactics to gain access to the victims and/or their residences, demonstrating certain levels of planning and premeditation not as prevalent in previous years.

Bridging the Gap

With cryptocurrency attacks shifting further into the physical space, it is critical to continuously review, adapt, and improve security measures. Putting oneself in the attacker’s perspective provides much-needed insight into how we can approach physical crypto security. However, attempting to implement ALL practical security measures at once can be daunting and unrealistic. Focus on your starting point.

Establish a Foundation

Before an attacker establishes how they will conduct an attack, they will often seek to identify who is the most viable target. The troves of data floating around about an individual, or rather a potential target, make it an ideal starting point for planning an attack. The key is to become a less appealing target.

The key step in establishing a foundation is to analyze what is out there that an attacker could use to establish a plan. Who they are, where they are located, where they may be traveling to, and any other information that can be captured from an individual’s online presence. While there is much more that should be identified, the goal is to keep it simple to start with and reduce the footprint where possible.

Conclusion

While awareness and proactive reduction of one’s online presence form the bedrock of defense against wrench attacks, many cryptocurrency holders lack the time or expertise to execute these measures efficiently. The optimal next step involves engaging professional monitoring services, which provide continuous surveillance of digital footprints that persist despite best efforts to minimize them. These services eliminate the burden of manual oversight, delivering actionable insights into evolving online exposures and empowering users to stay ahead of potential physical threats. Reclaim your peace of mind by taking the first steps and establishing your foundation.