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In the last year crypto crime has shifted from screens to the street. A new report from blockchain security firm CertiK finds that so called wrench attacks, where criminals use threats or force to make victims hand over digital assets, jumped 75% in 2025 compared with 2024. Investigators verified 72 violent incidents worldwide, which the report describes as a turning point where physical coercion became a core risk for people who hold crypto.
These attacks sidestep technical defenses completely. Instead of trying to break wallet encryption or exploit a smart contract, offenders break into homes, kidnap targets, or threaten family members until victims reveal seed phrases or unlock phones and hardware wallets. CertiK records a 250% increase in outright physical assaults tied to such cases, including home invasions, abductions and at least a handful of murders. Some incidents used honey pot tactics, where fake romantic or social relationships were built over time and then used to lure victims into an ambush.
Europe has become the main hotspot for this kind of crime. The region now accounts for more than 40% of all documented wrench attacks, up from 22% a year earlier. France alone saw 19 reported incidents in 2025, more than twice the number recorded in the United States, with additional clusters in Spain and Sweden. CertiK links the rise to organized crime groups that have started to track public on chain identities, social media activity and local rumor to single out traders, founders and early investors who are known to hold significant crypto.
The financial damage is also mounting. Confirmed losses from wrench attacks exceeded 40 million dollars in 2025, and researchers believe the true figure is likely much higher because many victims never report what happened, either out of fear of retaliation or embarrassment. The report describes a “technical paradox” in which better wallet and exchange security makes remote hacking more expensive, while the human layer remains easy to threaten in person.
Traditional finance is beginning to respond. Specialist insurance products now exist that explicitly cover losses from wrench attacks, including policies offered through Lloyd’s of London, which signals that physical coercion is being treated as a predictable risk rather than a rare anomaly. For the crypto industry the message is clear. Security planning can no longer focus only on code, custody setups and firewalls. Personal privacy, low public exposure of holdings and basic physical safety practices have become part of the risk equation for anyone who holds meaningful amounts of digital assets.
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