Physical attack archive
Self-custody removes counterparty risk, but it shifts the attack surface from the exchange to you. This is a chronological record of documented $5-wrench attacks — home invasions, kidnappings, mutilations and coerced transfers — targeting crypto holders worldwide.
Trader was followed home from an OTC meeting, held at gunpoint and forced to drain a hot wallet and his MetaMask seed phrase backup.
Italian crypto investor held for 17 days in a Manhattan townhouse, tortured with electric shocks and dangled from a rooftop to force him to surrender his Bitcoin wallet keys.
Masked men attempted to force a man and his daughter into a van in broad daylight in the 11th arrondissement. The family fought back and bystanders intervened.
Father of a French crypto entrepreneur was kidnapped and held in a van. Captors cut off part of one of his fingers to pressure the family for a multi-million-euro ransom in crypto.
Parents of a Belgium-based crypto influencer were targeted in a violent abduction attempt at their home; attackers fled when neighbours intervened.
Father of a French crypto entrepreneur was abducted from his home; captors demanded a multi-million-euro crypto ransom.
Balland and his partner were kidnapped from their home. Attackers cut off one of his fingers and sent the video to Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier to coerce a crypto ransom payment.
Armed intruders broke into a family home, restrained the residents and forced them to log in to crypto exchanges and self-custody wallets.
Skurka was pulled into a vehicle in downtown Toronto and released after a ransom was wired electronically.
Businessman was abducted by men posing as CBI officers and forced to transfer USDT from his wallets before being released.
Home invasion crew tied up the victim and his family in their Florida home and forced him to transfer ~$4M in BTC and ETH to attacker-controlled wallets.
Intruders broke into a luxury home on Sentosa Cove targeting the owner's crypto holdings; victim restrained while wallets were accessed.
Three masked intruders broke into the home of an early Bitcoin investor, restraining family members and demanding access to hardware wallets.
Shen disclosed that ~$42M in crypto was stolen from his personal wallets in a targeted attack; the funds were drained in highly coordinated transfers.
Trader was lured to an in-person OTC deal, abducted in a van, beaten and forced to transfer USDT before being released in the desert.
Victim was lured to a Wan Chai apartment for an in-person OTC trade. He was beaten and forced to transfer Bitcoin to attackers.
Dentzel was tied up and beaten in his Madrid home by intruders who demanded access to his cryptocurrency holdings.
Investor Shailesh Bhatt alleged he was abducted by police officers who extorted Bitcoin and Ethereum from him over multiple days.
Wife of one of Norway's wealthiest investors disappeared from her home. A ransom note demanded payment in Monero. Case became Norway's most high-profile crypto-linked crime.
Investor was forced at gunpoint by an acquaintance into transferring ETH from his Authy-secured account during a meeting.
Four armed men in balaclavas broke into a trader's home, threatened his pregnant wife at gunpoint and forced him to transfer Bitcoin from his accounts.
Lerner was forced into a black Mercedes outside the Exmo office. Captors held him until a Bitcoin ransom was paid.
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See the full comparison →Incidents compiled from Jameson Lopp's physical-attack registry, court filings, Reuters, AFP, AP, Le Monde, The Block, CoinDesk and local police statements. This page tracks publicly disclosed cases and is not exhaustive.