UK Crypto Trader Loses $760,000 in Knifepoint ‘Wrench Attack’

A cryptocurrency trader in the UK claims to have been robbed of nearly $800,000 in digital assets after masked intruders held him at knifepoint and forced him to transfer funds from his wallets.

The pseudonymous trader, known as “realist” on X, stated that attackers destroyed his phone and compelled transfers of approximately $40,000 from a hot wallet and $720,000 from a Ledger hardware wallet. He shared a Solana wallet address on blockchain explorer Solscan to support his account, though police have not yet confirmed the incident.

The robbery is described as a “wrench attack,” where criminals use physical violence or threats to bypass digital security and force victims to surrender crypto assets. This follows a similar reported incident in the UK last December, where attackers allegedly beat an investor with hammers and threatened his family.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that criminals stole more than $30 million through violent attacks in the first half of 2026, with home invasions accounting for 37% of recorded cases.