Masked Hammer Attackers Force Crypto Transfer in Solihull Home Invasion as 'Wrench Attacks' Surge

A businessman in Solihull was brutally assaulted with hammers by three masked intruders who broke into his family home and threatened to kill his heavily pregnant wife and unborn child unless he handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency. The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, spoke to the BBC about the ordeal they described as "horrific," saying they genuinely feared for their unborn baby's life as the attack unfolded. The criminals fled in a waiting car after the victim transferred his digital savings, and police are still searching for those responsible. Crimestoppers has announced a £10,000 reward for information that could move the investigation forward.

The attack, which was captured on home security cameras, is being treated by police as a violent robbery, but experts say it fits a broader and increasingly alarming pattern known as a "wrench attack" — a term used for physical violence or coercion used to force cryptocurrency holders into surrendering their digital assets. As crypto coins have risen sharply in value in recent years, reports of these violent robberies have emerged in the UK, France, and the United States, often leaving victims with lasting physical and psychological injuries. Once funds are transferred to a criminal's digital wallet, recovering them is notoriously difficult, if not impossible.

The victim, whom the BBC is calling James, said the assault lasted around 45 minutes after three intruders forced their way into his home in Solihull. He described seeing the door pushed open and spotting gloved hands and balaclavas before the men launched their attack. James tried to defend himself and his family, but the attackers struck him repeatedly in the face, head, and ribs with hammers. His wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was pinned down on the sofa by one of the criminals while the violence continued around her.

At one point, one of the men placed a pillow over her face, and James recalled hearing her scream that she could not breathe as she struggled against her attacker. The couple initially had no idea what the intruders wanted. That changed when one of the men demanded James unlock his phone and hand it over. According to James, the attackers seemed to know he held cryptocurrency, but appeared unfamiliar with how to access it themselves. Instead, they were taking instructions from someone else who was connected via a live video call, guiding them step by step through his device.

"I can hear the guy on FaceTime saying: 'Show me everything on his phone. Show me what apps he's got,'" James told the BBC. When the person on the other end of the call identified a crypto wallet containing substantial funds, the threats against the couple escalated dramatically. James said the caller warned that if he did not transfer the money immediately, the attackers would stab his wife in the stomach and kill their baby, and would also kill his wife. His wife, who is in her early thirties and was expecting the couple's third child, said the experience was terrifying. She feared James had been killed when she saw him lying unresponsive on the floor, and worried that the stress of the attack could cause her to lose the baby. The child survived and was eventually born at full term.

The men left only after James transferred his cryptocurrency savings — hundreds of thousands of pounds — to the digital wallet of the man on the video call. They also took several luxury Rolex watches from the home. James said that as the attackers were leaving, he heard the man on the call tell his accomplices that they could each keep £10,000 but that he would be taking the rest. The detail suggests a level of organisation and hierarchy within the criminal operation, with the person directing the theft remotely apparently claiming the lion's share of the proceeds.

Cryptocurrency differs fundamentally from money held in a conventional bank account. Digital assets are typically controlled directly by the owner through software wallets or physical storage devices, without an institutional gatekeeper such as a bank standing between the holder and the funds. For criminals, that combination of speed, anonymity, and irreversibility makes crypto holders attractive targets. While the vast majority of cryptocurrency theft still happens online through hacks and scams, investigators at the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis say "wrench attacks" have surged in recent years.

According to Chainalysis research, $30 million — equivalent to around £22.6 million — had already been stolen in violent robberies by June of this year, putting 2026 on track to become the worst year on record for violent crypto attacks. The firm also found that home invasions are on the rise. The United States, Brazil, and Thailand have been identified as hotspots, but France has seen by far the largest number of attacks, a surge researchers link to a data breach at a tax office that apparently allowed wealthy crypto holders to be located. In their report, Chainalysis researchers noted that the physical security assumptions protecting traditional wealth — bank vaults and armoured cars, for example — do not automatically apply in crypto. Holders often keep their assets in comparatively low-security setups, such as self-custody wallets, which can be compromised without any institutional gatekeeper standing in the way.

James said he became an amateur crypto investor in 2020 and made enough money to quit his job in 2023 to trade full time. Now he has lost everything and is looking to return to his traditional job. Police have yet to identify the attackers, and James said he holds little hope of recovering the stolen funds. Instead, he wants to see those responsible brought to justice.

Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to progress in the investigation. Alan Edwards, from the charity, said he hopes people might come forward with details about the three attackers, the getaway driver who was parked outside without a face covering, or the man who directed the theft over the phone. "These criminals are obviously serious and part of some kind of organised crime gang," Edwards said, adding that people might be scared to share information but that Crimestoppers is independent of the police and keeps informants completely anonymous. The three attackers are all thought to be in their late teens or early twenties, and one was described as a Black male with a scar under his left eyebrow.