UK crypto trader says almost $800,000 lost in knife attack as wrench attacks increase.

A crypto trader in the UK has claimed that masked intruders stole nearly $800,000 worth of cryptocurrency at knifepoint, fueling fears of a proliferation of "wrench attacks" in the country.

A UK cryptocurrency trader has claimed that almost $800,000 worth of cryptocurrency was stolen after armed assailants broke into his home and forced him to transfer digital assets to a special wallet, highlighting a threat to investors that neither self-policing nor encryption can prevent.

The unidentified businessman, who goes by the nickname "Realist" in X, said the attackers held him at knifepoint, destroyed his phone and forced nearly $40,000 from a hot wallet and $720,000 from his ledger wallet.

The trader shared Solana's wallet address with blockchain explorer Solscan to prove his account, although there is no relevant confirmation from the police or other authorities about the incident yet.

"If you live in the UK and do crypto, get the f**k out," he wrote in the post.

The incident follows recent reports of a similar robbery in the UK last December, where masked assailants beat a cryptocurrency investor with a hammer and threatened to kill his pregnant wife if she did not transfer hundreds of thousands of pounds in crypto.

Such crimes, commonly called "wrench attacks," involve physical violence or threats to force cryptocurrency holders to hand over their holdings.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that criminals stole more than $30 million through brute force attacks in the first half of 2026. Home invasions accounted for 37 percent of recorded incidents, up from 14 percent last year.

France has emerged as a hotbed for wrench attacks, with Chainalysis documenting at least 30 incidents recorded in the first half of this year.

Blockchain security firm Certik identified 52 confirmed attacks worldwide during that period, 33 of which were in France.

The figures show that physical coercion has become a major concern alongside purely digital threats such as hacking, phishing and smart contract abuse.

The implications for investors go beyond protecting private keys and keeping assets confidential, limiting public disclosure about one's business activity, and separating available funds from long-term reserves. However, no individual technical protection can eliminate the risk of violence.

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