|

Fake Delivery Driver Steals $11M in Crypto at Gunpoint — ‘Wrench Attacks’ Hit Record High

⚔

A San Francisco resident was robbed of $11 million in cryptocurrency after a thief posing as a supply driver pressured his means into a house and carried out a violent early-morning assault, marking one of many largest recognized particular person crypto robberies in the United States this 12 months.

According to a San Francisco police report, the theft passed off round 6:45 a.m. Saturday close to 18th and Dolores streets in the Mission Dolores neighborhood.

Police haven’t confirmed whether or not the sufferer was injured, and no arrests have been introduced. Attempts to contact the house owner listed in public information have been unsuccessful.

Physical Attacks on Crypto Investors Hit Record Levels, Up 169% in 2025

The incident provides to what consultants describe as a quickly escalating wave of “wrench assaults,” a time period used to explain bodily assaults, kidnappings, and coercion aimed at forcing crypto holders to disclose passwords or switch funds.

The identify comes from a widely known webcomic illustrating that even robust digital safety will be defeated with a $5 wrench, as attackers shift from hacking wallets to concentrating on their house owners instantly.

According to a CryptoNews report in September citing knowledge compiled by Bitcoin safety advocate Jameson Lopp, there was a pointy rise in bodily assaults concentrating on crypto holders, climbing 169% since February, with 48 instances logged in 2025.

However, Lopp has now tracked greater than 60 wrench-style incidents this 12 months, already 33% larger than the full for 2024.

France leads with 14 reported instances, however comparable assaults have been documented throughout North America, Europe, and Australia, highlighting a rising world safety concern.

Security researchers say the rise coincides with ongoing market power, which has pushed Bitcoin and different belongings larger and made personal holders extra useful targets.

The assaults have grown extra violent, with criminals usually utilizing faux supply uniforms, social engineering, and pre-attack intelligence gathering to establish victims.

In some instances, attackers research social media posts, public information, or convention appearances to estimate an individual’s crypto wealth.

French Police Warn of Coordinated Crime Rings Behind Crypto Kidnappings

Similar patterns have emerged in U.S. cities. In New York, an Italian tourist was kidnapped and tortured for more than two weeks as captors tried to extract his Bitcoin credentials, resulting in an inside investigation involving two NYPD officers.

In Chicago, six men were charged after allegedly kidnapping 4 residents and coercing them into transferring $15 million in cryptocurrency.

The violence has been most concentrated in France, the place coordinated prison networks repeatedly goal entrepreneurs, merchants, and their households.

In August, a 35-year-old former trader was kidnapped and held captive between Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye after his captors did not extract a €10,000 ransom.

He was discovered wandering residence with seen accidents after a name for assist reached authorities overseas. Police say the case was the tenth crypto-related kidnapping reported in France in current months.

Beyond bodily assaults, crypto holders have additionally confronted a surge in digital theft. A report from safety agency CertiK found that investors lost $2.47 billion to hacks, scams, and safety breaches in the primary half of 2025 alone.

Analysts warn that as digital defenses enhance, criminals usually flip to bodily coercion as an alternative, contributing to the rise in wrench assaults.

Lopp, who started monitoring these incidents after a 2017 SWATing assault concentrating on him, stated the spike is an indication of a shifting safety panorama.

He famous that rising asset values appeal to extra criminals however added that self-custody instruments and greatest practices have additionally developed.

He suggested crypto customers to keep away from publicizing their holdings, perceive fundamental operational safety, and take into account mixing self-custody with custodial providers relying on private threat.

The publish Fake Delivery Driver Steals $11M in Crypto at Gunpoint — ‘Wrench Attacks’ Hit Record High appeared first on Cryptonews.

Similar Posts