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

A businessman in Solihull was beaten with hammers and threatened with the killing of his unborn child during a violent home robbery in which masked intruders forced him to hand over hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency, the BBC has reported.

The couple, who have asked not to be identified, described the December attack as "horrific" and said they feared for the life of their baby throughout the ordeal. The case is being investigated by police, and the charity Crimestoppers has announced a £10,000 reward for information that leads to progress in the inquiry.

Speaking to the BBC under the pseudonym James, the victim said three intruders forced their way into the family home and subjected him to a 45-minute assault. He recalled seeing gloves and balaclavas as the door was pushed open, and said he tried unsuccessfully to fight the men off before they struck him in the face, head and ribs with hammers.

His wife, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was pinned to the sofa by one of the attackers. James described how the man placed a pillow over her face and suffocated her while she screamed that she could not breathe. The couple initially had no idea what the criminals wanted.

The situation became clearer only when one of the men demanded that James unlock his phone. According to his account, the attackers appeared to know he held cryptocurrency but did not understand how to access it themselves. They were instead following instructions relayed by someone connected through a live video call.

James said he could hear a man on FaceTime directing the intruders to show him everything on the phone and identify which apps were installed. When the caller spotted a crypto wallet containing substantial funds, the threats escalated sharply. James said the man warned that if the money was not sent immediately, the attackers would stab his wife in the stomach and kill the 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 attack was terrifying. She described fearing that James had been killed when he lay unresponsive on the floor, and worried that the stress of the ordeal could cause her to lose the baby. The child survived and was later born at full term.

The men left after James transferred his crypto savings — hundreds of thousands of pounds — to a digital wallet controlled by the man on the video call. They also took several luxury Rolex watches. James said that before departing, he heard the caller tell his accomplices they could each keep £10,000 while he would take the rest.

Home security footage captured the attack, and police have so far been unable to identify those responsible. Crimestoppers hopes members of the public may recognise the three attackers, the getaway driver who waited outside without a face covering, or the man who directed the robbery by phone. The three intruders are thought to be in their late teens or early twenties, and one is described as a black male with a scar beneath his left eyebrow.

Alan Edwards, of Crimestoppers, said the criminals were clearly serious and part of an organised crime gang. He acknowledged that people might be frightened to come forward but stressed that the charity operates independently of the police and keeps informants completely anonymous.

Experts describe this type of crime as a "wrench attack" — a violent robbery aimed at cryptocurrency investors. While the overwhelming majority of crypto theft still occurs online through hacks and scams, researchers at the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis say physical attacks have risen sharply in recent years.

According to Chainalysis data, $30m (£22.6m) had been stolen in violent robberies up to June 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 increasing. The United States, Brazil and Thailand have been identified as hotspots, but France has recorded by far the largest number of attacks, a trend linked to a tax office data breach that appears to have helped criminals locate wealthy crypto holders.

Researchers explained that the physical security measures protecting traditional wealth, such as bank vaults and armoured cars, do not automatically apply to cryptocurrency. Holders frequently store assets in comparatively low-security arrangements, such as self-custody wallets, which can be compromised without an institutional gatekeeper standing in the way.

Unlike money held in a conventional bank account, cryptocurrency is often controlled directly by its owner through digital wallets or physical storage devices. For criminals, that combination of speed, anonymity and irreversibility makes crypto holders attractive targets. Once funds are transferred, recovering them can be extremely difficult.

James said he began investing in crypto as an amateur in 2020 and made enough money to leave his job in 2023 to trade full time. He has now lost everything and is looking to return to his former line of work. He added that he has little hope of recovering the stolen funds, but wants to see those responsible brought to justice.