> At a Glance
> – Physical crypto robberies are rising fastest in Western Europe and APAC
> – Average attack severity has increased, with several high-profile kidnappings
> – North America remains the safest region on a per-user basis
> – Why it matters: Rising prices mean more holders are targets for violent crime
Violent crypto robberies-nicknamed “wrench attacks”-are accelerating worldwide, with Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region seeing the sharpest jumps in incidents and brutality, according to fresh data compiled by Dragonfly partner Haseeb Qureshi.
Violence Tracker
Qureshi analyzed Bitcoin developer Jameson Lopp’s open database of physical crypto crimes and found:
- Reported attacks have climbed steadily since 2015
- Each incident is graded 1-5; the average severity is trending upward
- Western Europe and APAC posted the biggest regional increases
- North America still logs the fewest attacks per active holder
The raw numbers follow market cap more than user growth. A simple regression shows crypto market cap explains 45 % of the variation in yearly attacks, giving price swings an outsized role in driving crime.
Per-Capita Reality Check
Coinbase monthly active users surged 60× from 2 million to 120 million between 2015 and 2025, yet violence did not scale at the same pace. When attacks are normalized by market cap or user count:
- Crypto was statistically more dangerous in 2015 and 2018
- Recent violence-per-user has ticked up but only matches 2021 levels
- Risk per dollar invested has barely moved since 2019
> “Higher prices attract more crime, but the underlying danger per person is still well below pre-2019 levels,” Qureshi noted.
2025 Victims
Several high-profile assaults already mark the year:
- January, France: Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped, held 24 h, and lost a finger before police intervened
- February, London: U.S. visitor Jacob Irwin-Cline was drugged with scopolamine and forced to transfer $72 k in XRP plus $50 k in BTC before being abandoned
Key Takeaways
- Physical crypto crime is rising fastest where adoption is surging: Western Europe and APAC
- Market cap-not user count-best predicts annual attack totals
- Per-capita risk remains moderate, mirroring 2021 rather than the darker pre-2019 era
- North American holders still face the lowest robbery odds globally
As coins trade near cycle highs, holders worldwide face a blunt reminder: digital wealth can provoke real-world violence.
