TLDR
- A UK crypto trader says armed intruders stole nearly $800,000 from him at knifepoint.
- Police have not confirmed the account.
- Blockchain records show the wallet was emptied 32 minutes after he posted on X.
- Chainalysis says criminals stole over $30 million in violent attacks in the first half of 2026.
- France is the hotspot, with 33 of 52 attacks counted by Certik.
A crypto trader in the U.K. says armed intruders broke into his home and stole nearly $800,000 in digital assets. He shared his account on X on Oct. 13.
The trader goes by “realist” on X and has not given his name or city. He says the attackers held him at knifepoint and destroyed his phone.
if you live in the uk and do crypto get the fuck out
just got my house invaded, taped up held at knife point & robbed for $800k
in so much shock i dont know what the fuck to do, fuck this country. No this is not satire, i fucking wish it was.
wallet with stolen funds…
— realist (@rrealist) October 13, 2026
Police have not confirmed the account. No statement from authorities had been published at the time of reporting.
What the Trader Says Happened
He says he was taped up and forced to move funds to a wallet chosen by the attackers. About $40,000 came from a hot wallet and $720,000 from his Ledger wallet.
He urged crypto users in the U.K. to leave the country. Another X user later vouched for him.
“No this is not satire,” he added. He said he wished it were.
He shared a Solana wallet address that he labeled as holding the stolen funds. Blockchain records show it received 346.13 Solana at 10:38 p.m. on Oct. 12.
About 20 minutes later, 718,735 USDC arrived in the same wallet. With Solana priced near $107, the deposits were worth about $756,000.
The trader posted on X at 1:09 a.m. on Oct. 13. The Solana left the wallet at 1:20 a.m., and the USDC moved to a new address at 1:41 a.m.
The wallet was emptied 32 minutes after his post went live. Circle can freeze USDC at the contract level, and quick transfers are a common way to avoid that.
Wrench Attacks on the Rise
Such crimes are called wrench attacks. They use violence or threats to force crypto holders to hand over their assets.
Chainalysis estimates criminals stole more than $30 million through violent attacks in the first half of 2026. Europe accounted for about three-quarters of the cases.
Home invasions rose sharply compared with a year earlier. Chainalysis says they were the biggest shift in the data.
France has been the hotspot. Certik counted 52 verified attacks worldwide in that period, and 33 were in France.
Britain has its own open case. In September, Crimestoppers offered a £10,000 reward over a December home invasion in Solihull.
Police say three men followed a couple inside, beat the husband and threatened his pregnant wife with a knife. A fourth suspect directed them by video call.
A similar case was reported in Thailand last week. Bitcoin.com News said three armed men took $820,000 in crypto from an expat near Pattaya.
In the latest case, blockchain records show the wallet holding the stolen funds was emptied on Oct. 13. No police statement had been published.
