Couple describe violent cryptocurrency robbery at their home

Three men forced their way into a couple’s home in Smith’s Wood, near Birmingham, on 13 December 2025 and demanded a cryptocurrency transfer, West Midlands Police said. A fourth person gave instructions over a video call. The husband suffered significant injuries, his pregnant wife was threatened with a knife, and the intruders left with cryptocurrency and high-value watches. Detectives said the attack may have been planned and targeted. [2]

In a later interview with BBC News, the husband, identified as James to protect the couple’s anonymity, said the men beat him with hammers. He said they threatened to stab his wife in the stomach and kill her and their unborn baby unless he transferred his cryptocurrency savings, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. The BBC reported that the baby was later born at full term. [1]

Violent attacks on cryptocurrency holders remain rare, but one research firm recorded more public cases worldwide in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier. CertiK counted 52, up from 39. France accounted for 33 of the 2026 cases, compared with 10 a year earlier; outside France, the count fell from 29 to 19. The Smith’s Wood robbery took place in 2025 and is not part of those figures. [4] [5]