A rise in violent crimes aimed at Bitcoin owners is drawing fresh alarm from security experts and industry groups.

According to speakers at the Baltic Honeybadger 2025 conference in Riga, Latvia, criminals are increasingly using stolen personal data plus on-chain analysis to find and attack people who hold Bitcoin and other digital assets.

The attacks—often called “wrench attacks” —can include kidnapping, physical assault, and extortion to force victims to hand over private keys.

Every week, at least one Bitcoin holder is reportedly kidnapped, tortured, extorted, or worse, say conference sources.

Data Leaks Fuel Criminal Targeting

According to Alena Vranova, founder of hardware wallet maker SatoshiLabs, more than 80 million crypto user identities are exposed online, and roughl

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