Crypto-Related Physical Attacks Increase by 169% in Six Months
According to new data, physical attacks on Bitcoin and crypto holders are increasing at an alarming speed. CASA co-founder Jameson Lopp reports that the number of incidents has risen by 169% since February, with 48 incidents registered by 2025. The victims include everyday owners and managers, as increasing Bitcoin prices make them high-quality targets.
Key Findings
The upswing contributes to an already worrying trend, as the cryptocurrency markets continue their bullish run. A total of 48 attacks have been performed in 2025, which marked an increase of 33% compared to all 2024. In France alone, 14 of this year’s incidents were reported. The victims range from retailers and dealers to crypto executives, underlining the broad scope of the threat.
Notable Incidents
One of the most disturbing cases took place on September 6th in Cambridge, Canada, where a young man with a weapon was kidnapped and forced to transfer money into a cryptocurrency account. “He was forced to submit a large amount of money to a cryptocurrency account,” said Chris Iden, regional police officer of Waterloo. While the victim did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the suspects, who were described as four black men in a dark-colored van, remain unidentified.
Expert Insights
In a recently spoken interview, Lopp emphasized that security is a moving goal for the owner of digital assets. “The security landscape is constantly changing,” he said. “It is just one aspect of the ecosystem that every prudent investor should keep up to date because this wealth class is very irreconcilable.” Lopp believes that Bitcoin’s increasing value is a double-edged sword. “It is more valuable, so there are more criminals that take it away,” he said.
Staying Safe
To help users remain safe, the author of the report gave simple advice: be not “the Bitcoin type” in your community. Avoid publishing stocks, especially on social media. Self-support users should invest time in understanding the security basics such as seed phrase protection, passphrases, and the use of multi-digit wallets with geographically separated signature devices. Further tips include avoiding excessively complex storage systems that could also become inaccessible to the owner, and taking into account equilibrium between self-improvement and delegated custody depending on individual risk profiles.
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