More than 100 physical attacks have been perpetrated against Bitcoiners, according to the “Known Physical Bitcoin Attacks” archive, maintained by Casa’s co-founder Jameson Lopp. The archive catalogs a concerning pattern in the crypto landscape: a rise in physical attacks against those possessing BTC and other digital assets.
While numerous incidents go unnoticed, this list serves as a sobering reminder of the perils of crypto ownership.
Rising Threats
The archive chronicles numerous violent encounters, beginning with Hal Finney, a pioneering figure in cryptocurrency and ALS patient, who faced a traumatic police response at his home back in December 2014. While his wife Fran was helping him shower, she received a bizarre call from a 911 operator, warning her that a SWAT team was on the way due to a false report of a murder and potential suicide.
The situation unfolded just days after a tragic shooting near their Santa Barbara home, leading police to respond aggressively. As Fran was forced to leave Hal, who was unable to swallow and relied on a ventilator, she feared for his safety. This disturbing event was part of a year-long extortion scheme targeting the Finneys, with the caller demanding 1,000 BTC (over $400,000 at the time) and threatening violence against the family.
Lopp himself was the victim of “swatting” in August 2017 when an anonymous caller reported a false hostage situation at his home. Police received the alarming call with the caller claiming he had shot someone and was holding hostages, even threatening to detonate explosives if his demands for $60,000 weren’t met. As heavily armed officers and emergency services surrounded the area, Lopp emerged from his home to clarify that the situation was a hoax. He attributed the attack to online enemies seeking revenge.
Throughout the years, the attacks have escalated in terms of severity. Dwayne Richards was kidnapped and stabbed in New York City, and just a few months later, a cryptocurrency executive was abducted in Lithuania. The pattern of violence persisted, with incidents such as the November 2017 robbery of a businessman in Istanbul, where a gang stole $2.83 million in BTC, demonstrating the high stakes involved in crypto ownership.
Home Invasions And More
In England, three men armed with machetes invaded a home, forcing the owners to transfer over 1,000 ETH.
From Pavel Lerner’s abduction in Kyiv in December 2017 to a series of home invasions in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Cumming, Massachusetts, China, New York, Dubai, and Bangkok, among other places, the list reveals a range of sophisticated tactics employed by criminals.
Meanwhile, two women abducted a toddler from a mall, demanding a ransom of $660,000 in USDT. Additionally, a British crypto trader was brutally tied up and assaulted by five assailants who robbed him. More recently, the parents of thieves involved in a $243 million heist were carjacked and kidnapped during a botched ransom plot in a chilling twist of events.
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