Brutal Home Invasion: Family Tortured for Access to $1.6M in Bitcoin

A Canadian family in British Columbia has survived a horrific 13-hour terror attack, making their case one of the country's most extreme crypto-related "wrench attacks".

On April 27, 2024, the family opened their door to two men, who claimed they were working for the Canadian Post office. But the men quickly revealed their ill intentions after forcing themselves into the house, shutting the doors behind them.

The two assailants were later joined by two additional accomplices who helped restrain the husband, wife, and daughter using zip ties. The intruders targeted this family after overhearing a conversation the father had with his friends where he exaggerated his success with cryptocurrency investment.

Once inside, the attackers demanded access to his wallets—initially insisted on 200 BTC, later reducing the demand to 100 BTC when he failed to meet their target. They ultimately succeeded in transferring approximately $1.6 million in digital assets from the family’s accounts.

But assailants didn't just stop there after getting the crypto they wanted. Throughout the night, they exerted violence on the family, waterboarding and threatening to kill the parents while forcing the daughter to undress, before sexually assaulted while recording everything on film.

After the assailants wrapped the victims in blankets and left the room, a door clicked shut—giving the daughter a narrow moment to partially free herself and escape to call 911.

After one year of investigation, one of the attackers, Tsz Wing Boaz Chan, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, unlawful confinement, and sexual assault. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, while authorities have released no updates regarding the remaining suspects.

The severity of the ordeal has drawn widespread attention, marking it as one of Canada’s most extreme examples of violent crypto extortion.

A Global Surge in Violent Attacks Targeting Crypto Holders

The British Columbia case comes amid a worldwide spike in violent crimes targeting cryptocurrency holders—an alarming shift from digital hacks to physical coercion as crypto wealth becomes more visible. Security analysts note that sophisticated criminal groups increasingly rely on fake delivery uniforms, stolen service vans and pre-attack surveillance to identify and corner their targets at home.

Data compiled by Bitcoin security advocate Jameson Lopp shows that wrench attacks—incidents where offenders use physical force to extract wallet keys—have surged 169% since February, surpassing total 2024 cases by more than 30%. France leads globally with 14 recorded attacks this year, followed by rising cases across the United States, Asia, and Western Europe.

In San Francisco, criminals posing as delivery workers stole $11 million in crypto during a recent home invasion. Earlier this year, Ledger co-founder David Balland and his wife survived a 48-hour kidnapping in France, during which Balland had a finger severed. U.S. authorities have also charged multiple suspects in violent crypto-theft operations, including a Chicago kidnapping ring tied to $15 million in stolen assets and a Minnesota family held at gunpoint for nine hours while attackers drained $8 million from their wallets.

Analysts warn that as Bitcoin and other digital assets climb in value, criminals increasingly view physical extortion as more reliable than cyberattacks. A report by blockchain security firm CertiK notes that crypto users lost $2.47 billion to hacks and scams in the first half of 2025 alone—pushing some criminal networks toward violent offline methods with far higher immediate payouts.

Experts say the BC attack underscores a grim reality: as mainstream adoption grows, crypto holders—especially those who discuss their wealth publicly—face heightened risks from organized crime groups willing to bypass digital defenses through brutal physical force.