CertiK documented 52 confirmed physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders during the first half of 2026, representing a 33 percent increase from the prior-year period, with total losses escalating to $124.1 million from $10.5 million annually.
The severity of individual incidents has intensified dramatically, with average loss per attack climbing to $2.39 million—a ninefold increase year-over-year. Home invasions constitute the most alarming trend, surging from a single recorded case to 20 incidents, while kidnappings rose from 12 to 16 cases, underscoring the shift toward increasingly violent criminal tactics targeting wealthy cryptocurrency holders.
Europe accounted for 75 percent of all documented attacks, with France alone experiencing 33 of the 52 global incidents. Criminals are leveraging personal data breaches, social media intelligence, and publicly available information to identify and locate affluent cryptocurrency owners, exploiting the intersection of digital asset ownership and physical vulnerability.