France now leads the world for physical attacks on crypto holders, and the UK is third.
@Gart reported:
- 404 attacks across 61 countries
- attacks rose 90% from 2024 to 2025
- 35 people killed
- 95 home invasions
- 88 kidnappings
The attacks have closely tracked the bitcoin price, and the drop at the end of that chart is a lag in the data, not a threat that has passed.
The target is not an exchange account or a hacked wallet, it’s someone’s home.
Once a name and a home address are tied to a Bitcoin holding, that link does not expire.
That is why expanding the amount of identity and transaction data HMRC can obtain deserves scrutiny.
Tax enforcement should not create the data trail that leads someone to your home.
My latest in Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2026/10/08/hmrcs-proposed-crypto-powers-could-increase-physical-security-risks/
More reporting and background:
View quoted note →
Gart
Gart | Research
Research for personal security decisions. To understand how technology is changing personal safety, we keep an open record of personal data leaks a...
Susie Violet Ward, Journalist
HMRC's Proposed Crypto Powers Could Increase Physical Security Risks | Susie Violet Ward
In 2026, HMRC proposed extending its information powers to cryptoasset businesses, including Financial Institution Notices for cryptoasset service ...
