The holder was eventually able to recover the device after three weeks through a formal

Survives

Case description

A Bitcoin holder reported in 2023 that their Trezor One had been seized by customs officials at an international border as part of a search. The customs officials, unfamiliar with the device, treated it as a potential contraband item. The holder was eventually able to recover the device after three weeks through a formal customs retrieval process, but had no access to their Bitcoin during that period and faced the risk that customs personnel might attempt access (the PIN protection prevented this). The case represented an unusual forced-relocation-adjacent custody stress: a physical device temporarily removed from its owner by state authority.

Custody context

Stress condition	Device loss
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2023
Country	International

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Privately Reported

Evidence type

News article

Evidence link

https://github.com/jlopp/physical-bitcoin-attacks

Related cases involving device loss

188 cases involve device loss 274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key) View archive statistics →

This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case

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Framework references

Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority

Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.

Professional Scope Boundary Matrix

What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.

The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody

How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.