Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00151
Documentation absent — unknown (2014)
BlockedCase description
The GAW Miners 'HashStaker' cloud mining product, launched in 2014, promised guaranteed hash rate returns with no documentation of underlying hardware. When returns were not paid, customers discovered that GAW Miners had no published hardware inventory, no pool addresses to verify hash rate, and the product was later exposed as the foundation for the fraudulent Paycoin scheme.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Documentation absent |
| Custody system | Unknown custody system |
| Outcome | Blocked |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2014 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
What this illustrates
Nobody had written down how to get back in. That knowledge existed only in the owner's head. Access was not recoverable.
Outcome interpretation
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
News article
Evidence link
Related cases involving documentation absent
193 cases involve documentation absent
20 cases involve unknown custody system
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
← All cases
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.
Translate