Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00286
They had memorised their seed phrase and were able to recover their funds
SurvivesCase description
A Bitcoin holder who fled their home country as a political refugee in 2015 had stored their primary holdings on a hardware wallet that was left behind in the evacuation. They had memorised their seed phrase and were able to recover their funds after settling in a new country, but the process of finding a vendor for a replacement device and completing KYC for a new exchange account took three months.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Forced relocation |
| Custody system | Mobile or software wallet |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2015 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
Forum post
Related cases involving forced relocation
91 cases involve forced relocation
572 cases involve mobile or software wallet
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This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
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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.
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