Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
Hardware wallet (single key)
Cases in this category involve single-key hardware wallets. The device holds the private key offline. Recovery depends entirely on whether an independent seed phrase backup exists.
Hardware wallets appear in a large share of device-loss cases. The device itself is replaceable — the seed phrase restores access to any compatible wallet. Cases that resulted in blocked access share a common factor: no seed phrase backup existed, or the backup was stored with the device and lost alongside it.
274 observed cases
Blocked
100 (36%)
Constrained
45 (16%)
Survives
86 (31%)
Indeterminate
43 (16%)
Documentation absent — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 report by digital estate planning firm DG Legacy estimated that $140 billion in cryptocurrency assets were potentially locked away due to inheritance pla
Physical coercion — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 Bloomberg Businessweek investigation into crypto wrench attacks found that the demographic profile of victims had shifted substantially from 2021 to 2025
French police arrested a 24-year-old French-Moroccan national in Tangier, Morocco
Hardware wallet (single key)
In June 2025, French police arrested a 24-year-old French-Moroccan national in Tangier, Morocco following an Interpol red notice. He was identified by French ou
The 58-hour ordeal ended when French police rescued him in a raid.
Hardware wallet (single key)
In May 2025, the father of a man who operated a Malta-based cryptocurrency company was abducted from a Paris street by four hooded men. The victim had one of hi
Physical coercion — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Beginning May 6, 2025, Michael Valentino Teofrasto Carturan, a 28-year-old Italian cryptocurrency trader, was held captive for approximately 17 days in a luxury
In most US states that have adopted RUFADAA, a durable power of attorney does cover
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 case involved a holder who had suffered a severe stroke that left them unable to communicate or perform fine motor tasks. Their durable power of attorney
Multisig quorum failure — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 multisig recovery case involved a 3-of-5 wallet where two of the five key holders had each independently lost their signing devices without retaining the
A 2025 device loss case involved a Ledger Nano X that was left behind in a hotel room.
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 device loss case involved a Ledger Nano X that was left behind in a hotel room. The holder's seed phrase was documented at home. The holder contacted the
A magistrate and her mother were abducted and held for 30 hours in the Drôme region of
Hardware wallet (single key)
In early 2025, a magistrate and her mother were abducted and held for 30 hours in the Drôme region of France. The magistrate's partner held a leadership role at
Seed phrase unavailable — hardware wallet — United States 2025
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 case involved a holder who discovered that the titanium backup plate on which they had stamped their seed phrase had been stored for seven years next to
Physical coercion — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
Two Texas brothers, Raymond Christian Garcia and Isiah Angelo Garcia, were charged by federal officials in September 2025 with kidnapping after allegedly holdin
Estate access failure — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 Canadian estate case involved a holder who had left very clear documentation—a complete list of all assets, seed phrases, and access instructions—but who
Hidden wallet discovered — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 recovery case involved a Bitcoin holder who had engraved their seed phrase on a steel plate but had transposed two of the words during the engraving proc
Owner incapacity — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 UK court case heard by the Court of Protection addressed whether a Bitcoin holder with late-stage multiple sclerosis had sufficient mental capacity to ma
Border confiscation — Bitbox02 (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 case involved a Bitbox02 hardware wallet that was confiscated by customs authorities in a South American country where the holder was attempting to trave
Owner incapacity — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 case involved a holder diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease who had begun experiencing tremors that made touchscreen interaction with their mob
Owner death — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 Canadian estate case involved a holder who had created a custom mnemonic scheme—rather than a standard BIP39 seed phrase, they had used a self-invented w
Estate access failure — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 estate case described by a Minnesota probate attorney involved a holder whose estate included a reference to 'the Bitcoin account at the bank' in their w
Physical coercion — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A Brazilian Bitcoin holder's family member was kidnapped in April 2025 and held for ransom payable in Bitcoin. The kidnappers specified the ransom must be paid
Destroyed in fire — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 Florida probate case described by a digital estate planning attorney involved a deceased holder who had been meticulous about documenting their Bitcoin c
Estate access failure — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 estate case described by a digital estate specialist involved a holder in Oregon who had stored their entire Bitcoin custody setup inside a Veracrypt-enc
Legal authority constraint — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A US district court ruled in February 2025 on a civil forfeiture case involving Bitcoin seized from a defendant who was acquitted of the underlying criminal cha
Estate access failure — Trezor Model T (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 case involved a New York estate where the deceased holder's executor found a Trezor Model T in a desk drawer along with a post-it note containing what ap
Passphrase unavailable — Coldcard (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A November 2025 case involved a Coldcard hardware wallet where the holder had forgotten the device PIN after not using it for over a year. Unlike some earlier h
Estate access failure — hardware wallet (2025)
Hardware wallet (single key)
A 2025 US Senate Banking Committee inquiry into cryptocurrency estate planning highlighted that despite more than 40 US states having adopted the Revised Unifor
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