Stefan Thomas, a German-born programmer living in San Francisco, has two guesses left to figure out a password that is worth, as of this week, about $220 million. The New York Times reports:
The password will let him unlock a small hard drive, known as an IronKey, which contains the private keys to a digital wallet that holds 7,002 Bitcoin. While the price of Bitcoin dropped sharply on Monday, it is still up more than 50 percent from just a month ago when it passed its previous all-time high around $20,000.
The problem is that Mr. Thomas years ago lost the paper where he wrote down the password for his IronKey, which gives users 10 guesses before it seizes up and encrypts its contents forever. He has since tried eight of his most commonly used password formulations — to no avail.
“I would just lay in bed and think about it,” Mr. Thomas said. “Then I would go to the computer with some new strategy, and it wouldn’t work, and I would be desperate again.”
Bitcoin, which has been on an extraordinary and volatile eight-month run, has made a lot of its holders very rich in a short period of time, even as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the world economy.But the cryptocurrency’s unusual nature has also meant that there are many people who are locked out of their Bitcoin fortunes as a result of lost or forgotten keys. They have been forced to watch, helpless, as the price has risen and fallen dramatically, unable to cash in on their digital wealth.
Of the existing 18.5 million Bitcoin, around 20 percent — currently worth around $140 billion — appear to be in lost or otherwise stranded wallets, according to the cryptocurrency data firm Chainalysis. Wallet Recovery Services, a business that helps find lost digital keys, said it has gotten 70 requests a day from people who want help recovering their riches, three times the number of a month ago.
Bitcoin owners who are locked out of their wallets speak of endless days and nights of frustration as they have tried to access their fortunes. Many have owned the coins since Bitcoin’s early days a decade ago, when no one had confidence that the tokens would be worth anything.
I loved reading this article because Mr. Into the FIRE is obsessed with crytocurrency and Bitcoin. He recommends investing in BTCE, and actually one of my sisters got me involved in Coinbase. If you can get a referral code for Coinbase, why not do it? (is my thinking). Because it’s just watching a few short videos and answering a few questions and you can get some cryptocurrency for free. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this article.
I lost my bitcoin to fake blockchain.com impostors on Facebook, they contacted me as blockchain official support and I fell stupidly for their mischievous act, this made them gain access into my blockchain wallet account, whereby 7.0938 BTC was stolen from my wallet in total. I was dumbfounded because this was all my savings I banked up on, waiting for bitcoin rate to improve. Then my cousin recommended me to an expert, I researched online and found the recovery expert , with the contact address- BLACKJOCKER10x AT PROTONMAIL DOT COM..
I wrote directly to the specialist explaining my loss. Hence, they helped me recover my bitcoin within 8 days. They launched the recovery program, and the culprits were identified as well, all thanks to their expertise. I hope I have been able to help someone as well. Reach out to the recovery specialist to recover you lost funds from any form of online scam. Email –BLACKJOCKER10x (AT) PROTONMAIL(DOT) COM
Nice article. I stumbled upon it awhile ago, I used the services of Sergei to recover
my bitcoin lost to a trader I met on-line. I was only lucky to have gotten back
my deposit and profit. It was a good thing I kept the wallet address I paid them with,
I was told it’s one of the most important thing used to trace a stolen bitcoin .
you can search @ engrsergei on telegram if you need help with a trusted recovery expert.
I guarantee this you a successful outcome.
All these binary options, cryptocurrency and online investment companies are scams, I lost a total of $96k usd. Things have turned good for me, being able to recover my investments by a Recovery Pro. You can mail them if you are interested in the means I used to get my money back. mxspy01 at gmail
Can the victims of scam get their money back? Yes, if you have fallen victim to scam from an unregulated investment platform or any scam at ll then are eligible to recover what was stolen from you and this can only happen if this is reported to the right people. With the right approach and with evidence, you will get what you lost back. Those behind these unregulated platforms will likely want to sell the idea that what happened to your investment was an unfortunate occurrence when in reality what happened was theft via elaborate means. If you are a victim or you know any one who is a victim of these occurrences, you should know there are people who can help you. Simply search (r e c o v e r y t e m p l e . t e c h) on google just the way it is in that bracket. It is never too late if you have the right information, your sanity can be restored.
Recovery expert referral.
I lost my bitcoin to fake blockchain impostors on Facebook, they contacted me as blockchain official support and i fell stupidly for their mischievous act, this made them gain access into my blockchain wallet whereby 7.0938 btc was stolen from my wallet in total .I was almost in a comma and dumbfounded because this was all my savings i relied on . Then I did some research online and found a recovery expert , with the contact – ( Proxyphreak47 ((@)) gm ILcom )
I wrote directly to the specialist explaining my loss. Hence, he helped me recover my bitcoin just after 2 days. He helped me launch the recovery program , and the culprits were identified as well , all thanks to his expertise . I hope I have been able to help someone as well . Reach out to the recovery specialist to recover your lost funds from any form of online scam..
Being a scam victim can depressing, you were given empty promises. They usually stop replying after achieving their aim with hurts even more, i have been there too as i was too ambitious and wanted financial security which made me invest a chunk of my life savings. I never thought i would be getting back a dime back and already lost hope until i contacted a PeePee which was just a leap of faith as i wasn’t going to go down without a fight. I was able to recover a significant part of my investment through this recovery expert. Do not brood alone, make a move too. Send a mail to ( Proxyphreak47 ((at)) gm IL)
I probably have the one of the worst scam experiences i have heard of. I lost more than 260thousand USD, these scammers have no mercy because they had me sell my properties when i had no money to pay them anymore. I was stuck and didn’t know the way out. Good news is i reached out to a legit recovery team and they helped me get my money back. If you have ever been involved in any scam or you know someone that has been scammed, recoverytemple tech will get the money back. They are a recovery team that specialize in funds recovery, be it crypto-currency , bitcoin, forex, catfish/romance scam.
You can get in touch via their email (support (@) recoverytemple . tech). Don’t go down without a fight. It’s very important.
Victims of bitcoin scam and investors that lost wallet password can get their money back. If you have fallen victim to scam from an unregulated investments you are eligible to also recover passwords and that can only happen if you reported to Cryptomundia@yahhoo[com], with the right approach and with evidence, you will get the password back. The scammers will likely want to sell the idea that what happened to your investment was an unfortunate occurrence when in reality what happened was theft via elaborate means. If you are a victim or you know any one who is a victim of these occurrences, you should know cryptomundia@yahoo[]coom. can help you.
Lot of investors has been scammed on some unscrupulous bitcoin investment website who take advantage of new investors by giving them hope of high returns on their investments. I was once a victim of these scam, which took about $65000 from me but I read online and got a referral to the best recovery expert on the internet who is no other person but (remotespytech(@)gmail[]c0m) who is the real deal. He got me all my funds back with no upfront payment. Reach now
Have you been scammed of your crypto investment? Are you finding it hard to find a trusted and reliable crypto recovery expert? Here is the good news you can get your stolen/ lost crypto recovered within 24 hours with no upfront payment and by just providing some details about the scam process to the crypto expert. I lost a great fortune of about $350000 to some telegram members who acted to be the admin of the ICO group, I was devastated and sad for losing my hard earned money to a ripper/scammer so I made my research on the internet to find a tested and trusted crypto recovery expert I got stuck at a review talking about the services of (remotespytech@gmail[]c0m) who offers a top notch recovery service with no upfront payment. I reached out to him and gave him the requested info, in about 7 hours I was able to completely recover my funds from the culprits. I’m so happy for this exceptional service of (remotespytech @ gmail[]com) , he’s the real deal you can write him via WhatsApp at (four-three-five two-eight-seven four-five-nine-six).
Last year December I was contacted by a broker who convinced me to invest into Cryptoallday. I made an initial investment of € 190,00 and they asked for € 14,500 more in order to access my withdrawal. I followed their instructions and made another deposit. For 2 months now I have been trying to contact Crypto-all-day but I got no response. I talked to my friends and colleagues about it and luckily for me a friend of mine just got out of a situation like that and introduced to a wealth recovery team that helped her during her investment problem, within 3 days of contacting them they were able to help me get 100% of my lost money back. They only got paid after the recovery and I had no problem with giving them 10% from the recovered funds after I got it back. You can reach out to them for more insight. Cryptomundia@yahoo[]comm….
Last year December I was contacted by a broker who convinced me to invest into Cryptoallday. I made an initial investment of € 190,00 and they asked for € 14,500 more in order to access my withdrawal. I followed their instructions and made another deposit. For 2 months now I have been trying to contact Crypto-all-day but I got no response. I talked to my friends and colleagues about it and luckily for me a friend of mine just got out of a situation like that and introduced to a wealth recovery team that helped her during her investment problem, within 3 days of contacting them they were able to help me get 100% of my lost money back. They only got paid after the recovery and I had no problem with giving them 10% from the recovered funds after I got it back. You can reach out to them for more insight. ((Cryptomundia(at)yahoo[com])
Have you lost your hard earned money to:1.Binary option scam??
 2. Forex trading?
 3.Romance scam
?? 4. Expertoption scam?? and any other kind of online investment? 
I have a good news for you. Contact; Fundrestorer@gmail[]com
 I had doubts it was possible to recover the funds I lost to binary options. However, big thanks to Fundrestorer now for helping me recover a huge sum back and still working on full recovery for me.
 They are nothing but the best. You should contact them now!! and have a taste of quick funds retrieval with no upfront payment and tricks… Don’t be deceived by the fake assess. Nothing can be compared to peace of mind and excellent service. The real deal is FUNDRESTORER(@)GMAIL[]com for an outstanding and honest service
Have you lost your hard earned money to
1. Binary option scam?
2. Forex trading?
3. Romance scam?
and all kinds of fake investment and scam brokers. I have a good news for you, you can recover those funds if you reach out to FUNDRESTORER(@)GMAiL[]COM… I had doubts this was possible to recover the funds I lost to expertoption about $350000. However, thanks to FUNDRESTORER for the help for restoring my funds completely and still help two other friends of mine. They are nothing but the best. You should write them now at
(fundrestorer(@)gmail[]com)
Have you gotten yourself involved in a cryptocurrency scam or any scam at all? If yes, know that you you are not alone, there a a lot of people in this same situation. I was a victim of a cryptocurrency scam that cost me a lot of money. This happened a few weeks ago, there’s only one solution which is to talk to the right people, if you don’t do this you will end up being really depressed . I was really devastated until i sent a mail to an expert team who came highly recommended – support ((@)) recoverytemple . tech . I started seeing some hope for myself from the moment i sent them a mail. The good part is they made the entirely process stress free for me, i literally sat and waited for them to finish and i received what i lost in my wallet.
A lot of trading and investment scams have sprung up since the advent of Bitcoin especially since the pandemic since a lot of people were looking for financial security. It was easy to convince people times were really hard .The people handing these scam schemes have successfully taken advantage of people’s little knowledge about cryptocurrency investment .Due diligence must be exercised in dealing with trading companies.Get a free consultation on how to recover your funds from any scam via mail to support (@) recoverytemple . tech.
I was scammed by binary option traders over $300k and i have been trying to get my stolen funds back until an old friend told me about Emend Recovery who helped me recovered my fund . Here i am and i am testifying Swift Coin Recovery is 100% trust worthy and he will recover fund within a week. Don’t give up on your fund as the real time to recover your fund this COVID period swiftrecovery11 at gmai dot com
My story is very long so i definitely can’t type it here because it’s personal to me. It was hard for me to even open up to the people who wanted to help me recover. I didn’t want anyone to have my info anymore. All thanks to this recovery team with one of the most patient customer service personnel who made feel more comfortable and in 72 hours i got everything i lost back in my wallet. I now understand why people say you should never lose hope. Don’t lose hope now because you lost money to scammers you can get what you paid to them just like me. Simply search ( recoverytemple tech ) via google and head to the contact page so you can reach them via email.
You should also know that most of the recommendations you find online are not genuine.
MY case was not exactly this as i lost money to fake trading platform. It was virtually my life savings and i was distraught to say the least. I eventually got help when i filed a complaint on (recoverytempletech). They are really credible and with their i think retrieving inaccessible cryptocurrency as long as you have enough proof to back it up.
Have you lost your hard earned money to
1. Binary option scam?
2. Forex trading?
3. Romance scam?
and all kinds of fake investment and scam brokers. I have a good news for you, you can recover those funds if you reach out to FUNDRESTORER(@)GMAiL[]COM… I had doubts this was possible to recover the funds I lost to expertoption about $350000. However, thanks to FUNDRESTORER for the help for restoring my funds completely and still help two other friends of mine. They are nothing but the best. You should write them now at
(fundrestorer(@)gmail[]com)