This US Man Has Only 2 Attempts Left To Access His Bitcoins Worth Billions

Do you know about the man living in the US who bought Bitcoin when it was worth just a penny, only to find himself unable to access his fortune, now worth crores of rupees, due to a stroke of bad luck?

The man’s name is Stephen Thomas, and his story has recently made headlines. Stephen, a resident of San Francisco, purchased Bitcoin for a nominal amount, eventually becoming a billionaire. However, misfortune struck, leaving him unable to access his wealth.

In 2011, Stephen bought 7,002 bitcoins for approximately Rs 3.5 lakh. At that time, the price of one bitcoin was around $10 or Rs 460. Today, the value of one bitcoin is close to Rs 48.87 lakh. To secure his investment, Stephen stored all his Bitcoin passwords in an encrypted device called IronKey. Years later, a disaster occurred when he forgot the password. Despite owning a fortune, Stephen is unable to access the funds. It’s said that he has tried multiple passwords, all to no avail. He now has just one or two attempts left, after which, if unsuccessful, he will permanently lose access to the money. You can see more about his story here:

The incident dates back to around 2020. In an interview, Stephen revealed that after realising he had forgotten the password, he endured many sleepless nights and periods of restlessness. Over time, he resumed a normal life as the stress was taking a toll on his mental health. He also shared that many people suggested various methods to help him remember the password. One person even advised consulting a fortune teller, while others recommended taking high-powered drugs in an attempt to trigger his memory.

Stephen has kept the IronKey safe and mentioned that if someone approaches him in the future with a guaranteed method to unlock it, he would certainly give it a try.

Interestingly, reports suggest that about 20% of all Bitcoin is stuck in similar crypto wallets, equivalent to the GDP of many countries. While financial institutions can typically help recover forgotten passwords for conventional bank accounts, such assistance is not available for crypto wallets.