Forgot Password!
You earn 200 million euros – and you can't get the money anymore
© pathdoc / Shutterstock
Imagine you have 200 million euros in the bank and you can't get it. Nasty, right? For Stefan Thomas that is exactly the reality.
Never again work for others, start your own projects with which you can improve the world, help people or protect animals and the environment, live where and how you want … with 200 million euros you could do all that and much more more. Provided, of course, that the money is not in some locked super safe whose keys have been lost. As is the case with Bitcoin millionaire Stefan Thomas …
Initially, the bitcoins were "only" worth 7,000 euros
A few years ago, the programmer made an animated video about the still new online currency and received around 7,000 bitcoins as a reward, he tells "Bild", among others. At that time, that was around 7,000 euros, a Bitcoin was worth around one euro at the time. But over the past few years the price has skyrocketed: At the moment, the value of Stefan Thomas' bitcoin assets is around 200 million euros.
Forgot password: Two more unsuccessful attempts – and the money is gone
However, that doesn't help him very much. Because the IT specialist has forgotten the password with which he can access his "wallet", the virtual safe in which the bitcoins are located. "Back then I was always up late and didn't sleep very much," said the Sindelfingen native, explaining his expensive mental loss to "Bild". He tried a few passwords that he used for other log-ins, but none of them were correct. He now has two attempts left. If he is wrong, the contents of the encrypted USB stick will be deleted by itself – and the money will be lost forever.
"Who is so stupid as to lose such important data?"
"At the beginning I was completely destroyed. Depressed, I couldn't imagine how I should go on living. For a few weeks I questioned my entire self-worth. Who is so stupid that he loses such important data? I have three weeks every day everything tries to restore these Bitcoins ", quoted" Bild ". But then he had come to terms. He could now sink into self-pity and mourn the bitcoins or "go to work and do something else". He chose the Oder. The Californian by choice, who lives in San Francisco, founded the start-up "Coil", which deals with international payments. That might not wash 200 million euros into his pocket all at once, but it does seem to enable him to have a good life.
The Bitcoins, however, continue to rest safely and untouched in Stefan Thomas Wallet, and they may even gain in value in the future. And who knows? Perhaps one day the programmer will remember his password …
Sources used: Bild, ntv, New York Times