$BTC
A 34-year-old British teacher, Ellie Hart, threw a storage device containing the digital key to a Bitcoin wallet worth millions of dollars into the trash, unaware of the consequences.
Ellie said the incident happened while she was tidying up her home. She was cleaning out a drawer full of junk, such as dead batteries and old receipts. She mistook the storage device for a worthless piece of electronics, only to discover too late that it contained a huge digital fortune, according to the Daily Star.
Ellie recounted the incident, saying: "When my partner, Tom, a 36-year-old web developer, asked me about the small black USB stick he uses to store his digital money, I froze and said, 'I think I've thrown it away.'"
She added: "It was a terrible feeling, a mixture of panic, despair, and regret, but I knew it was too late. That moment marked the end of our dreams of a new home and traveling around the world."
Despite the huge loss, Tom didn't blame her. Instead, he remained silent, expressing his grief and remorse after losing his digital wealth.
In a warning message to digital asset investors, Ellie advised everyone to clearly mark their storage units and store them in safe places, adding, "Don't make the same mistake I did. Digital assets can be lost in a moment of carelessness."
A spokesperson for Play Casino, a cryptocurrency website, commented, "This incident is a stark reminder that digital assets can be lost in a moment of carelessness. Storage units must be properly marked and stored away from any risk."
Experts pointed out the importance of using "cold storage," an offline wallet, to ensure the security of digital assets and protect them from human error and cyberattacks.
It's worth noting that Tom began investing in Bitcoin in 2013, when its value was low. Over time, his wealth grew to millions of dollars, but the loss of his storage unit left his funds trapped in the digital world, with no possibility of recovery.