British woman throws away partner’s $3.8M Bitcoin fortune during home clean-up

"It was just sitting in a drawer with old receipts, dead batteries and tangled wires. I assumed it was one of my school memory sticks and threw it out without thinking," Ellie Hart, 34, told Daily Star.

After a frantic search, Tom, 36, Hart’s partner and a website developer, asked about the missing device.

"He asked if I’d seen a little black USB stick he uses for his Bitcoin," she recalled. "I froze. I knew instantly. My heart just sank. I told him ‘I think I threw it away’. I felt absolutely sick."

The couple searched through every rubbish bag, but their efforts were in vain.

"There was this horrible mix of panic and hope, but deep down, I knew it was already too late."

A hand holding Bitcoin and a hand throwing away cash. Illustration from X

Tom had purchased the Bitcoin in 2013, when the cryptocurrency was worth far less. Over time, the value of his e-wallet, stored on the USB stick, grew to over £3 million. But without the device, the funds cannot be accessed.

Hart urged people who keep valuables in USB sticks to learn from her mistake and safeguard them by labeling and locking them away.

A spokeswoman for Play Casino, which reports on digital trends and cryptocurrency culture, said: "It’s a heartbreaking reminder that digital fortunes can be lost in an instant.

"USB sticks, hard drives or devices storing cryptocurrency should be clearly labelled, securely stored and never left loose in a drawer."

Experts recommend that Bitcoin holders use offline wallets, known as "cold storage," which offer added protection from both theft and loss.