It's hard to guard against inside thieves!

UK man accuses wife of secretly recording seed phrase via surveillance, stealing $172 million in Bitcoin
March 17 News: According to Decrypt, UK High Court documents show that a man has accused his estranged wife of obtaining the seed phrase for his Trezor hardware wallet through secret video recording and stealing 2,323 bitcoins (approximately $172 million). After his daughter warned him that his wife attempted to steal his bitcoin, the man installed recording devices in his home. The recordings contained statements such as "bitcoin has been transferred to me" and "take it all."

On August 2, 2023, his bitcoin was transferred and dispersed to 71 different addresses, with no transactions occurring since. After the man reported the case to police, his wife was arrested in 2023. Police seized 10 encrypted cold wallets, but after undergoing a no-comment interview and being granted bail, the wife was released. Police stated they would not take further action until new evidence emerges. In November 2025, the man applied for asset preservation injunction, demanding declaration of bitcoin ownership and recovery of assets. The judge indicated his chances of winning are "very high" and noted that the wife had the opportunity but failed to provide a statement of events. Given bitcoin's volatility, the judge stated an early hearing is needed.