4 min read
One of the world’s most popular pianists on YouTube has apparently been hospitalized after losing access to a Bitcoin stash worth over 2 million reais (over $366,000).
The story has been big news in Brazil, where the classical pianist, a Brazilian known as Lord Vinheteiro (his real name is Fabrício André Bernard Di Paolo), has over 7 million YouTube subscribers.
"I lost the password to my BTC wallet. I think the housekeeper threw it away along with some old sheet music I donated to a second-hand bookstore,” he tweeted last week. “Does anyone know how to recover passwords for the Ledger Nano X?"
The pianist subsequently shared a video of him searching for the backup in his home library. “You need to find that paper, the house will fall apart,” he says in the video. It’s unclear whether he is saying this to his housekeeper or someone else.
The incident followed a series of bad investment decisions Lord Vinheteiro said he made, including buying BTC at around $70,000 and selling his coins at around $50,000. (Presumably he bought another stash later on, which he stored in the Ledger.) He also said he invested in OIBR3 (a bankrupt Brazilian telco company) after listening to a recommendation from another YouTuber, resulting in over $30,000 in losses.
Lord Vinheteiro’s travails have been a major topic of discussion in the podcast of Luan Onofre, another popular Brazilian Youtuber who specializes in financial analysis. Onofre, who said Fabrício had personally asked him for help, shared a voice message the pianist had left for a friend:
"...Listen, it's getting bad. Do you know anyone who can recover my password?" Vinheteiro said weakly, referencing his stock market loss. "I don't want to take another hit. I don't know what to do, man, help me with this."
During the podcast, Onofre revealed that Vinheteiro was hospitalized as a result of the stress with an unknown condition after he sent the voice message. Lord Vinheteiro confirmed this information later on. "I’ve been feeling quite unwell here. Things got worse on Saturday with severe headaches, probably due to stress," he told Decrypt, "gastritis and stress-related headaches led me to the hospital."
Brazilian cryptocurrency security expert Marcello Paz, speaking in a podcast with Onofre, outlined the stark reality of hardware wallet security. "If he's lost both the PIN and the backup phrase, there's no recovery path," he explained, noting that Ledger devices automatically erase all data after three failed PIN attempts. "The encryption is so robust that even knowing 23 of 24 backup words in the wrong order would take billions of years to crack."
Recovery attempts have proven futile and costly—adding even more pain to the situation. "I haven't recovered the lost BTC yet. Many offered to help but all demanded upfront commission payments," Fabrício posted on November 17. "I even paid one guy who disappeared after receiving the money. No one helps anyone in Brazil. They're all selfish. I don't understand how this country hasn't gone bankrupt yet. I need to catch the first flight to England."
Lord Vinheteiro told Decrypt that help attempts have ended up badly. "Many people say they are willing to help me, but no one actually does. Others just want money. It’s always the same: I hire a service, pay the deposit, and then people disappear."
The incident has resonated across Brazil's cryptocurrency community, which ranks in the top 10 in terms of global crypto adoption, according to Chainalysis.
This article has been updated to include statements from Lord Vinheteiro.
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