MediaMarktSaturn Halts Ledger Sales After Hardware Wallet Tampering Reports

MediaMarktSaturn removed Ledger hardware wallets from stores and online across all its markets as a precaution after reports of physically tampered devices. Ledger confirmed the sales pause on October 13 while investigations continue. A German buyer reported unauthorized components, including additional cables and an apparent LTE module, in two wallets purchased from separate MediaMarkt stores, and called for a recall. The buyer identified Aqipa GmbH as the inventory distributor, but his account does not establish where tampering occurred. Ledger said all confirmed incident-related fund losses involved devices sold through Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis; the reported European devices have not been established as fund-draining cases. Ledger also maintained that its systems and direct sales channels remained unaffected.

Ledger said an analyzed hardware implant captures the 24-word recovery phrase displayed during wallet setup and transmits it over LTE without altering the Secure Element or Ledger operating system. Consequently, the software-based Genuine Check cannot detect this physical modification, making a successful check insufficient to rule out tampering. Ledger directs customers to support and hardware-inspection guidance. Its advice to avoid initializing unused wallets, or to move existing assets to a new device with a new recovery phrase, remains specifically directed at CryptoBilis customers. Organizations holding cryptocurrency should review wallet procurement channels and escalate suspicious devices rather than relying solely on software authenticity checks.