Переходьте на seedless. Знижка 30% з SWITCH30 до 16 жовт.Is It Safe to Buy Hardware Wallets in MediaMarkt?
On 13 October 2026, MediaMarktSaturn, Europe's biggest electronics retailer, stopped selling Ledger hardware wallets in its stores and online. The trigger was a customer in Germany who reported finding an implant inside a Ledger device. Ledger says no funds were lost in that case.
This news landed in the middle of a much bigger story. A few days earlier, Ledger confirmed that tampered devices sold by a Southeast Asian reseller called CryptoBilis had been fitted with a hidden chip that stole recovery phrases.
So if you're in Europe and thinking about picking up a hardware wallet at MediaMarkt, the question is fair: Is it still safe? The short answer is yes. But here’s the nuance.
Timeline of the MediaMarkt Reports
The MediaMarkt news is one piece of a fast-moving story that started in Southeast Asia. Here's how it unfolded.
Date (2026) | What happened |
|---|---|
9 October | Ledger discloses an incident in which users lost funds. Every confirmed loss involves a device bought from reseller CryptoBilis. |
10 October | Ledger confirms an unauthorized implant inside one affected device sold by CryptoBilis. |
12 October | An X user named Johannes says he found extra cables and an LTE module in two Ledger devices bought at two different MediaMarkt stores. He posts an unboxing video and sends one unit to Ledger. These claims are not independently verified. |
13 October | Ledger explains how the implant works. MediaMarktSaturn pulls all Ledger products from shelves and its website after a customer in Germany reports an implant. |
14 October | Ledger asks resellers in seven Asian markets (Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong) to stop selling and pull its devices from shelves. |
How the implant works
According to Ledger's security team, the implant sits inside the device's casing. During setup, when the screen shows your 24-word recovery phrase, the implant reads those words off the line that feeds the display. It then sends them to the attacker over the mobile network using a built-in eSIM.
What Ledger and MediaMarkt have said
Both companies are treating the MediaMarkt removal as a precaution, not as proof of a wider breach. MediaMarktSaturn told reporters it takes the incident very seriously, has removed the affected products, and is in contact with Ledger.
Key points so far:
- No funds were lost in the German case.
- Every verified fund drain still traces back to devices sold by CryptoBilis.
You can lower your risk in two ways: either shorten the supply chain by buying directly from the manufacturer, or choose a wallet whose design doesn't depend on a perfect supply chain.
Why Tangem is the ideal fit
Tangem Wallet takes a different approach to hardware security. It's a set of 2 or 3 NFC cards (or a card and a ring) that work with the Tangem app on your phone. Here's how that design holds up against this kind of attack.
Situation | Design |
|---|---|
Implant hidden inside the casing | No casing to open. The secure chip and NFC antenna are sealed into a single card with no screen, battery, USB, or Bluetooth. There's nowhere to hide a module and nothing to power it. |
Recovery phrase read off the screen during setup | No screen, and in seedless mode, no recovery phrase at all. Private keys are generated inside the chip and never leave it. |
Phrase sent out over a hidden eSIM | Nothing secret to send. Only public transaction data is exchanged between the card and the app. |
Genuine Check passes because only the Secure Element is verified | Every tap, the Tangem app runs a cryptographic challenge on the chip. Since the chip is practically the whole wallet, the check covers it. |
Tampered firmware or software | Firmware is written at the factory and can't be updated, so there's no update channel to abuse. |
Pre-used device sold as new | The app warns you if a card was activated before you got it. |
In short, a Ledger-style implant attack requires three things: room inside the device, a recovery phrase on a screen, and a check that only targets one chip. Tangem removes all three.
Is it safe to buy Tangem in MediaMarkt?
Yes, it is safe to buy the Tangem Wallet at MediaMarkt. Tangem hardware wallets are available through MediaMarkt's online stores in European countries such as Germany, Austria, and Poland.
Choose from two options based on your backup needs:
- 3-card set: The Tangem Wallet 2.0 (3-Pack) includes one primary smart card and two backup cards, offering greater recovery flexibility.
- 2-card set: The Tangem Wallet 2.0 (2-Pack) includes one primary smart card and one backup card.
Watch out for scams
Incidents like this always bring out fake "support" accounts. No real company will DM you, call you, or ask for your recovery phrase. Never type your phrase into a website or app to check or verify your wallet.
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