Recent experience - Electrum 2FA(Multisig) recovery (forgot seed & lost phone)

[microlab369]

Hi everyone,

Have an Electrum wallet with 2FA cosigner, however lost cell phone with 2FA and can't find the corresponding seed file. Searched for days regarding how to recover either seed or google 2FA.

The information I got online regarding this kind of scenario(the worst one: 2FA wallet lost 2FA + forgot 'Seed' + you can access the wallet -> you have the password) are:
1. Once you choose 2FA wallet the seed phrase only visible once and must make sure you write it on paper -> it is very important cause you only got one chance to know the exact seed phrase. Both Electrum and Trustcoin can't help you with this. There is an article says the entropy to decrypt the seed file is 2^135.

2. If seed is no longer an option the only choice you have is to recover Google 2FA, which is up to the issuer 'Trustcoin' to decide.

So, my personal experience is that:
1. Make sure you have access to the wallet, which is you have the CORRECT PASSWORD;
2. Make sure you remember the email address linked to the wallet which registered in Trustcoin and have control over the email address;
3. Go to Trustcoin website:https://api.trustedcoin.com/#/contact-us, send an email to state your situation via the email address mentioned above;
4. If Trustcoin replies, they probably ask you questions regarding the wallet to prove you actually control the wallet, i.e. one of the addresses, either 'receiving' or 'change' or the current balance etc.
5. Once provide the above information and Trustcoin replies again, hopefully your evidence is persuasive enough they might attached a QR code for you to recover the 2FA, which you know what to do next.

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[Lucius]

You can not find your seed or you did not even write it down at all? Seed is most important thing when you create the wallet, especially if you create 2FA wallet, which in case you lost phone actually means that only way to recover coins is TrustedCoin service, and I doubt they have time or even want to deal with such things.

In fact there is another way to try recover 2FA even if your phone is lost/stolen, so it does not hurt to read what Google advises in such cases :

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185834?hl=en

[microlab369]

I think I just be lucky they did not ignore my request. Nevertheless just share with guys have the same problem might just give them even a slight hope instead just saying you can't recover.

Good to know that there is alternative option available for those lost their phone have 2FA.

However, I presume your suggestion regarding 2FA recovery only works if you logged in when you get access to the google authenticator via google play store, which is not the case in some android smart phone, especially in China the google play store service is not available. that means when install google authenticator they probably do not know what account to log in or just be anonymous, then the above might not work.

[TryNinja]

You can not find your seed or you did not even write it down at all? Seed is most important thing when you create the wallet, especially if you create 2FA wallet, which in case you lost phone actually means that only way to recover coins is TrustedCoin service, and I doubt they have time or even want to deal with such things.

In fact there is another way to try recover 2FA even if your phone is lost/stolen, so it does not hurt to read what Google advises in such cases :

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185834?hl=en

AFAIK this is related to your Google account's 2FA. There is no way of restoring your 2FA codes from Google Authenticator without having backed up the app data (with Titanium Backup, for example) previously or writing the 2FA token before enabling it.

The only way of having access to an Electrum 2FA code again is by contacting TrustedCoin as explained by OP above.

[HCP]

This is where apps like "Authenticator Plus" and "Authy" come in... they are compatible with Google Authenticator... but allow (secure) backups

Very useful when your phone dies, you lose it or even when you just upgrade to a new one!