The latest self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator can’t provide any evidence to back up his claims.
Pakistani national Bilal Khalid, who now goes by James Caan, claims the laptop containing his 980,000 BTC fortune had technical issues. After bringing it into a repair shop, Caan claims the hard drive containing his Bitcoin trove was replaced and discarded.
“My everything was in that hard drive! It was military-grade encrypted and password protected, so I was overly confident – to the point of being arrogant – that the techie guys could not have access to my HDD data. That’s why I left the HDD inside the laptop and didn’t take it out. The laptop came back by courier a few days later and it contained a new HDD and, of course, the bitcoins weren’t there!”
In a “reveal” announcement on the website satoshinrh.com, Caan goes into significant detail about his supposed past as the anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. He also expresses an affinity for astrology.
“By 2009, I had finished many of the initial developmental tasks on the Bitcoin code with the help of many talented international contributors, taking my early vision to its end. Whilst dealing with the various contributors, I was fairly paranoid and protective about my identity and about sharing knowledge with other developers, which was on a need-to-know basis…
In the years after I left Bitcoin, I thought my real identity would be discovered at any time. I changed my writing style and tried not to even talk about cryptocurrency. I had this paranoia, especially when Bitcoin was being used by some muppets for the wrong reasons.
I created Bitcoin because I wanted to change people’s lives. After I left, I was hoping someone would come out and say, ‘I have done better than Satoshi! Satoshi is just history!’ Everything happens for a reason.”
The real Satoshi can prove his, her or their identity by signing a message with the address from the very first Bitcoin block. Until then, crypto leaders are doubtful about anyone who comes along without solid proof.
The digital marketing agency Ivy McLemore & Associates published press release on August 16th claiming Nakamoto would use the satoshinrh.com site to reveal his identity.
The New York-based agency has strongly denied the notion that the series is an elaborate PR stunt. In note, the company explains why the reveal, originally planned as a three-part series, was condensed into two parts.
“Note: This combines Part II and Part III of a three-part series in which Satoshi Nakamoto discloses previously unknown facts about his creation of Bitcoin. He also reveals the status of his 980,000 bitcoins and his real-life identity. These two parts are being combined because of the overwhelming interest we have received.”
You can check out the combined installments of “My Reveal” here.
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