At a London press conference on October 31, an individual named Stephen Mollah claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous creator of Bitcoin. However, his lack of credible evidence frustrated the attendees.
Held at the Frontline Club, the event quickly lost credibility as technical mishaps and unsupported statements left attendees questioning Mollah’s authenticity. PR London Live announced the conference in a press release yesterday.
A Long List of Failed Satoshi Nakamoto Claims
Among the few attendees was Joe Tidy, BBC News’ cyber correspondent, who reported the bizarre events of the conference. Admission reportedly cost $540, and the event’s structure unraveled when Mollah was unable to use his laptop due to technical issues.
Read More: Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto?
In addition to being Satoshi Nakamoto, Mollah described himself as an “economic and monetary scientist.” He referenced attempts to reveal his identity in 2016, citing an unpublished interview with BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones.
Attendees pressed for proof, but Mollah only provided a handful of evidently fake screenshots. When asked if he would transfer Bitcoin from the Genesis block or present cryptographic verification of being Satoshi Nakamoto, Mollah promised to do so in the next few months.
“Journalists (including myself) have interrupted Mr Mollah’s long backstory and asked for him to show the promised evidence. Been here nearly an hour and people are restless and increasingly rude. Mr Mollah’s cheek is twitching rapidly as he stares down a sceptical crowd,” Joe Tidy wrote in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
He also made unsubstantiated claims about developing energy recovery technology for cars and creating the television show Britain’s Got Talent.
During the event, a Frontline Club representative clarified that the venue had no affiliation with the proceedings, leading at least one reporter to walk out.
Satoshi Remains Illusive
Various people have previously claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto without verifiable proof. Craig Wright, an Australian scientist, recently lost a UK lawsuit against The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) over his own claim.
After a month-long trial, a UK court found Wright’s evidence insufficient and ruled he was not the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper.
Wright now faces a Worldwide Freezing Order (WFO) from the UK High Court, preventing him from moving assets until he pays £1.548 million ($1.9 million) in legal fees to crypto podcast host Peter McCormack.
Read More: What Is a Satoshi? Everything About Bitcoin’s Smallest Unit
Amid these events, HBO Max released a documentary suggesting that Peter Todd, a Canadian cryptographer involved in Bitcoin’s early days, could be Satoshi Nakamoto.
Todd, however, denied the allegations, expressing that the attention has disrupted his life and compromised his safety. Since the documentary aired, he has received numerous messages seeking financial help and has reportedly gone into hiding.
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