At a press conference in London on Oct. 31, Stephen Mollah declared himself to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin but failed to provide compelling evidence to support his claim. The event at the Frontline Club left attendees skeptical as technical issues and unverified assertions undermined his credibility.
Joe Tidy, a cyber correspondent at BBC News, was one of few people who attended the event and reported that organizer Charles Anderson opened the conference, noting he had slept only two hours in the past 48 hours due to global interest since announcing the event.
He also claimed to have invented energy recovery systems in cars and created the television show “Britain’s Got Talent.” A representative from the Frontline Club interrupted to clarify that the event was neither affiliated with nor endorsed by the venue, prompting at least one reporter to leave.
When Mollah took the stage, technical difficulties prevented him from using his laptop for a live demonstration. Proceeding without it, he described himself as an economic and monetary scientist and recounted previous attempts to reveal his identity. He claimed that efforts to disclose his identity in 2016 were thwarted and mentioned an alleged interview with the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones that was never published.
Journalists grew impatient with Mollah’s lengthy narrative and pressed for concrete evidence. According to Tidy, Mollah presented “a series of easy to fake screenshots.” When asked if he would move bitcoins from the Genesis block or provide cryptographic proof, Mollah stated he would do so in the next few months. This response failed to satisfy the audience, and many began to exit.
“As Mr. Mollah’s cheek twitched rapidly, he faced a skeptical crowd demanding proof,” Tidy reported.
“I asked if he will move some of the Genesis bitcoins to finally prove he is Satoshi. He said he will in the next few months. I have left the conference.”
Arthur van Pelt, a strong critic of another person who falsely claimed to be Satoshi, Craig Wright, commented,
“Again no signing, also can’t code in C++, but… over 1,000 less forgeries as Craig Wright, I’ll give him that.”
The press conference had been announced the previous day through a press release by PR London Live. The release promised that Nakamoto would reveal his legal identity due to “growing legal pressures.” The release claimed that a live demonstration would provide “verifiable proof” of his identity, marking “the most significant moment in the history of cryptocurrency.” However, the event failed to deliver on these assurances.
Further, the ‘legal’ issues mentioned in the press release may be to do with recent fraud charges against the organizers as db reported,
“The organizer of this event and ‘Satoshi’ were recently released on bail after being charged with fraud for… posing as Satoshi
Mr Anderson (organizer) and Stephen Mollah (Satoshi larp) appear to have been at this for years, teasing announcements and bitcoin 2.0 projects.”
Over the years, several individuals have professed to be Satoshi Nakamoto but have not provided definitive proof. The most conclusive way to verify such a claim involves moving bitcoins from addresses known to belong to Satoshi or providing cryptographic signatures associated with the original Bitcoin software. Mollah’s inability to produce such evidence means this is, unsurprisingly, another Satoshi scam.
As the conference concluded without the anticipated revelation, the identity of Bitcoin’s creator remains an enigma many hope and believe will never be solved.
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