Self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor denies forging documents to support claim

LONDON (Reuters) -An Australian computer scientist who says he invented bitcoin told a London court on Tuesday he had never forged documents to try to prove his hotly-disputed claim, as he began his evidence in a legal battle over ownership of the cryptocurrency.

Craig Wright says he is the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin, published in the name "Satoshi Nakamoto".

But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has taken Wright to court, it says to stop him suing bitcoin developers and to preserve the open-source nature of the world's best-known and most popular cryptocurrency.

COPA is asking London's High Court to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. It says he has repeatedly forged documents to substantiate his claim, before changing his story when the alleged fabrications are spotted.

Wright, however, denies relying on fake records and has blamed others, including former lawyers and associates, for any inauthentic documents.

The 54-year-old began the first of six days of evidence on Tuesday at a high-stakes hearing which is the culmination of years of speculation about the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

COPA's lawyer, Jonathan Hough, asked Wright: "Have you ever forged or falsified a document in support of your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto?" Wright replied: "No."

"Have you ever knowingly presented a forged or falsified document in support of your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto," Hough asked. Wright replied: "I have not."

Hough put numerous alleged forgeries to Wright, including an academic paper with handwritten notes which Wright has claimed prompted his decision to use the name Satoshi Nakamoto.

COPA says the document contains a forged timestamp with numbers in visibly different fonts to make it look as if it pre-dates the bitcoin white paper.

Hough said to Wright: "This is a document forged by you as part of the origin myth."

Wright said he did not forge the document, adding: "If I forged that document, it would be perfect."

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Crypto ransom attack payments hit record $1 billion in 2023 - Chainalysis

(Reuters) -Payments from crypto-related ransom attacks nearly doubled to a record $1 billion in 2023, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis said on Wednesday.

Scammers targeting institutions such as hospitals, schools and government offices for ransom pocketed $1.1 billion last year, compared with $567 million in 2022.

However, losses stemming from other crypto-related crimes such as scamming and hacking fell in 2023, Chainalysis said.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, has jumped 60% since the end of September to $43,134 on enthusiasm about a new U.S. bitcoin ETF and on signs central banks around the world will begin trimming interest rates.

"An increasing number of new players were attracted by the potential for high profits and lower barriers to entry," Chainalysis said.

"Big game hunting" has become the dominant strategy over the last few years, with a dominant share of all ransom revenue volume made up of payments of $1 million or more, Chainalysis added.

A group of digital extortionists named "cl0p", which subverted a file sharing software MOVEit, made nearly $100 million in ransom payments, the analytics company said.

Hundred of organizations, including government departments, UK's telecom regulator and energy giant Shell (LON:SHEL), have reported cybersecurity breaches involving the MOVEit software tool, which is typically used to transfer large amounts of often sensitive data, including pension information and social security numbers.

A report in November showed that cybercrime group "Black Basta" had extorted at least $107 million in bitcoin, with much of the laundered ransom payments making their way to the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex.

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This gem i was talking about is $MOROS

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BREAKING: Satoshi just moved some coins for the first time in 15 years.

Check the inscription..

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From small to big accounts, almost all were very nervous yesterday and shared many bearish $BTC charts yesterday

It’s always funny to see them changing their minds, depending on their emotions

Today they are bullish again, what a garbage show. You better unfollow all of them

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JUST IN💥 Ryoshi Network Mainnet coming soon!

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Ya'll what do you think?
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- $1,000 on Gold

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- $1,000 on Bitcoin

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Gold would have yielded 4X profits at the current price.

Real estate could have given me anywhere from 10 to 15X profits depending on the location of investment.

But if I had sunk $1,000 into $BTC back then, I'd have snagged around 29,122 bitcoins for that amount. Now, my bank account would be sitting pretty at $1,245,984,770. Anybody who threw in $1,000 would be a billionaire by now.

In my younger years, I believed that business ventures and investments in gold and real estate would churn out the highest profits. But nothing could have prepared me for the astronomical returns Bitcoin has seen.

Sure, many of us missed out on this opportunity, but there's no need to dwell. We can still aim for the stars by investing in the top 10 coins and viewing our investments with a long-term perspective.

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