The Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox filed for bankruptcy protection last week, admitting to an outstanding debt of around $US63.6 million. Now, a team of hackers claims that the company still has investors’ bitcoins.
Forbes reports that a group of hackers has uploaded files to prove the point — including a spreadsheet of more than a million trades, a screenshot claiming to confirm they have access to Mt Gox’s data, and even the company CEO’s home addresses. The same hackers also gained access to the personal blog and Reddit account of CEO Mark Karpeles to post messages claiming that Mt Gox still had access to bitcoins that had been reported stolen. Indeed, the files posted by the hackers claim that Mt Gox still has a balance of 951,116 bitcoins.
Forbes also correctly points out, however, that the accuracy of the hackers’ claims has yet to be confirmed. So it’s still not possible to accuse Mt Gox of fraud; while it could be evidence that the company has embezzled investor bitcoins, it could equally be old data, or a result of questionable accounting (which given the current track record of the company may not be surprising). Either way, the mysteries surrounding Mt Gox and its coffers seem as murky as ever. [Forbes]