CONTROVERSIAL US commentator Alex Jones claims he lost $500m (£360m) worth of Bitcoin when he threw out an old laptop.
Jones – founder of alt-right media channel Infowars – claims he lost a laptop containing 10,000 bitcoins gifted to him by TV personality and Bitcoin fanatic Max Keiser.
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The commentator, known for his outlandish conspiracy theories, told a US podcast that Keiser handed him the laptop 10 years ago and had done nothing about it since.
“Ten years ago … Max Keiser comes to me and he says I have 10,000 bitcoins for you. This is the future. It will be the new global currency. He is on record,” Jones alleges.
“I lost the laptop he put the 10,000 Bitcoins on. Today, what’s 10,000 bitcoins worth? A lot.”
One of the presenters helped Jones calculate how much it would be worth today and discovered it was around £360m ($500m).
“You f**king idiot. Find that laptop,” the presenter shouted, before jokingly slapping Jones twice.
“I deserve it,” the Infowars host exclaimed while everyone on the set laughed.
At the the revelation in March, the price of bitcoin was £41,000 ($56,200), meaning Jones would have lost more than £405m ($562m).
“I swear to God this is real. I didn’t know Keiser was like hooked up with Putin and the Easter Bunny,” Jones continued.
Keiser said Jones wasn’t lying and that the price of Bitcoin was “under $5” when he handed over the laptop.
Keiser called the blunder “one of the most startling chapter in Bitcoin.”
“Now [the 10K bitcoins Jones lost are] worth $565 million (£408m) … Soon (in 2021) to be worth $2.2 billion (£1.59bn),” he whined.
Jones is known for his bonkers claims and was once described by New York Magazine as “America’s leading conspiracy theorist”.
At one point, he compared coronavirus stay-at-home orders to Nazi Germany and was being investigated for allegedly threatening to push a Trump-supporting political organiser off an event stage during a Stop the Steal rally.
Investing in cryptocurrency is incredibly risky – not just if you lose your computer.
5 risks of crypto investments
THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has warned people about the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies.
- Consumer protection: Some investments advertising high returns based on cryptoassets may not be subject to regulation beyond anti-money laundering requirements.
- Price volatility: Significant price volatility in cryptoassets, combined with the inherent difficulties of valuing cryptoassets reliably, places consumers at a high risk of losses.
- Product complexity: The complexity of some products and services relating to cryptoassets can make it hard for consumers to understand the risks. There is no guarantee that cryptoassets can be converted back into cash. Converting a cryptoasset back to cash depends on demand and supply existing in the market.
- Charges and fees: Consumers should consider the impact of fees and charges on their investment which may be more than those for regulated investment products.
- Marketing materials: Firms may overstate the returns of products or understate the risks involved.
The value of your investment can go down as well as up in the blink of an eye.
There’s no guarantee that you will be able to withdraw your cash when you need it and there’s no protection if you have a complaint as cryptocurrencies are not regulated.
You should only ever invest if you understand where your money is going, and you can risk losing it all.
Brits with cryptocurrency have been warned they could lose ALL their money after it was revealed 2.3million have invested.
One new investor revealed to The Sun they lost £2,000 of their lockdown savings investing in Dogecoin.
A retired teacher was scammed out of her £120,000 life savings after falling victim to a Bitcoin scam on Instagram.
