One of the original lead developers behind Bitcoin (BTC), Luke Dashjr, took to social media to call out an auction site that used his name and code without his consent to create and sell a “misleading” NFT.
The core developer said that he has not been the first Bitcoin developer to use his name or work in this way.
In a February 27 post on Twitter, the developer revealed that a non-fungible token (NFT), with an image of the code he wrote, sold on the auction site for 0.41 Bitcoin (BTC), or about $9,500 per month. time of writing this article.
I want to make public my concern about “NFTs” being sold using my name. Recently, an image of the code I wrote sold at auction for .41 BTC. It was advertised as my code in the listing and presented to the public for sale and profit. 1/9 pic.twitter.com/5TcEJu4p5e
—Luke Dashjr (@LukeDashjr) February 27, 2023
“It was advertised as my code on the list and released to the public for sale and profit,” Dashjr explained.
“Let me be clear: I did not participate in the creation and sale of this or any other NFT. I have not consented to the use of my code or my name for this purpose. Instead, third parties are marketing my name and code for their own monetary benefit,” he added.
Dashjr revealed that the auction winner eventually contacted him and he had to inform them that he was not involved in the sale.
Dashjr claims that an individual, either the seller or the auction site, approached him and offered “a donation of 90% of the auction proceeds,” which he declined.
“The public should also know that the seller and/or auction site have offered me a donation of 90% of the auction proceeds “if I choose to accept it”. I feel this is a clear attempt to: (1) bribe me into silence; and/or (2) get my consent after the fact,” she explained, adding:
“I will not accept such a payment at the expense of the public being deceived. I will not accept such a ‘donation’.
“Due to the misrepresentation involved and actual buyer confusion, I strongly insist that 100% of auction proceeds be refunded to the buyer,” Dashjr said.
According to Dashjr, “other Bitcoin developers” have been placed in similar situations and offered “hefty” donations for their cooperation; however, he did not provide any specific details.
“Stop using my name to mislead the public so you can make a quick buck. It’s wrong,” Dashjr said.
“I do not consent to the use of my name or code for this scam. I want the public to know where I stand,” he added.
Related: Navigating the world of cryptocurrencies: tips to avoid scams
At the beginning of last year, the decentralized marketplace OpenSea reported that over 80% of the NFTs minted with their minting tool were “plagiarized works, fake collections, and spam.”
Dashjr was reportedly the unfortunate victim of an attack on the last day of 2022 that caused him to lose “basically” all of his BTC.
Hackers gained access to your PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) key, a common security method that uses two keys to access encrypted information.
The news ignited a debate on self-custody, which became a hot topic after the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
