A person claiming to be the mastermind behind a £52m bitcoin heist is promising to give away £450,000 in an online prize draw.

The Reddit user known as rekcahxfb - which spells bfxhacker backwards - plans to give away 1,000 bitcoin in one week's time.

They have asked people to submit their bitcoin addresses, and say a draw will take place to decide who gets the valuable digital haul.

The user has already proven they hold the funds, as well as creating a "dead man's switch in case I get blackmailed/arrested/murdered".

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This precaution means that the money would disappear forever into a "bitcoin eater" address after a certain period of time, irretrievable to anyone, including the user.


The mystery individual has already sent 10 bitcoin - worth more than £4,300 - to an eater address to prove that they have funds to spare.

The message was also posted on the Bitcoin Talk forum, where there are now more than 100 pages of replies from people entering the giveaway.

But many have raised concerns about whether the move is an attempt to launder the hacker's ill-gotten gains.

Image: Hackers managed to steal 119,756 bitcoin, which are worth around $581 (£438) each

One Reddit user wrote: "Here's what I'm guessing is happening. The person who hacked Bitfinex is now trying to launder the money. Here's how: Declare a "giveaway" where you give 1,000 bitcoin to some "random" person who posts there address on several different bitcoin forums.

"Then, post an address yourself to one of the forums. Wait a week, and give the money to the address you posted. Claim the money wasn't illegally gotten, but from this giveaway."

Another suggested the giveaway may be genuine, allowing the hacker to observe the fallout before deciding how to proceed with the rest of their bitcoin haul.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong-based exchange Bitfinex said it had halted trading, withdrawals and deposits after discovering a security breach.

Hackers managed to steal 119,756 bitcoin, which are worth around $581 (£438) each.