The latest claim of knowledge of the true identity of bitcoin's creator is being viewed with suspicion.
The virtual currency system, which has seen growing adoption by merchants, was developed by someone using the pseudonym "Satoshi Nakamoto."
The developer, who left few digital trails, is still believed to be unknown. Newsweek claimed in a March 6 cover story that the revered programmer was Dorian Nakamoto, a Japanese-American man with a technology background.
Dorian Nakamoto fiercely denied the story, arguing that the Newsweek reporter misunderstood a brief conversation they had on the doorstep of his California home.
On Monday, someone posted a note on Pastebin, stating that documents revealing Satoshi's real identity will be released in exchange for 25 bitcoins. So far, the bitcoin address supplied for donations is far shy of its goal.
"And no, this is not a scam, you can see the below screenshots for proof of inbox ownership and a little teaser," the anonymous person claimed. The URLs for the screenshots were not working at one point Monday evening.