Fact-checking body Rumor Scanner in an investigation has revealed that the Binance account screenshots circulating in the names of the interim government's advisers, the press secretary, and leaders of the July-August uprising are fake, reports BSS.
In a report published on its website on Friday, the fact-checking organisation said these screenshots have been created through technological manipulation and are being circulated, citing an unreliable source.
These viral screenshots are being spread, claiming that the accounts in the names of the relevant individuals have a huge amount of Bitcoin deposited, amounting to hundreds of crores of taka.
According to the screenshots, the account in the name of the Chief Adviser's Press Secretary, Shafiqul Alam, has 93.06 Bitcoin, with a market value of about $10 million.
Similarly, the account in the name of recently resigned adviser Md Nahid Islam has been claimed to have 204.64 Bitcoin, which is equal to $19 million (Taka 2.2 billion).
The account in the name of Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain holds 113 Bitcoins, valued at approximately $12 million (Tk 130 crore). The list also includes an account in the name of Sarjis Alam, reportedly containing 77.69 Bitcoins, with a market value of around $7.76 million.
On the other hand, those manipulated screenshots also claimed that the account in the name of Khan Talat Mahmud Rafi has 11.09 Bitcoins, which is estimated to be worth $1.1 million .
Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has made a post with the screenshots.
In addition, several Indian media outlets have also published news based on this claim. An investigation into the source of this viral claim has shown that it is being circulated, citing an alleged online portal named 'The AsiaPost News'.
The claim was made in a report published on the portal on February 25 titled "Corruption allegations against officials of the interim government of Bangladesh: Bribes and illegal money stored in Bitcoin" (translated from English).
