Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
In a report yesterday, blockchain start up "The Prodeum Project," whose goal was to "revolutionize the fruit and vegetable industry" with Ethereum has apparently absconded with millions of investor dollars. Upon exiting with the investors money, the website went offline, and was replaced with one word: "Penis." The companies press release detailing the project is still online.
I really need to come up with some half-baked idea and slap "blockchain" in it so investors give me millions. This article also states that other digital fingerprints of the crypto-team's former existence are being scrubbed from the web. Webpages from TokennDesk, a Linkedin profile, twitter handle, and even a blog post on Medium have all been deleted. One could say a lot of people got the...shaft.
Source: https://www.hardocp.com/news/2018/01/30/blockchain_startup_takes_11_leaves_penis/
Also at Wired and Business Insider.
[Ed. Note - Although the quote mentions millions of investor dollars, as far as I can tell they made off with just $11 US.]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Gaaark on Thursday February 01 2018, @01:49PM (11 children)
Sounds like 'investor' is too kind a word!
Look! I've got a blockchained blockchain that is part of Blockchain-McBlockchain!!!!!!! GimmeMony!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'INVEST' NOW!
Dogs people are dumb.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 01 2018, @02:33PM
I'm thinking this was done as a shorter's publicity stunt, to try to deepen the recent fall.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @05:53PM (1 child)
I keep getting calls from scammers who tell me that, because of my "excellent payment history," I can get *all* my credit card interest rates reduced to 0%.
Which is a ridiculous statement, since many folks have cards from a number of different banks and each one makes its own decisions about such things.
I generally tell the caller (or rather the scammer who picks up the robocall), if they're male -- "You know, when I was fucking your wife last night, she didn't mention that you were going to call." And if they're female -- "You should really go back to turning tricks, honey. It's more honest work."
And yet, I still keep getting those calls. Which tells me that some folks are really dumb, or this scam wouldn't work. Ever.
As George Carlin [goodreads.com] put it:
N.B.: This doesn't mean I think that the dumb are bad people. Many dumb folks are decent, caring, loving human beings.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @08:22PM
I wait until someone comes on the line and start in "Thanks for calling Sunny Solar, where the Sun works for you! I know your time is valuable so I'm not going to waste it. Let's shed some light on your credit card number ..."
They either try to convince me that they didn't call Sunny Solar or they hang up. Either way I feel better.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @05:57PM (4 children)
Really? I want in. Here's my bank account number and routing code. Put me in for five grand:
1 347 838 21/4423 6871 2233
Booyah! I'm gonna win!
#MAGA
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Thursday February 01 2018, @06:15PM (3 children)
Excouse me sir!
My prince has mooney for you but hers benk accunt is froozed. Couds you be sneding mooneys to gets heers
Oh shit, too hard to write with auto correct.
Neeeever minds sir. Princesis freeb. Noothing to seep here.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday February 01 2018, @08:39PM (2 children)
That's funny because most of the Nigerian Prince letters I receive are quite well written. No spelling mistakes, grammar is done good as far as I can see, .etc.
My favorite thing to do is to string these people along for as long as I can. Stuff like, "My parents estate ended up giving me some money, but I've got to go across town and speak with the lawyer. My current financial institution is my sock behind the washing machine." You've truly turned the tables on them if you can get them to send you cab fare to go to the bank :)
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @09:30PM
Always amusing stories at http://www.419eater.com/ [419eater.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @09:34PM
and everyone clapped.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday February 01 2018, @07:18PM
It's ok, though, they're only out $11.
(Score: 2) by arslan on Friday February 02 2018, @12:34AM (1 child)
No no... you're way behind the bestest buzzword on da street nowadays is "AI Machine Deep Learning with Blockchain on Big Data in the Augmented Reality Cloud!"
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday February 02 2018, @12:49AM
My new company:
"AI Machine Deep Learning Blockchain on Big Data Augmented Reality Cloud and son, Ltd, LLC, fcuk."
Invest now, peoples of the world.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @02:05PM
... don't trust anyone else but yourself with your money.... oh wait...
(Score: 4, Informative) by richtopia on Thursday February 01 2018, @02:06PM (1 child)
It is the only coin which doesn't lie:
http://ponzicoin.co/home.html [ponzicoin.co]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 01 2018, @02:30PM
That's awesome - but I think their scheme will be quickly insolvent if they don't lower the price when coins are sold... Also, the whole thing floats on Ethereum, so it's volatile just from that as well.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday February 01 2018, @05:19PM (1 child)
From reading the linked source and the linked source's source. It seems like that $11 should be $11,000,000. Which is quite a bit of difference. I assume we're not trolling the Soylent readers?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Thursday February 01 2018, @10:41PM
Clearly, the penis page is a troll - now, whether anybody actually invested anything, or this site just wants people to think they did is the interesting question.
Personally, I won't be believing it until victims file formal complaints including records of transferring millions of dollars to the fraudsters.
Most likely scenario I'm thinking of is that some guy started this coin, conned a few of his friends into investing their beer money, hyped them up with stories of the Lambos they're gonna be buying soon as the fake-coin "inflated", and when the first one went to cash in, the penis came out.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 01 2018, @09:28PM
King Missile, Is that you? [youtube.com]