Shitcoins: are pointless cryptocurrencies a scam or a gamble?

Podcast: Science Weekly (LS 59 · TOP 0.5% what is this?)Episode: Shitcoins: are pointless cryptocurrencies a scam or a gamble?Pub date: 2022-06-28Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationWhen the Guardian’s UK technology editor Alex Hern was contacted on Twitter to ask if he was involved in a new cryptocurrency called Tsuka, he assumed they just wanted him to buy it. He ignored the messages. But soon after Alex realised that, without knowing it, he was already involved. What happened next reveals a lot about the strange world of ‘shitcoins’ – cryptocurrencies with no reason for existence beyond buying low and selling high. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Alex Hern about his shitcoin saga, and how the lines can get blurred between a gamble and a scam. Help support our independent journalism at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sciencepod">theguardian.com/sciencepod</a>The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Guardian, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.