A new cryptocurrency project named $JHOLOW has been launched with the goal of crowdsourcing information on the location of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), the mastermind behind the 1MDB scandal.

The project was started by an anonymous group of crypto enthusiasts and investigative journalists, who hoped to leverage the anonymity of the blockchain system to reward users to who had credible tips and information on the whereabouts of the criminal Jho Low.

In exchange for information, users would be rewarded not with cash but with blockchain-based rewards. Bradley Hope, the co-author of Billion Dollar Whale explains that $JHOLOW is more than just a memecoin, but its a community-driven investigation.

He adds that the project combines crypto incentives with investigative journalism. The owners of the project are offering three tiers of rewards: small, medium and large.

The project website states that the three tiers of rewards is to give the project greater flexibility to assign a reward tier that is proportionate to the significance or value of the tips that is given, instead of just giving a flat rate for any tips the project receives.

The project also states that its willing to give an extraordinary tip for information that goes beyond the stated tiers, signalling that the people behind the project is willing to throw in huge sums of money just to find out the whereabouts of Jho Low.

This project draws inspiration from the success of other social media platforms such as Reddit, who have engaged users to solve high profile cases.

The project has also set in place strict guidelines and protocols for their participants to follow.

Emphasis on protecting tipster's anonymity

It seems that the project is also very particular when it comes to anonymity. On its website, it stated that for anyone who would like to offer a tip, they have to send an email to a secure channel.

The project also states that it encourages users to send their tips through either a secured channel or to use other security measures to stay off the radar.

The project also urges the tippers to not share any information that they have shared with the project to social media first to protect the entire integrity of their investigation.

Furthermore, the project also stated that all of its sources will remain anonymous. It claims that when they announce a bounty has been paid, they would only describe it this way

"A medium bounty was awarded for information regarding X..."

But it also states that the tipper could reveal his or her own identity if that is their choice, but the project will not do it on their behalf.

All tips has to be Verified before reward is given

The project also states that all the tips would have to go through a verification process before the tipper could be rewarded.

The verification process goes as such: once the tip is received, the $JHOLOW investigative team will privately verify its credibility, through research contacting sources, or consulting authorities.

It also states that through the verification process, the team might also reach out to the tipper to ask for additional clarification, and no reward will be granted until a tip has passed the verification process.

After verifying the tip, the team will determine the appropriate bounty to give the tipster and privately contact the tipster to arrange for a payment. The project states that all the rewards will be paid in cryptocurrency, and it could be in the form of either a $JHOLOW token or any crypto of the person's choice.

The project also asks for any tipster to only use legal methods to source for their information, as they are not soliciting anyone to break laws to get information. The project also claims that it would never pay a tipster who provides illegal information.

A new found application of Web3

While traditional law enforcement agencies continue to struggle with locating Low, who is believed to be hiding in China, Macau, or the Middle East, the project’s founders believe it could offer a new model for decentralized investigation, blending cryptocurrency speculation with real-world impact.

However, the project also carries risks, as memecoins like $JHOLOW are often driven by community hype rather than intrinsic value, making them highly volatile and speculative.