by Lydia Ludmila 
The Australian entrepreneur Fred Schebesta said he would give away $5 worth of bitcoin to locals who have had a COVID-19 vaccine and those who will get it in the future. Considering Australia’s population, he would have to distribute $104 million (around 75 million USD) if everyone takes advantage of the offer.
‘Get Vaxxed Baby, And Get Your Bitcoin’
Fred Schebesta – the co-founder of the financial comparison website Finder – revealed his plans to hand over $5 worth of bitcoin to Australians who have taken a coronavirus jab since February. The entrepreneur added that those who are about to get a vaccine would also benefit from his offer:
“I’ve had this crazy idea right now – I’ve never spoken about this. We’re going to give everyone in Australia who gets vaccinated $5 of Bitcoin. Get vaxxed baby, and get your Bitcoin baby as well.”
The 40-year-old blogger explained that each person could apply only once for this offer. To claim the amount of BTC, people would have to download the Finder app and present proof of vaccination. Once that’s done, the digital asset would appear in their wallets.
A little bit less than 50% of the Australian population over 16-years-old has at least one coronavirus shot, while those with a full vaccination cycle are around 27%. Doing the math would mean that Schebesta has to distribute nearly half of his $155M fortune to uphold his promise.
While some experts view bitcoin as a volatile and risky asset, the millionaire recently forecasted that its price would hit $255,000 by 2025. If this prediction comes true, hodlers will increase their cryptocurrency exposure by nearly six times.
Schebesta made the announcement during an interview with the radio host Kyle Sandilands who performed the song ‘Get Vaxxed Baby’ last month, convincing locals to take a coronavirus vaccine.
Different Story in Italy
While Fred Schebesta urged Australians to get a COVID-19 jab by giving them bitcoin, scammers in Italy offered fake coronavirus passes to thousands of people in exchange for cryptocurrencies.
The Italian police halted several groups operating on the online messaging application Telegram, where locals bypass the law and buy vaccine certificates. The sellers preferred digital asset payments for the service.
The criminals did not have a fixed price for the illicit service, but one could buy it for up to 500 euros or $588. Still, the Italian officials did not disclose what type of digital assets the scammers accepted.
Italy has been one of the worst affected countries by the COVID-19 in Europe. According to the latest government figures, over 65% of Italians are fully vaccinated. However, whether all the certificates belong to people who have legally acquired them or have been part of the cryptocurrency fraud remains unclear.
