Q: What exactly is $JHOLOW? Is it a coin or an investigation?
A: $JHOLOW is both a cryptocurrency and an open investigation initiative. Technically, it’s a meme coin (a crypto token launched by an anonymous person last year on Pumpfun) named after fugitive businessman Jho Low. But unlike dog-themed coins or other memes, $JHOLOW has a serious purpose: it’s designed to incentivize people to share tips and information about Jho Low’s whereabouts or activities. Think of it as a community bounty hunt wrapped in a crypto package.

Q: Who is behind $JHOLOW?
A: The project was conceived by a small team of investigative journalists and crypto enthusiasts. One of the key initiators is journalist Bradley Hope, known for investigating 1MDB and co-authoring Billion Dollar Whale. Project Brazen, a journalism-focused media company, is overseeing the tip verification. The team is using $JHOLOW as a bold experiment to see if viral internet communities can help tackle a real-world international manhunt. Importantly, $JHOLOW is not backed or influenced by any government or law enforcement or any one party – it’s an independent, crowdsourced effort.

Q: How does the bounty system work?
A: The team using $JHOLOW has set aside a portion of the token supply (and/or funds raised) to serve as bounty rewards. There are generally three tiers of rewards – small, medium, and large – depending on the value of the information:

• Small bounties for minor but useful tips (e.g. a plausible sighting or a new detail that checks out).
• Medium bounties for more substantial leads (e.g. documents or evidence of Jho Low’s recent activities or location).
• Large bounties for game-changing information (e.g. confirmed current whereabouts of Jho Low, or major evidence that could lead directly to major break-throughs).

If you have information, you send it confidentially (see below). The team reviews and verifies it with investigative rigor. If the tip proves credible, the team will trigger an award in $JHOLOW. All bounty payouts will be publicly announced in terms of amount/tier (to show progress and honesty), but we will never reveal the tipster’s identity.

Q: How do I submit a tip?
A: Via secure email to whereisjho@pm.me (ProtonMail). ProtonMail is an encrypted email service, which helps protect your identity. You don’t have to include any personal info – just write up what you know. The team might communicate back to ask for clarification or evidence, but you’re not required to unmask yourself. We encourage using a burner email or ProtonMail for anonymity. In the future, we may also set up a secure web form or accept tips via secure messaging apps. Important: Please only submit serious, factual tips. This isn’t a place for rumors without basis – remember, false or prank information wastes time and won’t receive a reward.

Q: How will you verify information?
A: The $JHOLOW team includes experienced investigative journalists who will carefully vet any tip we receive. Verification could involve cross-checking details with known facts, consulting sources or other sources, examining metadata of photos/documents, etc. No bounty is paid until a tip is confirmed credible. We’re committed to handling all information responsibly – this isn’t a trial by social media; it’s an aid to ongoing investigations.

Q: Is this ethical? Are you essentially paying informants?
A: It’s a fair question. We see $JHOLOW as an innovative extension of traditional investigative journalism and whistleblower reward programs. Tipsters and informants have always sometimes been offered compensation or anonymity. We’re just doing it transparently using crypto and openly inviting the public to help. Ethically, the team is very mindful of not encouraging anything illegal or dangerous – we only want information, not for anyone to harass people or take justice into their own hands. We also operate under the principle of “do no harm”: any actionable info will be handled through proper channels (we’re not going to incite a mob). In many ways, this is similar to a Crime Stoppers reward or investigative journalism scoops, just funded by a meme coin community. By being transparent about the process and prioritizing verification and safety, we aim to maintain high ethical standards.

Q: What if someone tries to game this or submit false leads?
A: We anticipate a lot of noise – that’s the nature of crowdsourcing. The team will simply filter out and ignore anything that can’t be verified or is clearly bogus. No rewards will be given for unverified claims. If someone maliciously tries to flood us with false info, it doesn’t do them any good because the funds only flow once truth is confirmed. The smart thing (we hope) is that the size of the bounty might tempt those with real information (perhaps insiders or associates who know something) to come forward, while pranksters gain nothing. We’ll publicly document when real tips lead to bounties, which should encourage more truth-tellers and discourage trolls over time.

Q: How is the $JHOLOW token itself involved? Do I need to hold the coin to participate?
A: You do not need to hold $JHOLOW tokens to submit a tip or get a bounty – those are open to anyone with information. Holding or trading the token is more about supporting the project and participating in the community. The idea is that as more people get interested in this “coin with a mission,” the token’s value and visibility increase, which in turn amplifies the incentives for informants (and provides more resources for rewards). So the coin’s market action indirectly fuels the investigation. But from a practical standpoint, tips are welcomed from anyone, and bounty rewards will likely be paid in a major cryptocurrency (for ease and anonymity) – possibly in $JHOLOW or in stablecoin/ETH as the tipster prefers. The token is a fun way to be part of the story, even if you don’t have any info to share personally.

Q: What outcome are you expecting? Do you really think a meme coin can find Jho Low?
A: We’re realistic. Jho Low is an internationally wanted man who has evaded authorities for years; a meme coin isn’t a magic wand. However, we do believe $JHOLOW can surface new leads or keep the hunt alive in the public imagination. At minimum, this project ensures the conversation around Jho Low and 1MDB stays alive and engaging, rather than fading away. In a best-case scenario, the attention and the bounty could shake something loose – maybe someone who’s been on the fence about speaking up will do so now. Also, this project tests a concept. If it even comes close (say it uncovers a credible lead or forces Jho Low to respond/come out of hiding in some way), that’s a powerful precedent. So the expectation isn’t a guaranteed capture, but rather to explore a new frontier in citizen-driven investigations. And along the way, if we create a bit of education and awareness about the 1MDB scandal for a new generation, that’s a win too.

Q: How do you protect tipsters who come forward?
A: Anonymity is key. We strongly encourage and facilitate anonymous submissions (through encrypted email, etc.). We will never ask for a whistleblower’s personal details. If someone provides info and fears exposure, we’re prepared to help them stay anonymous (for instance, arranging crypto payout through just a wallet address with no other info). The project’s public updates will never contain identifying info about a source. In essence, tipsters can treat this like a traditional journalistic tip line or whistleblower dropbox: we respect source confidentiality absolutely. If a tip is so major that it leads to law enforcement action, we’d coordinate with them in a way that, ideally, still protects the source (similar to how journalists protect anonymous sources). That said, anyone with extremely sensitive info should take their own precautions (like using Tor or a VPN, etc., when emailing). We can provide guidance on secure communication if needed.