An image shared on Instagram purportedly shows a tweet from late computer software developer John McAfee saying he has files located in his condo near the collapsed condo building in Surfside, Florida.

 

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Verdict: False

There is no record of McAfee sending such a tweet. The tweet appears to be fabricated.

Fact Check:

McAfee, founder of cyber security firm McAfee, was detained in Spain in March for alleged fraud, according to BBC News. A Spanish court on June 23 approved McAfee’s extradition to the U.S., and hours later he was found dead in his jail cell from an apparent suicide, the Associated Press reported.

Now, social media users are sharing a tweet, allegedly sent by McAfee at 10:03 a.m. on June 8, that said he had files located in his condo near Miami Beach. The purported tweet reads, “If anything ever happens to me please know that the 31TB of files I have are located on hard drives in my condo near 88th Street and Collins Avenue just north of Miami Beach.”

At least nine people are dead and over 150 more are missing after a condominium building in Surfside, Florida, collapsed on June 24, CNN reported. Champlain Towers South, the building that collapsed, was located on Collins Avenue, according to NBC 6.

There is, however, no record of McAfee sending such a tweet. A search of McAfee’s verified Twitter account found no instances of the tweet. Nor did an archived screen grab of his account from June 20 show the alleged tweet.

Furthermore, Check Your Fact searched public Miami-Dade County property tax records and found no indication McAfee owned property near the collapsed condo building or in it. (RELATED: Were The ‘Bones Of Children’ Found on Jeffrey Epstein’s Island)

It’s possible that a genuine tweet sent by McAfee using “Twitter for Android” at 11:03 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on June 8 was used as a template for the fake tweet. The real June 8 tweet was about Jeff Bezos, not files on hard drives.

Now its Jeff Bezos.

If space travel improves and becomes fashionable perhaps we can abandon the planet we have so thoroughly mangled and seek fresh ones to trash.

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 8, 2021

“Now its Jeff Bezos,” McAfee tweeted. “If space travel improves and becomes fashionable perhaps we can abandon the planet we have so thoroughly mangled and seek fresh ones to trash.”

The fabricated tweet appears to reference a real tweet McAfee sent in June 2019 alleging he has “31+ terrabytes of incriminating data.”

I’ve collected files on corruption in governments. For the first time, I’m naming names and specifics. I’ll begin with a corrupt CIA agent and two Bahamian officials. Coming today. If I’m arrested or disappear, 31+ terrabytes of incriminating data will be released to the press.

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 9, 2019

“I’ve collected files on corruption in governments,” that tweet reads. “For the first time, I’m naming names and specifics. I’ll begin with a corrupt CIA agent and two Bahamian officials. Coming today. If I’m arrested or disappear, 31+ terrabytes of incriminating data will be released to the press.”