Anything that is traded over the internet over time can become the target of scams by hackers. Such is the case with cryptocurrencies. Like most other scams, these are carried out through social media under headlines that are usually too good to be true. The influences that celebrities have on people have often been used for various promotions and, among other things, to present cryptocurrency trading to the public. This has been largely exploited by fraudsters who seek out potential victims in this way. They force people to make large investments and than disappear with the funds like a ghost. Are you one of those who believed that famous Hollywood stars really offer free currencies through their Twitter accounts? Did you really think that one day they woke up and said “hey, I could share some bitcoin today, maybe a giveaway”? We have bad news for you – you were greatly mistaken.
Through global websites that are known to users as reliable, cybercriminals place false recommendations of celebrities on the crypto market. Later, people start reporting their losses en masse. Fake ads will in most cases look like pages that are part of the most popular and visited websites.
If you’re thinking of becoming part of the crypto world, it.cryptoengine.app advises you not to be guided by advertisements, but to inquire about reliable software or an application that will really give you a chance to make a fortune.
Below we will introduce you to some scams that have occurred and that involve celebrities.
1. Daniel Faitaua
The identities of celebrities are the perfect masks behind which crypto fraudsters hide. Social networks are becoming perfect platforms to deceive naive people who want to start investing. This is where the false announcements of celebrities whose names were used to steal victims appeared.
In order to act convincingly, they first create fake pages on Facebook and then promote posts in various ways. False opinions of public figures and their alleged statements, through which they assure readers that this is the right thing for them, run through such campaigns.
Prominent stars became part of such campaigns for the first time in 2017, and then the names of entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson appeared in that context.
One of the latest victims was a television journalist from New Zealand, Daniel Faitaua. He spoke out after the abuse and informed the public that he had nothing to do with the illegal trading of cryptocurrencies with which he was connected. He explained very clearly to the audience that he had never owned any bitcoin and that those who accused him were lying.
Actors of similar scandals in the past were Australian journalists, Deborah Knight and Georgie Gardner.
What is particularly worrying is the ability of fraudsters to establish false promotions very easily and for people to believe very easily, without prior research and information from more experienced users or some other more reliable sources. Some will go so far as to leave even fake account numbers to act more convincing.
2. The John Walker case
This is the story of painter John Walker who, like many other users, became a victim of cybercrime of this kind. During the repairs after one accident, while surfing the Internet, he noticed an advertisement for bitcoin trading.
Considering that the initial investment was only 250 pounds, that seemed extremely acceptable to him and he didn’t think much before he decided to invest in bitcoin, the value of which was on a perfect rise at that moment.
At first glance, everything seemed perfectly normal, until he got a phone call. The person on the other side tried various arguments to convince him that he should invest another 5,000 pounds because now is the right time for that. He was offered the option of transferring money from a bank account. After he approved that, the fraudsters had enough time to collect all the necessary bank data and steal thousands of pounds.
In this way, Walker lost 41,000 pounds and learned a great life lesson that nothing can be gained for anything.
3. Deborah Meaden
The real astonishment of the public was caused by the case with “Dragon’s Den” star Deborah Meaden. Looking, you would never conclude that it’s an ad. But that was the essence. As explained, Meaden and her dragons with such eyes expressed their impression of the bitcoin investment scheme. A great psychic effect has been achieved because no matter how scared you are of those black eyes, you will quickly forget about them after reading how even dragons want to get to this financial golden opportunity.
At the moment when your eye has already wandered to the bottom of the page, you are going to notice an invitation to join investment ventures and fill in the attached form with your data. Then you’ll notice a warning that this offer will reach more potential investors, you decide to hurry up and leave your data. A perfect crime, hm?
This, of course, isn’t the end. You will soon receive a call from your ‘investment manager’. It convinces you to invest a modest £250 in your coins and then receive more detailed instructions via email on how to register on the platform where your money is deposited. You’ll also receive convincing invitations in the coming period, which will try to encourage you to invest more and more. When you decide that you want to finally enjoy your earnings, the investment manager will transfer a certain amount of money to your account to try to get you to believe that everything is fine and that you can continue to store money. Eventually, they will demand an additional payment of their commission and ask you to wait for a call that will inform you that your money has been released. Of course, the phone will never ring.
After that, the victims realize that they are faced with a frightening experience that did not have to happen to them, and wish that they were only a little better informed before they decided to leave their name or e-mail address.
Cryptocurrency trading seems like a great way to become a millionaire. However, before you make the final decision that you want to invest, don’t let your commercial starring your favorite Hollywood or another star easily convince you of that. It’s okay to have an incentive to think in that direction but try to be well informed afterward to avoid difficult and negative experiences that can cost you dearly.
