Former Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson used in Bitcoin scam

A cybersecurity trade publication has highlighted a potential scam using a high profile celebrity to con people out of their Bitcoin. This time, Sir Alex Ferguson, soccer team Manchester United’s former manager, is being used as a front to tempt people to invest in a fraudulent Bitcoin trading platform.

Cybersecurity trade publication Naked Security first spotted the scheme after a tip-off from a user. On its blog, it showed an advertisement on Facebook from a company known as “Fast Cars” with a link to blog—replete with a convincing HTTPS security certificate—that hosts the story of Ferguson’s Bitcoin travails. 

In the news story on the page, Ferguson reveals his alleged love for Bitcoin: “I feel so ashamed that I didn’t share it earlier,” Ferguson reportedly said. Of course, pointed out Naked Security, there are only seven other articles on the bogus site, none of which the trade publication found to contain any substance. 

Another advert links to a faked BBC news page, titled: “Panorama investigates: Who Wants to Be a Bitcoin Millionaire”. Panorama did indeed release a documentary under the same name, but other details make the site seem less convincing. The news page carried a signup box for Bitcoin Revolution, a scam that’s also used the likeness of celebrities such as Jeremy Clarkson and Elon Musk to lure unsuspecting customers to sign up. 

It’s essentially a variant of the Bitcoin Code scam, which encouraged victims to invest in a fraudulent automated trading program that promised to win cryptocurrency trades with a startling 99.4 percent accuracy. In one advert, movie star Kate Winslet purportedly encouraged users to invest $250 in the trading program. Winslett’s spokesperson told British tabloid The Mirror that “This misleading promotion is completely disingenuous and categorically false.”