In brief

  • X-Factor star-turned-presenter Rylan Clark-Neal wrote on Twitter that his name was being used in a “fake interview.”
  • The interview reportedly says he made “millions from Bitcoin.”
  • Increasingly creative adverts continue to use celebrity names to steal money from would-be investors—and they seem to be working.

Celebrities continue to be the chosen target of crypto scammers. This time, British TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal is the one reportedly making phoney endorsements for a get-rich-quick investment in Bitcoin.  

The former Celebrity Big Brother and X-Factor star put out a warning on Saturday about a bogus interview doing the rounds. 

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Writing on Twitter, Clark-Neal said a “fake interview” purportedly from British tabloid The Daily Mirror was reportedly circulating on Facebook, claiming the celebrity “made millions from bitcoin.” 

“Don’t fall for it,” he said.  

Fake celebrity endorsements are nothing new in the world of crypto scams. Earlier this month, cyber-criminals put out an advert falsely using the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to endorse “cryptocurrency auto-trading program Bitcoin Evolution” that could turn “anyone into a millionaire within three to four months.” 

And the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Elon Musk and Bill Gates have all been selected by crooks to make phoney endorsements online in a bid to steal from gullible would-be investors. 

Even Kate Winslet’s name was falsely used in a dodgy Bitcoin-related project.

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More worrying is when real news outlets fall for the scams themselves and publish such adverts. It’s no wonder the cyber-criminals are so effective. 

Last year the UK financial watchdog put out a warning after calculating people had lost £27 million ($34 million) from dealing on fraudulent trading platforms. 

We probably don’t need to warn the readers of Decrypt, but if something looks too good to be true—it’s probably because it is.

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