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. 

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.” 

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“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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