Don't fall for it: British TV presenter's likeness used in Bitcoin scam

The television presenter warns that yet another fake advert was falsely using celebrity endorsement.

2 min read

Apr 19, 2020

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.”

“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.

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.

Get crypto news straight to your inbox--

sign up for the Decrypt Daily below. (It’s free).

Get Email!

Apple Admits to Security Vulnerability That Leaves Crypto Users Exposed—Here's What You Should Do

Apple confirmed Monday its devices were left vulnerable to an exploit that allowed for remote malicious code execution through web-based JavaScript, opening up an attack vector that could have part unsuspecting victims from their crypto. According to a recent Apple security disclosure, users must use the latest versions of its JavaScriptCore and WebKit software to patch the vulnerability. The bug, discovered by researchers at Google's threat analysis group, allows for “processing maliciously cr...

Solana Hits All-Time High Price Two Years After FTX Nearly Sent It to Zero

After three long years, Solana (SOL) has finally broken its all-time high price record, setting a new milestone above $260 on Thursday. Solana rose above the previous $260 record mark early Thursday afternoon, per data from Coinbase, continuing the asset's recent hot streak following the U.S. presidential election win of crypto candidate Donald Trump earlier this month. The jump also came following word that Gary Gensler, the SEC Chairman who led the regulator's crypto industry crackdown, will r...

MicroStrategy Stock Sinks 16% as Bitcoin Nears $100K—Is It Too Hot to Handle?

MicroStrategy shares fell 16% to $397.28 Thursday, following statements from influential investment firm Citron Research that it placed a short position against the company while maintaining a long position in Bitcoin. The disclosure reveals mounting concerns about the company’s stock being overvalued due to what some perceive as an overly excessive company valuation. Citron Research claimed Bitcoin investing has been "easier than ever," citing ETFs and stocks available on trading platforms Coin...