The former Colombian beauty queen explained that she is not related to the world of cryptocurrencies. A fake article claims that the model is related to a “program” to attract new investments.
In recent days, Colombian model and television host Melina Ramírez warned about scammers who are using her image. The criminals are deceiving the followers of the former beauty queen with fake investments in Bitcoin (BTC). She explained that she is not promoting any type of Ponzi scheme promising returns with cryptocurrencies.
Ramírez said in a video that she constantly receives messages from people asking her about her alleged investments in Bitcoin. The actress explained that the scammers are spreading a fake article claiming that she is related to millionaire offers.
“I take the opportunity to deny something so serious. I constantly receive messages from people asking me if I invest in Bitcoin and if I have become a millionaire. That is not true at all, so do not believe it and do not allow them to fool you. Be careful because I do not know who they might be,” said Ramírez.
The Scammers Deceive Users in the Name of Bitcoin
The model refers to a fraudulent article in which scammers pose as famous personalities. Among these figures, there are members of Latin American show business, businesspeople, and even athletes. The message that they posted promises to turn anyone into a millionaire in a period of 3 or 4 months.
The criminals share the same note on the Internet but use different names of famous people, such as Melina Ramírez. In other words, every time they broadcast the article, they use the image of a different character.
Scammers sometimes promote a so-called Bitcoin “Champion” program, which promises people to “make fortunes overnight.” They not only mention transactions with BTC but also with XRP (ripple), the cryptocurrency of Ethereum (Ether), Monero, and Zcash.
As a consequence of the boom in the markets in recent months, cryptocurrency scams have multiplied. According to the Bolster Research agency, fraud with crypto assets grew by 40% during 2020, compared to the previous year.
Scammers Pose as Other Famous Figures to Steal Bitcoin
In 2020, cybercriminals hacked the official Twitter account of cryptocurrency exchange Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao. They also attacked those of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and former US President Barack Obama, promising a profit of 5,000 BTC.
Tycoons like Elon Musk and Bill Gates would hardly give away Bitcoin or fiat money through social media. For that reason, users should be aware that “gifts” are often a scam. Scammers use the identity of an authority, company or person to get the victim to reveal their confidential information.
The world is interested in cryptocurrencies, so scammers have found new ways to deceive their victims. A group of them even launched the pre-sale of the WSB token before the WallStreetBets community listed it on the stock exchange. Unsuspecting users deposited around USD 2 million and, of course, received nothing in return.
Scammers usually use the Bitcoin ecosystem to deceive users and steal their crypto or fiat currencies. In these cases, users should do some research and doubt offers that promise unimaginable profits without any effort.
By Alexander Salazar
