Another website imitating The Manila Times published a story endorsing a cryptocurrency trading program allegedly recommended by former Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. This is a repetition of a previously debunked hoax.
Several Facebook (FB) users and a page circulated the link to the website as early as October 3. It contained an article about Dominguez's alleged interview on TV Patrol where he revealed how a new cryptocurrency platform called BTC Ai Urex 2.0 can turn Filipinos into millionaires in three or four months. His headline said:
“SPECIAL REPORT: Carlos Domínguez's latest investment has experts amazed and big banks terrified.”
The article also provides a "step-by-step" guide on how the public can "deposit" money on the platform to earn profits.
This is false. The Manila Times did not publish such a story. The same fabricated report was used in previous scams, changing only the name of the platform as well as the public figure and media organization that was impersonated.
The fake report was uploaded to a website with the domain name. nrebkloak.digital, not by the official site of the Manila Times (manilatimes.net).
In 2020, the Department of Finance warned about a “cryptocurrency auto-trading platform” that similarly used Dominguez’s identity to attract investors.
The content of the report is almost identical to the one that showed Manny Pacquiao promoting a different platform last August. He only replaced the boxer's name and photographs with those of Dominguez.
(Read VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Fake Site Resurfaces FAKE Story Endorsing 'Bitcoin Trading Platform')
According to cybersecurity company Kaspersky, the Philippines was the second most attacked country in Southeast Asia last year when it came to crypto phishing. recording 24,737 cases.
Two Filipino celebrities and others filed a complaint this month against a cryptocurrency group for allegedly scamming them into investing around P8 million.
Several Internet users and the verified Facebook page of the Turkish actress. Hazal Filiz Küçükköse (created June 11, 2010) were among those who circulated the link.
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(Editor's note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of misinformation. Learn more about this camaraderie and ours methodology.)
