Internet scams are the order of the day and scammers are becoming more and more creative. Lately, many take advantage of some celebrities, as has been the case of Iñaki López, to sell their products. They use the image of a well-known face from cinema or television to capture the attention of users and scam them.
One of the victims of a scam like this has been the television presenter and chef, Alberto Chicote. In his case, scammers used his name to scam users into investing in fake cryptocurrencies. An increasingly common scam.
The modus operandi of scammers is usually always the same: a striking headline illustrated with the image of a famous person. According to the Research Team program, well-known people are usually chosen “with whom you can have an affinity and who give a certain amount of trust.”
On many occasions, celebrities are not aware of the scam. In fact, Gran Wyoming has explained in the same La Sexta program that he has sometimes found out that they were using his image “because they have come to me on WhatsApp from friends, but I have seen many of them directly.”
One of the cases that the Investigation Team has revealed has been that of the company Ever fx, which used the name of some famous people, such as Alberto Chicote or the Great Wyoming, to get users to trust them and invest their money in cryptocurrencies.
However, by managing to sponsor the Sevilla soccer team, the company grows and with it its investments. Once registered, the user was peppered with calls from various scammers, posing as assistants to help them with the investment.
Some celebrities have already denounced the use of their image to promote products without their consent. In the Investigation Team, journalist Iñaki López has encouraged everyone to continue reporting “because the more pressure we put on these mafias, the sooner their end will come.”
For his part, Alberto Chicote has expressed indignation at the organization of these criminal groups. “I am unable to imagine this. In these times, when we talk about the digital world, it could be anyone from the business world or a 17-year-old kid in his room having a really bad time.”
