Fraudsters spread a fake interview with the Austrian president promoting cryptocurrency

Malicious actors circulated an interview allegedly given by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen to Kronen Zeitung. In it he ‘told’ of his investments in cryptocurrencies.

The Kronen Zeitung itself reported the fake interview. In it the Austrian president allegedly admits that he earns tens of thousands of euros a day and has never before received so much money so easily.

Earlier, the scammers circulated similar statements by Van der Bellen. As the Austrian fraud-tracking service Watchlist Internet, notes, under the guise of an interview with the Austrian president, the scammers promote cryptocurrency trading platforms ‘Bitcoin Era’, ‘Bitcoin Prime’ and ‘Crypto Revolt’.

The materials note that the platforms may operate with a limited number of users, so potential investors are advised to hurry with registration.

According to Watchlist Internet, to start trading Bitcoin one must deposit a minimum of €250. Then some consultants contact investors, and the first profits appear on the accounts. This motivates people to invest more.

However, neither deposits nor the potential profits are paid out to users, Watchlist Internet notes.

Scammers frequently use the names of famous people to lure victims.

In July 2020, hackers hacked Twitter accounts of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and many other pages, posting messages about a fake giveaway of 5 000 BTC from an unknown site Cryptoforhealth.

In May 2021, scammers exploited the buzz around Elon Musk’s appearance on Saturday Night Live to defraud users of more than $100 000 in cryptocurrency. They created more than 30 fake accounts for Tesla, SpaceX and SNL and offered to participate in a ‘cryptocurrency giveaway’.

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