Several scam campaigns have appeared on social networks, sharing false stories and encouraging people to invest in cryptocurrencies via dubious schemes. They often use well-known personalities to address the potential readers.
Most recently, a campaign appeared on Facebook exploiting ex-prime minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer) and several media outlets, including The Slovak Spectator, the Zive.aktuality.sk website reported.
Several problems with the scam
The story reports on a new “employment plan” unveiled by PM Pellegrini to help the citizens of Slovakia. The plan would allegedly contribute “to the development of digital sources of income, introducing minimum wage laws and improving overall financial conditions of Slovakia workers”.
It then informs readers about a chance to earn “an enormous amount of money in a short time without huge investments or hard 12-hour labour”, providing platforms like Bitcoin Loophole and Profit Bitcoin.
Related articleThey tried to exploit Sagan’s name in a scam. Lies, he responds Read more The scammers exploit the logos of The Slovak Spectator, the public-service broadcaster RTVS and private news channel TA3, claiming they have reported about the topic.
There are several issues. First of all, it is outdated since Pellegrini is no longer prime minister. It is also written in English, and it is not very likely Slovak readers will read about domestic affairs on a foreign website.
Moreover, the “testimonies” of successful clients cite “Slovaks” with foreign names, Zive.aktuality.sk wrote.
Will there be more sophisticated scams?
The scam has revealed several trends in fraudsters’ behaviour, Zive.aktuality.sk wrote. They are responding to the current situation and trying to refer to topics important for their potential readers, using this information to slip their fraudulent schemes path them.
It shows that we can soon expect similar, more sophisticated campaigns localised to Slovak, the website continued.
16. Apr 2020 at 13:36 | Compiled by Spectator staff
