The scam claims Southgate has found a “wealth loophole”
England manager Gareth Southgate is seeking legal advice after his image was used in a cryptocurrency scam.
According to The Times, a marketing email was sent to an unknown number of recipients claiming that Southgate appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and revealed a “wealth loophole” that could see somebody become a millionaire within four months.
The ‘story’ also claimed that the 51-year-old’s “secret investment” returned 5,000 per cent in five years – boasting that, should recipients buy the cryptocurrency bitcoin, they have the chance to earn 40 per cent profit within two months of purchasing.
While many people would immediately ignore and discredit the email, others have fallen into the trap and used the service, leading to them losing hundreds of pounds.
The Times add that Southgate is claimed to have “pulled out his phone and showed viewers how much money he’s making” during the interview with DeGeneres – whose show has been incredibly popular for the past two decades and is a mainstay of American daytime television.
As well as this, the entirely fictionalised story claims that the Federal Reserve Bank attempted to stop the interview being aired, despite it never actually taking place in the first place.
Included in the email is a link to a website where users are directed to BitcoinBank, but then sent to another crypto service that requires a £150 deposit to proceed.
Users who fell for the scam have claimed to have lost all their money and allege that their – as well as their friends’ – social media accounts were hacked. Others claim that they received threats and harassment.
It is believed that the email involving Southgate is one of many ways that scammers use to lure people to crypto scams.
Southgate’s representatives are now seeking legal advice in an attempt to stop the Three Lions boss’ name and brand being used to promote it after the Football Association (FA) was made aware of the scam.
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