Julie Bushnell – a teacher situated in the United Kingdom – has lost several thousand dollars to a bitcoin scam that was using the likeness of famed South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, the man behind billion-dollar companies such as Tesla and SpaceX.
Julie Bushnell Has Lost A Lot of Money
It seems like Elon Musk just cannot seem to catch a break as of late. When his words are not bringing the prices of various forms of cryptocurrency down into the muck, his face is being used to promote fraudulent activity, which is sadly quite common in the crypto space. This is not the first time Elon Musk has been at the center of such an event, and it likely will not be the last.
Bushnell came across an article that appeared quite legitimate and seemed to mimic the look and structure of a piece published on the BBC. The article discussed a big bitcoin giveaway that was being hosted by Musk himself. He allegedly stated that anyone who was willing to donate bitcoin would see their figures double by his own hand… A common strategy amongst thieves.
If this sounds familiar, you are on the right track and you are keeping up to date with your crypto news. First off, this has proven to be a regular method of garnering illicit funds. One of the most recent cases took place last summer, when figures like Musk himself, along with former president Barack Obama, his vice president Joe Biden and Microsoft mogul Bill Gates all purportedly had their Twitter accounts compromised by a malicious actor.
The hacker – who turned out be in his late teens – promoted a bitcoin scam that said all followers of these individuals should donate their bitcoin to listed addresses. Anyone who took part in the event would see their money doubled, just like this present story. Sadly, everyone who sent money did not see their funds doubled. In fact, they never saw their money again, as the actor had no intention of doling out returns. Instead, he walked away with more than $120,000 in BTC, though he was later caught and took a plea deal to earn a shorter sentence granted he was willing to give the money back.
While it is unclear how the money was deposited, Bushnell says that she had been saving her money up for a down payment on a home. The amount totaled more than $12,000 USD, and the thought of getting it doubled sounded too good to pass up.
Trying to Get the Word Out
When her money was not returned to her, she informed the BBC, and now – all too aware of what had happened – says she wants to help people avoid her misfortune. She says:
I want to raise awareness of this scam, so it does not happen to other vulnerable people.
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Source: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/teacher-julie-bushnell-is-the-latest-victim-of-a-bitcoin-scam/
