The fake BBC News page contains a lengthy article describing an “underground banking system” that allows investors to turn small deposits into “a fortune”. It presents a case study of one individual who supposedly saw an investment of less than GBP 300 grow into nearly GBP 900,000. One of the indications the latest bogus webpage is fake is its address, which does not correspond to the bbc.co.uk or bbc.com domains used by the broadcaster.
According to BBC, reports indicate that the fake page is being spread via emails sent from hacked accounts. A spokesman for the BBC said it is looking into how best to respond.
Moreover, this is not the first time an attempt has been made to link the brand to the BBC. In 2018, adverts appeared on social media and elsewhere falsely claiming that a trading platform operating under the same name had been backed by several of Dragons Dens stars.
Two of the shows entrepreneurs - Deborah Meaden and Peter Jones - subsequently issued denials.
The Financial Conduct Authority has previously issued a warning about an earlier scheme run under the same Bitcoin Trader branding that features in the latest effort. Moreover, City of London Polices cyber-crime team has previously warned users against this tactic.
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