This week, Trends Journal publisher Gerald Celente saw an uptick of scammers impersonating him on YouTube, offering crypto advice with pointers to “Whatsapp” accounts, among other things.
One scammer brazenly posted in the thread section of several of Celente’s latest videos on his popular YouTube channel video.
Our publisher isn’t alone in experiencing problems with impersonators. Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of the cryptocurrency company Ripple, has brought a suit against Google over similar problems.
The suit alleges that Google is profiting off many fake and impersonating accounts, doing things like running ads off stolen content, etc. According to an April 2020 article in The Verge:
In a complaint filed today, Ripple accused the video platform of selling ads and verifying accounts that promote fake cryptocurrency giveaways, then ignoring complaints about them.
The Ripple suit noted that over a period of several months, scammers created fake accounts impersonating Ripple and Garlinghouse. Accounts were apparently stolen from successful YouTubers, which gave the scam accounts thousands of unearned subscribers.
From there, scammers posted videos offering they buy Ripple (XRP) crypto awards in exchange for smaller initial payments.
Garlinghouse says his company began receiving hundreds of complaints from bilked viewers duped by the authentic-looking YouTube accounts.
YouTube, meanwhile, was running ads off the videos and was refusing to respond to hundreds of requests by Garlinghouse and his company to take down the accounts and videos.
“That’s not how this should work,” Garlinghouse told The Verge. “Deep down, it’s almost a moral thing. YouTube did $15 billion worth of revenue last year. You’re telling me they can’t spend more money to police their own platform?”
In Gerald Celente’s case, he points out a pernicious scammer offering fake financial and crypto advice is materially harming his reputation.
