Englishman Who Posed As HyperVerse CEO Says Sorry To Investors Who Lost Millions (theguardian.com) 23
Stephen Harrison, an Englishman living in Thailand who posed as chief executive Steven Reece Lewis for the launch of the HyperVerse crypto scheme, told the Guardian Australia that he was paid to play the role of chief executive but denies having 'pocketed' any of the money lost. He says he received 180,000 Thai baht (about $7,500) over nine months and a free suit, adding that he was "shocked" to learn the company had presented him as having fake credentials to promote the scheme. From the report: He said he felt sorry for those who had lost money in relation to the scheme -- which he said he had no role in -- an amount Chainalysis estimates at US$1.3 billion in 2022 alone. "I am sorry for these people," he said. "Because they believed some idea with me at the forefront and believed in what I said, and God knows what these people have lost. And I do feel bad about this. "I do feel deeply sorry for these people, I really do. You know, it's horrible for them. I just hope that there is some resolution. I know it's hard to get the money back off these people or whatever, but I just hope there can be some justice served in all of this where they can get to the bottom of this." He said he wanted to make clear he had "certainly not pocketed" any of the money lost by investors.
Harrison, who at the time was a freelance television presenter engaged in unpaid football commentary, said he had been approached and offered the HyperVerse work by a friend of a friend. He said he was new to the industry and had been open to picking up more work and experience as a corporate "presenter." "I was told I was acting out a role to represent the business and many people do this," Harrison said. He said he trusted his agent and accepted that. After reading through the scripts he said he was initially suspicious about the company he was hired to represent because he was unfamiliar with the crypto industry, but said he had been reassured by his agent that the company was legitimate. He said he had also done some of his own online research into the organization and found articles about the Australian blockchain entrepreneur and HyperTech chairman Sam Lee. "I went away and I actually looked at the company because I was concerned that it could be a scam," Harrison said. "So I looked online a bit and everything seemed OK, so I rolled with it." The HyperVerse crypto scheme was promoted by Lee and his business partner Ryan Xu, both of which were founders of the collapsed Australian bitcoin company Blockchain Global. "Blockchain Global owes creditors $58 million and its liquidator has referred Xu and Lee to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for alleged possible breaches of the Corporations Act," reports The Guardian. "Asic has said it does not intend to take action at this time."
Rodney Burton, known as "Bitcoin Rodney," was arrested and charged in the U.S on Monday for his alleged role in promoting the HyperVerse crypto scheme. The IRS alleges Burton was "part of a network that made 'fraudulent' presentations claiming high returns for investors based on crypto-mining operations that did not exist," reports The Guardian.
Harrison, who at the time was a freelance television presenter engaged in unpaid football commentary, said he had been approached and offered the HyperVerse work by a friend of a friend. He said he was new to the industry and had been open to picking up more work and experience as a corporate "presenter." "I was told I was acting out a role to represent the business and many people do this," Harrison said. He said he trusted his agent and accepted that. After reading through the scripts he said he was initially suspicious about the company he was hired to represent because he was unfamiliar with the crypto industry, but said he had been reassured by his agent that the company was legitimate. He said he had also done some of his own online research into the organization and found articles about the Australian blockchain entrepreneur and HyperTech chairman Sam Lee. "I went away and I actually looked at the company because I was concerned that it could be a scam," Harrison said. "So I looked online a bit and everything seemed OK, so I rolled with it." The HyperVerse crypto scheme was promoted by Lee and his business partner Ryan Xu, both of which were founders of the collapsed Australian bitcoin company Blockchain Global. "Blockchain Global owes creditors $58 million and its liquidator has referred Xu and Lee to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission for alleged possible breaches of the Corporations Act," reports The Guardian. "Asic has said it does not intend to take action at this time."
Rodney Burton, known as "Bitcoin Rodney," was arrested and charged in the U.S on Monday for his alleged role in promoting the HyperVerse crypto scheme. The IRS alleges Burton was "part of a network that made 'fraudulent' presentations claiming high returns for investors based on crypto-mining operations that did not exist," reports The Guardian.
Cribbed from an Iron Man script (Score:3)
Ben Kingsley's Mandarin character was better, IMHO.
ASIC is a joke though (Score:2)
Re: ASIC is a joke though (Score:1)
Theyâ(TM)re as much use as nipples on a man
Re: (Score:2)
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is completely useless and will not do anything as per usual.
Erm... it's not ASIC's job to refund people who have been scammed overseas. Not sure what you expect ASIC to do, rewards someone's own stupidity with taxpayer money?
From the fine summary:
Stephen Harrison, an Englishman living in Thailand
That's as far as I had to read to know it was a scam. Walk around any popular tourist spot in Thailand and inevitably you'll get one of these types trying to talk to you about some get rich quick scheme, a party he can get you entry to for a "reasonable price" and any other number of touts and scams.
If you were not a
Just covering his ass (Score:1)
Yeh right âoeI was just paid to fraudulently misrepresent myself as a CEO to make promotional material. Thereâ(TM)s no way I could possibly have known that these people wanted to deceive anyone.â
Re: Just covering his ass (Score:4, Informative)
It was just an acting gig for him, and he was halfway around the world. I'm inclined to believe him. There's no difference between this and being asked to read a script on camera for a film. If he's not watching media local to where it's being used how would he know where it appeared?
Re: Just covering his ass (Score:2)
Maybe the con men behind the scheme lied to him?
Ah yes (Score:2)
Riiight (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Riiight (Score:5, Informative)
Actors, we're talking about non-A class actors, work thousands of gigs in their lives, for a few days each gig. Commercials, little skits, here and there.
No one can vet these companies. 99% of the companies an actor works for, they've never heard of. While the guy may or may not have seen questionable stuff, you don't know, haven't a clue, and are saying something really, really inappropriate.
Fools... (Score:2)
...meet Money.
"What was that breeze?"
Like in all the bank-robberies (Score:1)
I just drove the get-away car, I didn't kill any guards not steal any money.
Re: (Score:2)
I just drove the get-away car, I didn't kill any guards not steal any money.
This getaway car was ordered on Uber and was provided as a contracted gig service. If someone orders an Uber to drop them in front of what everyone in the neighborhood knows is a drug house, is the Uber driver an accomplice in the subsequent meth/gun purchase?
Fools... (Score:3)
Seriously, who invests money in a "company" represented an underpaid actor in a scenario resembling the plot line from a low-effort super hero film? Almost all working actors have their profiles on public display on talent agency websites. It'd take seconds to find out who this actor really is. Often, profile pics of scams are simply scraped off the web & a reverse image search will find them for you.
Re: (Score:3)
Seriously, who invests money in a "company" represented an underpaid actor
No one. But you are commenting from your high horse here, what's the horse's name? Hindsight?
At the time people were investing the company was represented by a well spoken CEO with a laundry list of long credentials. You do understand what the terms "acting" "fraud" and "misleading" mean right?
Maybe start criticising people after you open up your secret time machine to the rest of the world. Everyone would benefit from being able to see into the future. I'm sure you called up the universities of every CEO t
Re: (Score:2)
BTW, in most developed countries, it isn't lawful for universities to divulge their graduates' personal information without their express permission, e.g. to a potential employer or another university, so no, you can't call up the university to see if they actually studied there. What a dumb fucking argument.
Re: (Score:2)
Give my money to a Brit in Thailand
What has nationality got to do with it? Do you only invest in American companies run by American CEOs? You will have lost a lot of market opportunities due to your prejudices.
selling pseudo-Bitcoin without checking the company out thoroughly?
Define checking out the company thoroughly. Again come out and tell me what research you have done into the detailed history of owners of any company you've ever invested in. You were strangely silent on that, and I suspect for a good reason. The level of research people do in any company rarely uncovers actual fraud, which is what was
Re: (Score:2)
I guess the embarrassment is difficult to manage for some. Maybe be a bit more careful next time? BTW, I know this prince in Nigeria...
Re: (Score:2)
...who don't do due diligence and their money are easily parted.
Seriously, who invests money in a "company" represented an underpaid actor in a scenario resembling the plot line from a low-effort super hero film? Almost all working actors have their profiles on public display on talent agency websites. It'd take seconds to find out who this actor really is.
Look at the photos in the article, I wouldn't necessarily guess it was the same person from those still images.
Often, profile pics of scams are simply scraped off the web & a reverse image search will find them for you.
Which is why they hired an actor so they wouldn't need to scrape images.
The other big would be digging through his credentials, I think you can actually call up Leeds or Cambridge and ask if someone who claims to have a degree is legit, but I'm not sure how many people outside of investigative journalists do that. Otherwise, there's still a lot of folks who are fairly hard to research online.
Re: (Score:2)
It's time... (Score:2)
For sensible white monkey control legislation.
A job is a job. (Score:3)
An actor's gotta eat. Sometimes the job feel shady. Look at every actor who does voiceover for "not approved by the fda" supplements on ads running in satellite CNN. Or any that have to do shopping network stuff. Or Tom Selleck hocking reverse mortgates.
At least he owned up.