Beware of fake Richard Bransons, says billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson.
"We are very concerned that more and more people are being scammed by fraudsters impersonating me," Branson said in a blog post published Wednesday.
According to Branson, scammers pose as him or a member of his team and private message unsuspecting people on social media or via email, promoting "get-rich-quick schemes." The scammers sometimes include a photo of Branson, and they often target people who have commented on Branson's social media feeds, says the post.
"These scammers then attempt to extract personal information and cash from them and can be quite convincing," Branson writes.
In one scam, according to the post, a fraudster pretending to be Branson's personal assistant asked people who had posted Branson's official social media channels to submit a form to become members of "Virgin Group Worldwide," which would make them eligible to get some kind of "financial assistance." The form then required divulging personal information and an administration fee.
There are also fake advertisements which connect Branson to "get-rich-quick" ideas such as binary trading (a kind of option) or cryptocurrency schemes, which often spread through links on social media platforms, says Branson.
"My official social media accounts are all verified and, to be clear, I do not send direct or private messages to my followers and do not send personal messages regarding investments, charity donations or speaking engagements from these accounts or any others," Branson says. "I do not promote ..
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