Articles claiming Amazon is encouraging users to sign up to cryptocurrency platform are fake

Posts claiming that Amazon has launched a cryptocurrency trading platform are circulating on Facebook.

The posts link to multiple different articles mocked up to look like real news outlets and claim that “due to the financial crisis, Amazon has launched a new project promising to help families become wealthier.”

They describe “a new cryptocurrency trading platform, that according to Amazon, can transform anyone into a millionaire within 3-4 months!”

The articles are identical other than the name given to the scheme, which includes “BTC Ai 360”, “Ai Biticodes” and “Biti Codes App”.

The articles are not real stories published by the outlets claimed (the ones we have seen, which we are not linking to for security concerns, emulate the websites of the Daily Mirror and the Financial Times).

The articles include a guide for using the platform as well as what appear to be fake quotes from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos promoting the platform and encouraging readers to “use it before it is taken down.”

They also feature several links redirecting readers to a widget within the articles, which asks users to input contact details, including their email and phone number.

The widget in turn leads to a website which states that users will receive a phone call from an “account manager” and asks them to “keep your preferred deposit method ready”.

A spokesperson for Amazon confirmed the information about the company reported in the fake articles is not correct and said: “We take any attempts to misuse our brand seriously”. 

They directed people to this website to help identify whether an email, phone call, text message, or webpage is really from Amazon.

Image courtesy of Kanchanara