‘I’m alive’: ‘Dragon’s Den’ star horrified by online scam
ENTREPRENEUR Gavin Duffy was ‘horrified’ to find himself at the centre of an apparent click-bait scam which is announcing his death across social media.
The former presidential candidate and Dragon’s Den guru says he is very much ‘alive and well’ despite sponsored content across Facebook channels declaring his death.
However, when clicked on, the links take users to a bitcoin business, alleging that entrepreneur Mr Duffy has made money from it. This has led to a number of people reportedly losing hundreds of euro.
Mr Duffy believes that the scammers are spending up to $40,000 (€33,000) a month on the sponsored ads over the Facebook platform.
The ads have become more targeted in recent weeks and the Louth native has received countless calls from people who are genuinely upset to think he had passed away.
“I’m alive and well,” the 60-year-old said.
“When this started, we had a bit of a laugh about it because I knew I obviously wasn’t dead, but I was horrified to discover this had a more sinister element.
“Hundreds of people have been in contact looking for my funeral details and in a Covid world, when people are missing funerals and deaths, they are more likely to believe these ads.
“The ad shows a picture of me with a banner saying ‘Farewell to Gavin’ but when you click on the image, it brings you to a bitcoin business saying that I’ve made millions from (them).
“I’d like to stress that I have never, ever invested a cent in bitcoin and know very little about it.”
Mr Duffy has hired the services of lawyers and a cybersecurity firm in London to try to discover the identity of the scammers.
“We believe that these people are spending up to $40,000 a month on ads using my image on Facebook
“From what we can establish, the website originates in Singapore and is then hidden in various clouds and then the email leads to a phone number in Panama so it’s a very intricate set-up.”
Unfortunately, Mr Duffy has learned of some people who have lost money because of the ad.
“I’ve had calls from people from Tipperary and the west of Ireland who have lost a few hundred euro in it.
“Again, I just want to stress, I’ve never invested in bitcoin and I am alive and well and please, please don’t fall for this scam.”
Mr Duffy, originally from Drogheda, has a long history of involvement with business and broadcasting.
As well as his work on RTÉ’s Dragon’s Den, he has been involved in politics, most notably when he ran for president in 2018.
Mr Duffy ultimately received 2.2pc of the vote in the presidential election, as Michael D Higgins was returned to Áras an Uachtaráin.
Mr Duffy has also been involved in media training for politicians from several of the major parties.