Fraudsters use profile of dead ITV Channel journalist Gary Burgess for cryptocurrency scam

• Rory O'Regan tells the widower of former ITV Channel reporter Gary Burgess that his late husband's profile is being used in a crypto scam

Fraudsters are using the profiles of prominent and respected public figures to promote an online cryptocurrency scam.

They include ITV News journalist Gary Burgess, one of the most recognisable figures in the Channel Islands, who died from terminal cancer in 2022.

The fake positive reviews include real photos and made up quotes to encourage people to invest money, promising large returns.

The ad falsely claims Gary made more than £8,700 using a crypto trading platform, quoting him as saying: "I've only used it for a couple of weeks and I've already made more money from it than I do busting my butt off at work for months!"

Cryptocurrency is a digital form of money that allows people to pay each other online and is largely unregulated.

ITV News showed Gary's widower Alan Burgess the fake review.

He says: "It's horrible, it feels violating, I'm just angry.

"The fact that someone would do this, knowing or not the fact that Gary has died, to use the image in this way and take advantage of the goodwill Gary had from the people of Jersey is infuriating."

A review falsely claiming to represent the head of Jersey's Judiciary, Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq, is also being promoted by the same fraudsters - saying he made around £4,600.

It adds, "I just want to say a great big Thank you because [company name redacted] has really turned my life around. In a matter of weeks, I've been able to quit my job!"

In response, Jersey's Bailiff says he finds the situation "distasteful".

The Director of Jersey's Cyber Security Centre (JCSC), Matt Palmer, says: "Particularly when it's people like Gary, it's very upsetting.

"These things are happening all the time, we have an increasing number of these types of frauds and they're becoming more sophisticated. What the scammers have worked out is if they use people that we care about and know to target us, we're more likely to click and engage."

To report a fake ad or other cyber security incident, contact the JCSC here.

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