The Case of Crypto CEO Who Never Existed
Next time you get carried away by listening to a crypto CEO, make sure they even exist.
In the crypto and technology world, there are some people that definitely exist – think Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Alex Mashinsky, or SBF. And some, apparently, who simply don’t.
It was first brought to light by the Guardian. In their investigation, the journalists tried proving that Steven Reece Lewis, who apparently is a big shot embraced by an array of celebrities including the legendary tough guy Chuck Norris, is in fact a fake person.
And it appears that they have a lot of evidence to substantiate the claim.
“Introducing Steven Reece Lewis”
In 2021, HyperVerse first presented Steven Reece Lewis who apparently worked at Goldman Sachs and is a successful company founder, financier, and a visionary.
In 2016, he allegedly saw blockchain’s “disruptive” potential and “predicted” that the crypto market “would be the driving force in the next decade.”
This all stems from the screenshot below revealed by HyperVerse, a scheme promoted by the Australian entrepreneur Sam Lee and his business partner, Ryan Xu, two of the founders of the collapsed Australian bitcoin company Blockchain Global.
Needless to say, the latter has gone bust, owing creditors $58 million and its liquidator.
However, none of this holds. Steven Reece Lewis, according to a recent investigation, simply doesn’t exist.
Guardian’s investigation was neither able to confirm that a person under this name is anywhere to be found at all nor find any evidence of his having worked for Goldman Sachs, selling his company to Adobe, or studying at Leeds University or Cambridge.
How to safeguard yourself?
Though there’s no way to fully protect yourself from malicious individuals operating in the crypto-verse, there are several things to heed.
For example, take a look at Steven’s description of achievements. It is not stated which companies exactly he began or which angel investors supported his projects. Even though the amount of investment – $10 million – is still mentioned and appears to be tangible.
The only company that is more elaborated on is the HyperTech Group that “caught the attention of this high-profile performance.”
Also, heed the overall quality of the font and colors, – always a good tell sign as professional designers are expensive – and the funny “credibility” sign on the right.
None of this in fact looks credible.
Though this may sound slightly puzzling, the fact that this project reportedly received public endorsement from an array of celebrities such as the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and actor Chuck Norris is likewise.
Why would people of such high-profile support “Steven Reece Lewis” and, especially, a martial arts actor?
All in all, it’s highly important to do your own research and really deep-dive into the company’s whitepapers and ideas. There are many frauds out there, willing to capitalize on the ignorance of others. So, stay safe.
Previously, GNcrypto reported that the community believes that Alex Mashinsky will rot in prison.
