YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Multiple South Korean celebrities and popular YouTubers are facing growing allegations of cryptocurrency fraud. While some deny involvement, others have admitted to investing in the controversial cryptocurrency. Winnerz, a Korean blockchain sports platform known for issuing cryptocurrency, is at the center of these accusations. The platform stands accused of running a crypto scam.
According to the allegations leveled by investors, Winnerz issued fake cryptocurrency, took their money, and then barred them from withdrawing their funds. However, the exact amount withheld from investors remains undisclosed.
Celebrities involved in the Winnerz crypto scam
To appear genuine and credible, Winnerz recruited several famous Koreans as part of its scheme to attract investors. These celebrities would either allegedly buy the coins, or recruit investors for a commission, or both.
An anonymous online post revealed that they had submitted the alleged ‘Winnerz coin fraud’ to the National Police Agency on February 5. Before this, they had filed similar reports with the National Civil Service.
South Korean comedian Na Sun-uk found himself embroiled in the Winnerz crypto scam controversy after a photo surfaced of him attending a Winnerz year-end party. However, Na refuted these accusations on his YouTube channel. Alleging that the media reports were false, he claimed his attendance at the gatherings was purely social, He maintains he has personal connections at the party and is in no way connected to Winnerz or coin investments.
Kim Won-hoon and Cho Jin-se, both operators of the popular YouTube channel Shortbox with 2.85 million subscribers, also denied any business or financial involvement with Winnerz in a YouTube post. They particularly distanced themselves from Choi Seung-jung, a Winnerz official implicated in several coin fraud cases.
Winnerz threatens to sue
Amid all the deniers, Korean YouTuber Oh Byeong-min, known as Oking, confessed to investing in Winnerz. The platform had listed the influencer, who boasts 2 million subscribers, as a director on the company’s website. Oh has since announced his intention to withdraw his investment. Moreover, he announced that he would cease all collaborations with them after Winnerz crypto scam reports.
In the face of these fraud allegations, Winnerz defended itself on its website. The platform claimed to be a legitimate blockchain technology-based sports platform with transparent business operations and goals.
“The claim that Winnerz Coin is a ‘scam coin’ is not true, and the sales process has nothing to do with quasi-receipts or multi-level marketing. Nevertheless, the behavior of some YouTubers who spread false information like this is causing enormous disruption to our business operations, and we plan to take strong legal action against them without any leniency,”
the company announced.
The platform further pointed out that Winnerz could not be a crypto scam as several overseas exchanges have listed the coin.
