FOX News reporter Eleanor Tellet warned of deceptive news stories circulating online.
The publication used her name and an official Fox News graphic to promote a scam using non-existent BlackRock tokens.
fraudulent work
Terret sounded the alarm on X, saying:
“A fake article is circulating promoting a fraudulent BlackRock token sale using my name and official Fox graphics.”
He also warned users to remain wary of scams. The screenshots she shared revealed more details about the article.
A fake report dated December 5 falsely claimed that BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management company, had launched a pre-sale of a token named “BlackRock Token (BRT).” The post describes the hypothetical token as a “groundbreaking” effort to integrate blockchain technology into traditional finance.
It also urged readers to visit the fake website BlackRockToken(.)net to participate in the presale. The site reportedly provided detailed project information, including a step-by-step buying guide, insights on tokenomics and utility, and updates on anticipated milestones.
The post includes a blurb highlighting the “BlackRock Advantage” and describes the token as a testament to BlackRock’s leadership in financial innovation. The initiative leverages the company’s resources, expertise, and commitment to delivering exceptional value to investors, and positioned the project as a fusion of traditional finance and the potential of blockchain.
The fraudulent news article attempted to appear legitimate by featuring an AI-generated image resembling a Fox News graphic and falsely attributing writing credit to Eleanor Terret and FOX Business.
Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time BlackRock has been on the wrong end of an incident like this. On November 13 of last year, a fake tax return was posted on the website of a Delaware corporation claiming that an asset management company had registered the iShares XRP Trust. However, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas later confirmed to the company that the document was fraudulent.
Similar exploit
The incident is part of a broader trend of cryptocurrency-related scams and hacks targeting prominent platforms and celebrities. On December 8th, the Cardano Foundation’s X account was hacked and a fake token called “ADAsol” was promoted.
The bad actors falsely claimed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had filed a lawsuit against Cardano and that the foundation would stop supporting ADA.
Similarly, in September, a Bloomberg report revealed that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s X account was compromised to promote a fake token named “$OPENAI.”
The fake post is full of mistakes, including calling the token “$OPEANAI” and connecting the wallet to a phishing website using a misleading URL “token-openai(.)com” I was encouraging them to do so. The site was preying on unsuspecting users looking to profit from non-existent cryptocurrencies by promising early access to future OpenAI beta programs.
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