A Suspect Crypto Site Stole My Identity – and I'm Furious

A site called "US Veteran Token" looks to be using goodwill toward military vets to scam investors. And one of our bios was stolen to promote it.

AccessTimeIconJul 21, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 13, 2021 at 11:13 a.m. UTC
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This week, I was hurled into the ranks of the unfortunate people who have had their identities stolen by a dodgy crypto enterprise – and, as the above headline indicates, I'm pissed.

As I was informed by a well-wisher via an email this week, I am being advertised as an "advisor" to a supposed cryptocurrency project called "US Veteran Token" (USVT) that insinuates that it in some way supports the men and women that have admirably served their country in the military.

But it appears to all be a ruse. A big fat fake.

The sender of the email informed me that, not only had I been linked to the website, but members of his team had also had their bios stolen and posted on the site.

My own bio was lifted, along with an older image, verbatim, from the CoinDesk website. That is, apart from my cryptocurrency disclosure, which had been hiked significantly in value and altered to include USVT.

scam-vet-site-advisors

For the record, if it isn't already clear, I do not own any USVT, and I do not have any association with the project. My emailer said that, in fact, the site was a rip-off of a genuine military-focused service he had been developing, but is currently on hold.

Still, I suppose I should take some small satisfaction in being in good company. Also included in "testimonials" is chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Jay Clayton.

scam-vet-site-testimonials

When CoinDesk reached out to Clayton's office, we got the reply from an SEC spokesperson:

“Neither the SEC nor the Chairman endorse or approve securities offerings, including initial coin offerings (ICOs) or cryptocurrency offerings.  While SEC staff reviews filings for compliance with disclosure obligations, the SEC does not evaluate the merits of any offering nor does it determine if securities offered are good investments.”

Others who are listed as being connected with the site have also taken to social media to make it clear they have no involvement with the suspect project.

— Laura Shin (@laurashin) July 17, 2019

At press time, the site is showing 404 status and most content is not showing. Whether someone has taken action or the project thought better of its actions, I'm not sure.

But with it showing many hallmarks of a scam, my opinion is crypto investors out there would do well to avoid US Veteran Token (usveterantoken[dot]net) and its touted "ICO," if it should get back online

Images via USVT website

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


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