© RTL
A fake video circulating on Facebook, falsely claiming that Luxembourg's Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume is endorsing a cryptocurrency platform, has duped viewers with doctored footage and a fraudulent website mimicking the layout of RTL.
The fake video was originally posted by a 'James Burnip' on Facebook, allegedly an Australian musician. The video depicts RTL newsreader Lynn Cruchten, whose voice has been dubbed into German by the scammers. The clip is overlaid by text in grammatically incorrect German, and uses images from Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume's swearing-in as Lieutenant-Representative on 8 October to promote a cryptocurrency scam.
The video claims that Prince Guillaume took the opportunity within the Chamber of Deputies to advertise a platform allowing Luxembourgers to "pay off their debts in a month", enabling them to "retire early".
The actual video, shown below, is a report on the swearing-in ceremony as Prince Guillaume was appointed his father's Lieutenant-Representative. The real video is in Luxembourgish, whereas the fake uses a German overlay to promote the scam.
As if that were not enough, the link provided at the end of the fake video leads to a fake website replicating RTL's layout. The link leads to an 'article' claiming the Grand Ducal family is promoting the crypto platform. Unsurprisingly, this is untrue.
However, users may end up on a new page via a hyperlink where they are invited to "invest" in the scam, amid promises of their investment doubling "as if by miracle" within hours, and even tenfold within days.
Naturally, users are advised not to follow the scam, as they will not receive a return on their investment.
An dëser Fënster probéieren Onéierlecher op der Bedruchssäit un hiren Affer hir Donnéeën a Suen ze kommen. (Link geblurred) / © Screenshot
