Risk, returns & timeframes illustration
1 min read
December 20, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

Investing under the influence? Watch out! ⚠️

Seems popular celebs have the SEC fed up and one well-known reality star has stumped up more than US$1 million in penalties for promoting a crypto token that’s since tanked. Now influencers accused of pump-n-dump activity have roused the ire of the SEC.
1 min read
December 20, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

Investing under the influence? Watch out! ⚠️

Seems popular celebs have the SEC fed up and one well-known reality star has stumped up more than US$1 million in penalties for promoting a crypto token that’s since tanked. Now influencers accused of pump-n-dump activity have roused the ire of the SEC.
1 min read
December 20, 2022
by
Regan Pearson

Investing under the influence? Watch out! ⚠️

Seems popular celebs have the SEC fed up and one well-known reality star has stumped up more than US$1 million in penalties for promoting a crypto token that’s since tanked. Now influencers accused of pump-n-dump activity have roused the ire of the SEC.
Table of contents
Getting Started Investing course
Free Getting Started Course
Take your first, or next, step to becoming a confident investor with Hatch's free online course – just 10 minutes a day, for 10 days.
The Fry up logo with fried egg
Weekly news from Wall St
Subscribe to The Fry Up - your weekly sizzle of headline-grabbing share market news. Read by 65,000 Kiwis to help them take charge of their investing journey.

They might be rich, confident and handsome (we’re looking at you Doug the Pug 🐶❤️), but when it comes to our favourite influencers using their online clout to tout financial products, it’s time to watch out!

The former boom in crypto and NFTs unleashed a wave of famous faces - from Kim Kardashian to YouTuber/boxer/Dink Doink, Logan Paul - promoting often money losing schemes at the expense of everyday investors, and US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is fed up! 👎

The SEC has been sending a firm message to celebs and influencers who are charging big bucks to shill practically worthless crypto products. How firm? Kim Kardashian settled with the SEC for more than US$1 million for failing to mention how much she had been paid to promote the crypto token EthereumMax (now worth US$$0.00000000067). 💰 And it might be too late to say sorry for Bored Apes Justin Bieber, Madonna and Paris Hilton. The A-listers are being sued by investors for similarly failing to disclose they were being paid to promote sales. 🦍 

The SEC is also cracking down on share market charlatans. Last week they charged eight people involved in an alleged online pump-and-dump scheme. The group allegedly whipped up hype for certain shares amongst their followers across social media by using false and misleading information. Then, as the price of shares jumped, the group is said to have dumped their shares onto eager buyers before the price fell. The scheme reportedly made more than US$100 million in illegal gains. 🤑

But here's the thing: just because someone has a lot of followers and seems successful, doesn't necessarily mean they're qualified to give advice. It's always important for every potential investor to do your own thorough research before making decisions based on advice from anyone, even well-known public figures. And if Doug the Pug starts an NFT project, it’s probably best to just keep scrolling. 🍷

Regan Pearson
Finance writer
Linkedin

We’re not financial advisors and Hatch news is for your information only. However dazzling our writing, none of it is a recommendation to invest in any of the companies or funds mentioned. If you want support before making any investment decisions, consider seeking financial advice from a licensed provider. We’ve done our best to ensure all information is current when we pushed ‘publish’ on this article. And of course, with investing, your money isn’t guaranteed to grow and there’s always a risk you might lose money.

Join the Kiwis who are hatching their tomorrow and have invested more than $1 billion with Hatch.

Explore another series
Tax
Money
Economy
Investing

More recent news articles

Recent learn articles

4 min read
Sep 11, 2024

In Briefs: Allbirds and On - Sneaker Showdown

Formerly a Silicon Valley staple, has Allbirds strayed too far from its lane in chasing zero carbon? It’s undergoing a stock split and on the brink of delisting, while competition Swiss shoe company On is sprinting ahead with impressive growth and podium finishes.
Read more
7 min read
Aug 20, 2024

Was August’s ‘Manic Monday’ a storm in a teacup?

July US job market data was just one catalyst for August’s US share markets’ ‘Manic Monday’. The fear index had been climbing since mid-July, Bank of Japan hiked interest rates, and the Nikkei plummeted 10% in two days. So how are global share markets connected, and could a Texas Stock Exchange boost the American economy?
Read more
7 min read
Jul 30, 2024

Is Trump good for the US economy?

The Olympics and CrowdStrike have opened Q3 with a bang that’s seen some single stocks triumphant while others go back to the drawing board. With the US elections taking place in November, how can we expect the overall markets to respond?
Read more

Related news articles

More recent learn articles

No items found.

Recent news articles

More recent learn articles

4 min read
Sep 11, 2024

In Briefs: Allbirds and On - Sneaker Showdown

Formerly a Silicon Valley staple, has Allbirds strayed too far from its lane in chasing zero carbon? It’s undergoing a stock split and on the brink of delisting, while competition Swiss shoe company On is sprinting ahead with impressive growth and podium finishes.
Read more
7 min read
Aug 20, 2024

Was August’s ‘Manic Monday’ a storm in a teacup?

July US job market data was just one catalyst for August’s US share markets’ ‘Manic Monday’. The fear index had been climbing since mid-July, Bank of Japan hiked interest rates, and the Nikkei plummeted 10% in two days. So how are global share markets connected, and could a Texas Stock Exchange boost the American economy?
Read more
7 min read
Jul 30, 2024

Is Trump good for the US economy?

The Olympics and CrowdStrike have opened Q3 with a bang that’s seen some single stocks triumphant while others go back to the drawing board. With the US elections taking place in November, how can we expect the overall markets to respond?
Read more