'Trump Bucks' Scam Swindles Thousand of Dollars From Unsuspecting Investors

The online retailer ClickBank unopen down sites boosting “Trump Bucks,” which promoted a fabricated currency that would allegedly gain subscribers thousands of dollars if Donald Trump is elected successful the 2024 statesmanlike election. An probe conducted by NBC News revealed respective Colorado-based companies had created the scam which promised prospective investors of a get-rich-quick strategy if the erstwhile president was reelected.

The companies reportedly advertised what were called “Trump Bucks” which person Trump’s look plastered connected them and claimed anyone who invests successful the fake currency would go “real patriots” and go affluent erstwhile they yet currency in. NBC News identified the companies down the scam arsenic Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future, and USA Patriots which advertised the currency connected platforms similar The Telegram, and suggested that they were endorsed by Trump.

Trump Bucks could beryllium purchased arsenic coins, checks, and cards, saying they would go ineligible erstwhile Trump was backmost successful office. The companies besides reportedly utilized AI-generated narrations of celebrities who seemingly endorsed the merchandise connected social media; each of which were revealed to beryllium fake.

Former Colorado State Representative Dave Williams told Colorado7 News, “Anyone utilizing President Trump’s sanction to perpetrate fraud and swindle unsuspecting victims retired of their wealth should beryllium prosecuted to the fullest grade of the law. If this NBC study is accurate, past these grifters who are evidently not connected to the Trump run request to beryllium held accountable.”

A ClickBank spokesperson told The Guardian, “Any user purchasing these items done ClickBank received a pre-purchase disclosure that they are for commemorative worth lone and are not ineligible tender.” The spokesperson added, “Still, ClickBank is acrophobic to perceive that the products were being deceptive marketed elsewhere truthful we chose to discontinue income adjacent with our disclaimer.”

One specified website that had formerly listed the Trump Bucks present says, “This tract is nary longer successful work oregon has been disabled owed to a presumption of work violation.”

The probe recovered astatine slightest a twelve individuals had invested thousands into the scam, with 1 idiosyncratic telling NBC helium had invested $2,200 successful Trump Bucks, but lone realized it was a scam erstwhile helium couldn’t currency them successful astatine a bank.

A Bank of America spokesperson told the outlet that employees person reported that customers were coming successful to speech Trump Bucks for tangible cash, and said “It’s hard to enactment a fig connected however galore radical person travel in.”

The Better Business Bureau has fixed each 3 companies an F rating, with complaints connected the website addressing issues with the products ne'er arriving and reports that they were charged much than they had expected.

“Consumers truly request to bash a batch of homework earlier they bargain anything,” Roseann Freitas with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) told Colorado7 News. She warned consumers to beryllium wary of imaginable scams, adding, “Just due to the fact that idiosyncratic famous, his sanction is attached to it, it doesn’t mean it’s a morganatic offer.”