The big retailer Kroger said on Friday that a press release announcing the acceptance of Bitcoin Cash at its 2,726 stores this holiday season is fraudulent. This is the second time in a short period of time that a U.S. major retailer is entangled in a crypto hoax.
The press release appeared on Kroger’s investor relations webpage. However, it was later deleted. The company said that it’s official webpage gets updated automatically with a direct feed from PR Newswire. The fake press release first appeared on PR Newswire.
“This morning a press release was fraudulently issued claiming to be The Kroger Co that falsely stated the organization will begin to accept Bitcoin Cash. This communication was fraudulent and is unfounded and should be disregarded.”
Kroger company spokesperson
PR Newswire is a distributor of press releases. The service was created in 1954 to allow companies to electronically send press releases to news organizations. It describes itself as a “trusted source” for accuracy on its website. The company did not respond to questions on how the fake press releaae was released on its service.
Walmart, another U.S. retailer, was also a subject of a cryptocurrency hoax in September. In that case too, a fake press release announced a “partnership” between the retailer and the cryptocurrency Litecoin. The news briefly increased the price of the little known cryptocurrency.
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