UK broadcaster BBC has decided to cancel a documentary and an accompanying article on crypto trader Hanad Hassan following the emergence of allegations suggesting the Birmingham resident could be running a scam.
The British broadcaster initially planned to present the 20-year-old — who claims to have turned GBP 37 (USD 50) of his personal assets into a whopping GBP 6m (USD 8.1m) worth of crypto — as the founder of a charity-focused crypto project and a successful trader, The Daily Mail reported.
A university dropout, Hassan was said to be using “his wealth to help people,” donating some GBP 200,000 (USD 271,465) to charitable causes in his hometown.
However, the BBC had found out that the crypto in question was discontinued last October, and a number of dissatisfied investors have alleged on social media that they were victims of a scam orchestrated by the trader.
We “all lost our f****** money because of your scam,” said one investor.
As a result, the BBC decided to remove the article on Hassan from its website and scrap the documentary, We Are England: Birmingham’s Self-Made Crypto-Millionaire, which was scheduled to air on BBC1 last night.
A “source” at the broadcaster was quoted as saying that the BBC was currently “investigating” the matter and was “taking it very seriously”.
The crypto in question, Orfano, was launched last April. Its declared objective was to transfer 3% of the funds injected by investors to charities such as food banks. Or as the website states, “100% of the money made from the 3% charity allocation goes to a charitable cause.”
Among others, the coin has secured the backing of musician Akon who tweeted a video in which he praised Orfano’s charitable activities.
Orfano’s official website remains online, while its Twitter account has been inactive since last October. The last event mentioned on both is the token’s presale in early October 2021.
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