Ryan Tubridy has criticized cryptocurrency scams after discovering he was the face of a social media ad promoting fake coins.

On his radio show Thursday morning, Ryan discussed how he was getting messages on Instagram about ads for cryptocurrency, an unregulated form of currency that can’t be traced and is usually bought online.

The popularity of cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed in recent years, with various “currencies” such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin becoming the most popular currencies. There are also thousands of different currencies, many of them based on popular internet memes.

After he realized his face was being used in ads for various cryptocurrencies, Ryan set the record straight, telling listeners that the ads were a scam and the coins did not exist.

“I have nothing to do with crypto,” Ryan said. “I have nothing to do with those ads you see on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, I have nothing to do with that.

‘This is a fraud. We live in a generational scam,” Ryan continued. “And the Internet is alive and thriving with scams and financial cruelty to people who are vulnerable.”

Ryan went on to say that while he manages to remove the initial posts from social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, more ads continue to appear with claims that the host endorses the altcoin.

‘It’s a bit like whack-a-mole: as soon as they get rid of one [ad] another pops up, and it’s my face, and the caption says something like “Ryan Tubridy endorses crypto.” The truth of the matter is that I don’t know what cryptocurrency is.

“I’m sure he’s making some people somewhere make a lot of money, [but] I have nothing to do with it,’ Ryan said. ‘So please tell your friends. The ad looks really professional every time I’ve seen it, but we’re trying to get rid of them.’

Ryan also referred to a recent court case involving his RTÉ colleague, Miriam O’Callaghan, where she won a apology from Facebook after a series of misleading ads were made about her.

“I hope that Miriam O’Callaghan, when she won that case recently, it was like that,” Ryan said, adding, “I might not be that far from her if this continues, as irritating as it has been, as it is too much.”

“It’s a bit of a sad state of affairs… and I guess it doesn’t help the fact that you see your face, selling crypto when you’re not involved, there’s no currency involved, and it’s all about trying to steal money from decent people.” they are trying to make money themselves.’

Ryan wasn’t the only Irish celebrity to be the target of cryptocurrency scams. Earlier this year, the Derry Girls actress Siobhán McSweeney’s Twitter account was hacked, with hackers who use your account to promote NFT.