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Saturday 2 December 2023 Dublin: 2°C
FACTCHECK

Debunked: Fake RTÉ posts about Anne Doyle are a hoax to promote a cryptocurrency scheme

Similar hoaxes promoting cryptocurrency have featured other Irish celebrities.

A SCREENSHOT THAT appears to show a story on the RTÉ website about Anne Doyle and the end of her career does not refer to a real article or direct users to the actual RTÉ website.

The image, which features a picture of the former newsreader, has a headline that reads: “Anne Doyle: Is this the end of her career?”.

The image was shared on social media with a link, which actually sends people to a different website advertising a cryptocurrency scheme.

It’s claimed the scheme is endorsed by former RTÉ presenter Mike Murphy and businessman Denis O’Brien. However, this is a hoax.

“The head of RTÉ One, Raidió Teilifis Éireann, called Anne Doyle irresponsible. Her statement could destroy the foundation of Irish society,” a post accompanying the screenshot on Facebook said.

It is akin to how a cryptocurrency fraud network was promoted this summer using a fictional Tommy Tiernan interview with Eamon Ryan, and another similar post about Ireland AM host Tommy Bowe.

Clicking into the Anne Doyle story, users are redirected to a website called that calls itself Immediate Enigma which advertises cryptocurrency software, featuring fake testimonials by Irish celebrities.

There is no mention of former RTÉ newsreader Anne Doyle on the website itself. Doyle debunked fake stories suggesting she promoted cryptocurrency online.

“Don’t come for me for Crypto advice. I’m not your woman,” she told the Irish Mirror earlier this month.

The website domain, sectiovnvs.com, was registered in September through an American registrar. It is unclear who owns or runs the site.

Searches show that there are no stories on the RTÉ website with the same headline as the one about Anne Doyle featured in the screenshot, nor anything approximating it.

The report is simply a hoax to promote a cryptocurrency scheme.

The Journal’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.