What was claimed
A cryptocurrency trader has posted a photo of herself with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Our verdict
False. The self-described trader is using images of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, to promote themself.
Images of prominent female professionals are being used on the Facebook accounts of supposed online cryptocurrency traders in a bid to lure investors.
Photographs of European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and US Vice President Kamala Harris are among the many famous faces being used to represent traders who go by a variety of names.
This account (archived) belonging to self-described trader Jennifer Florence FX actually features Ms Lagarde as the profile image.
It features several other images of the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, examples here, here and here.
It even uses an image of Ms Lagarde with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and this hastily edited image of Lagarde on a European Parliament security pass.
The Lagarde images are but the tip of the iceberg.
Various prominent female professionals are used across other pages, including US Vice President Kamala Harris. Ms Harris’s name is even used in full for one such account, “Kamala Harris FX,” here.
Accounts typically have “FX”, short for foreign exchange, in their name and promise wealth through investment in cryptocurrency and other financial channels, or feature testimonials purporting to be from clients thrilled with their riches.
Other accounts show, for example, Slovenia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, whose image appears on the account Comfort Alice FX, while Lara Brazil Fx Trader and Ifelizabeth FX Trader use an image of Russian politician Lilia Gumerova. An account called Declan Fx Williams employs images of Polish motivational speaker Kamila Rowińska.
Some photos used show the female professionals in work situations or feature inspirational words about investment, such as this post using an image of Ms Fajon. The accounts often encourage people to contact them for directions on how to invest.
Among the other famous faces include Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union Commission. This image, taken from her X social media account, has been used as a profile photo for Rizalia Taclas FX, while Slovenia’s President Nataša Pirc Musar has been reborn as Rubleva Alex Fx.
The James Elizabeth Fx account has an image of German politician and Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate Marie-Luise ‘Malu’ Dreyer as its profile image.
AAP FactCheck has previously traced Australian politicians being used in similar schemes.
The Verdict
The claim that a cryptocurrency trader has posted a photo of herself with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is false.
The self-described trader has used images of Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, to promote themself.
It is just one of many accounts of supposed traders to have used images of prominent female professionals.
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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