How Scammers Use Anonymous Fake News Sites and Bribery to Silence Investigative Journalism

As an investigative journalist exposing Ponzi schemes, crypto frauds, and MLM scams, I’ve made powerful enemies.

Over time, those I’ve investigated have responded with coordinated online attacks — fake news sites, impersonation YouTube channels, and defamatory blogs designed to discredit me and mislead the public.

These are not legitimate critics or journalists. They are anonymous scammers, hiding behind privacy-protected domains and fabricated bylines. In some cases, Google itself has directed me to “contact the journalist” behind a defamatory post — but the supposed journalist was me, and the website had no contact page at all. That’s how these people operate: invisible, unaccountable, and manipulative.

The purpose of this page is simple — to document these attacks, raise awareness, and show transparency about what happens when you challenge organised fraud.

“If you’re not getting flak, you’re not over the target.”
— World War II aviation proverb

How to Find Credible Journalism

If you want to verify legitimate reporting about me or my work, go to Google, type Danny de Hek into the search bar, and click the “NEWS” tab.
That section only displays stories from verified, professional outlets like The New York Times, Bloomberg, and The Guardian.

You won’t find any of the fake blogs or propaganda sites there — because Google News only indexes real journalism that meets editorial and verification standards.

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed; everything else is public relations.”
— George Orwell

Why This Page Exists

Every time I expose a scam, I become the target of new retaliation. I could spend my days filing takedown requests, but many of these sites require formal court injunctions, and even when removed, new ones appear within 24 hours.

That’s why I always say: many hands make light work. While my Avengers and I continue to have false content removed where possible, public awareness and collective action help expose the scale of this abuse.

I treat these attacks as trophies — proof that my investigations are making an impact.
At the same time, this page serves as evidence for hosting companies, registrars, and regulators to see that these are coordinated efforts, not isolated critics.

Attempts to Silence My Work Through Bribes and Lawsuits

Not all attacks are anonymous. Some of the people I’ve exposed have tried to buy my silence or use the courts to intimidate me.

In 2025, representatives of GOLIATH VENTURES INC offered me $150,000 to remove my exposé content from the internet — a blatant attempt to suppress ongoing investigations.

When I refused, their associates escalated by filing fake copyright strikes, creating impersonation websites, and launching renewed smear campaigns.

PDFEarlier, in 2023, Texas-based cryptocurrency promoter Stephen Andrew McCullah filed a $3.85 million defamation claim in the New Zealand High Court after I published videos investigating his business dealings.

He later withdrew the case, and Associate Judge Owen Paulsen ordered him to pay $27,500 in costs, ruling that the action was a SLAPP case — a frivolous lawsuit designed to silence me rather than seek justice.

The official news headline summed it up: “American businessman tried to gag Christchurch scam buster.”

After losing in court, McCullah personally reached out and offered me a $5,000 ‘donation’ if I removed my exposé videos, promising his associates would delete the defamatory websites targeting me. That message is still on record — a textbook example of bribery disguised as negotiation. (You can click his name in this section to read my detailed exposé on Stephen McCullah.)

These incidents make one thing clear: when scammers can’t win with lies, they turn to money, manipulation, and legal threats to silence those who tell the truth.

“The truth is not only violated by falsehood; it may be equally outraged by silence.”
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

The Tactics Used Against Me

The coordinated campaigns against me rely on a range of deceitful tactics, including:

  • Anonymous fake news sites impersonating journalists.
  • YouTube channels using my name, voice, or likeness.
  • False copyright strikes submitted to remove investigative videos.
  • Paid Google search ads pushing disinformation.
  • Mass-reporting attacks that took down my Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Zoom, and Reddit accounts.
  • Termination of my YouTube channel, The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, following a coordinated sabotage effort – read the full story here.
  • Denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against my official website, now protected by Google Project Shield, a program created to defend journalists and human rights defenders.

Each of these methods is designed to distract, silence, and mislead, but they all point to one undeniable truth — the work is effective.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
— Commonly attributed to Mahatma Gandhi

Known Fake News & Propaganda Sites

Below is a verified list of domains and channels actively spreading false or defamatory content.
They are maintained by scammers who hide ownership details and disable all contact options.

YouTube Channels

  • youtube[.]com/channel/UC7zZzE5fH47uNgpQ6XPBo4A
  • youtube[.]com/@LiciadaSobre/shorts
  • youtube[.]com/@WhatDeHek1
  • youtube[.]com/@DannyDeHekFacts
  • youtube[.]com/@dvirderhy4985
  • youtube[.]com/@MaiSummerVueExposingCyberbully/videos

Websites & Blogs

  • dehekfacts[.]blogspot[.]com
  • dannydehekfacts[.]hashnode[.]dev
  • sites[.]google[.]com/view/dannydehek/
  • dannydeheek[.]com
  • dannydehek[.]info
  • fakejournalists[.]net
  • deheek[.]co
  • online[.]fliphtml5[.]com/oaldi/zxwo/#p=2
  • dailymotion[.]com/derhydvir
  • gurumag[.]com/danny-de-hek-accused-of-reckless-and-abusive-behavior-when-reporting-on-scams/

These examples are proof of how scammers weaponise online anonymity to run smear campaigns while evading accountability.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”
— Jonathan Swift

Transparency and Accountability

This page will remain active and regularly updated as new domains appear and others are removed.
Every link listed here forms part of a wider pattern — evidence that the attacks are coordinated, not coincidental.

By documenting these incidents publicly, I can help hosting providers, domain registrars, and regulators recognise the scale of the abuse aimed at silencing legitimate journalism.

The scammers behind these pages are clever, but traceable.
And while they try to bury the truth under falsehoods, transparency is — and always will be — the best defence.

How You Can Help

  • Report defamatory pages directly through Google or YouTube’s built-in reporting tools.
  • Share verified links only from my official platforms:
  • Stay vigilant — scammers often recycle content, switch domains, and reappear under new names after takedowns.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke

Real journalism stands on evidence, transparency, and accountability.
The fake sites listed above represent the opposite — coordinated disinformation efforts by scammers desperate to protect their fraudulent operations.

This page will remain active and regularly updated, documenting each new attempt to suppress investigative truth.
The attacks may continue, but so will the work — because truth is the most powerful weapon against deception.