Betterment’s Bitcoin Bribe: Send $10,000, We'll Magically Triple It

KEY POINTS

•Betterment sent unauthorized notifications last Friday asking users to send $10,000 to Bitcoin and Ethereum wallets.
•The message promised to 'triple your crypto' and was signed off by someone named Bryan celebrating their 'best-performing year.'
•Betterment stated this scam alert was sent through a 'third-party system' and denied involvement in the fraudulent pitch.

On a questionable Friday, Betterment—a financial app that usually whispers sweet nothings about smart investing—decided to moonlight as a crypto pyramid scheme by begging users to send $10,000 with a promise to 'triple your crypto.' Naturally, the suspicious notification namedrops Bryan (who we assume is their crypto hype man) and assures folks they’re 'giving back' because last year was so hot they want to celebrate by lighting wallets on fire instead. The evil mastermind? A 'third-party system' (the villain in every corporate hack origin story), which Betterment blames for this unauthorized pep talk about doubling down on Bitcoin and Ethereum. Reddit users were the lucky early birds catching this scam-athon via app alert and email, triggering a collective 'WTF' in the crypto community.