ARK Invest and our cyber security vendors are aware of fake websites, YouTube channels, and other social media accounts posing as ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, and/or members of the ARK Invest team. We report these impersonators immediately to the relevant parties who have the authority and responsibility to remove the content.
ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, and members of the ARK Invest team will never solicit funds, including cryptocurrency, via social media, YouTube videos, and/or direct messages. We do not offer any crypto giveaways, private investment mentorships, guaranteed returns, or similar. Any accounts or websites claiming otherwise are not affiliated with ARK Invest in any way and we encourage you to follow the government's advice on reporting these scammers. The steps for reporting can be viewed at the following website: Report Scams and Frauds | USAGov.
The only social media accounts associated with ARK Invest are listed below.
- The only advisor or investment-related sites affiliated with ARK Invest are ark-invest.com and ark-funds.com.
- The only official Twitter accounts affiliated with ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, and our research team can be found on our ARK Twitter list.
- The only official YouTube account associated with ARK Invest is this verified account.
- The only official Instagram account in use that is associated with ARK Invest on Instagram is the verified @arkinvest account.
- The only official Facebook account in use by ARK Invest is this account.
- The only official LinkedIn account in use by ARK Invest is this account.
- The only official Reddit account affiliated with ARK Invest is this account.
- The only official TikTok account in use by ARK Invest is this verified account.
Below is a list of common impersonation scams targeting ARK Invest.
Common Scams
Twitter: There are several different impersonation scams to watch for on Twitter.
Scam 1: Scammers often create a handle similar to existing ARK Invest accounts, including those for Cathie Wood and the research team, with a slight variation (e.g. A scammer could use a ‘0’ to replace an ‘o’ in a Twitter handle).
An impersonator account will often retweet real tweets from the ARK account they are impersonating to create a real-looking timeline. Then, they often reach out via direct message and claim to be the real ARK employee and offer investment programs, crypto giveaways, guaranteed returns, or similar, and direct you to a fake website that typically incorporates “ARK” or “Cathie Wood” into the domain name. ARK Invest will never offer these programs, especially via social media. The only advisor or investment-related sites affiliated with ARK Invest are ark-invest.com and ark-funds.com.
Scam 2: Scammers create an account claiming to be a financial professional. They then reach out, often via direct message, claiming to have a partnership with ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, and/or an ARK affiliate. The scammers then often offer a private investment program, including crypto mining, which is only available through a third-party website. These websites are scams and are not affiliated with ARK Invest in any way. ARK Invest and those with any affiliation to ARK will never solicit investments, including offering investment programs, through social media private messages.
Scam 3: Scammers create a Twitter account named “ARK Invest,” though with any Twitter handle (e.g. the handle could be @JohnDoe123456789, while the name is “ARK Invest”), and add followers to a Twitter List with a name that implies a crypto giveaway. The Twitter user receives a notification that “ARK Invest” has added them to this “giveaway” list. This list typically uses an image of a doctored, fake tweet from the verified ARK Invest account offering a crypto giveaway, or similar, including a link to a scam website where the giveaway is taking place. ARK Invest will never offer any crypto giveaways, private investment mentorships, guaranteed returns, or similar, via social media, including via a Twitter list.
The only official Twitter accounts affiliated with ARK Invest, Cathie Wood, and our research team can be found on our ARK Twitter list.
YouTube: There are several different impersonation scams to watch for on YouTube.
Scam 1: Scammers often hack an established third-party channel and rebrand it to look like ARK Invest or Cathie Wood, with a name such as “ARK Invest,” “ARK Invest Live,” or similar. These impersonators then typically use existing ARK Invest content, including “The ‘B’ Word” conference with Cathie Wood, Jack Dorsey, and Elon Musk, as well as episodes of “In The Know With Cathie Wood,” to create a fake “live” stream event. During these streams, the scammers often promote a fake cryptocurrency giveaway where they claim they will double the amount of cryptocurrency a user sends to a crypto address and direct viewers to a fake website. These websites typically incorporate “ARK” or “Cathie Wood” into the domain name. ARK Invest will never offer this type of giveaway. The only advisor or investment-related sites affiliated with ARK Invest are ark-invest.com and ark-funds.com.
Scam 2: Scammers create impersonator accounts to respond to comments on videos on ARK Invest’s verified channel. These impersonators often use the ARK Invest name, Cathie Wood name, or a variation that includes a number or email address to contact, as well as the ARK logo. This scam typically involves the impersonator asking commenters to contact them via WhatsApp or at a non ark-invest.com email address. ARK will never ask followers to reach out to them via WhatsApp or any non ark-invest.com email. Please verify that any comment claiming to be from ARK Invest has the official YouTube verified checkmark.
The only official YouTube account associated with ARK Invest is this verified account.
Instagram: Scammers often create handles similar to ARK Twitter accounts, including those for Cathie Wood and the research team. ARK’s research team is not on Instagram. The only Instagram account in use that is associated with ARK Invest on Instagram is the verified @arkinvest account.
Facebook: Scammers often create impersonation profiles for ARK Invest and Cathie Wood. The only Facebook account in use by ARK Invest is this account. Any account claiming otherwise is an impersonation. ARK and anyone affiliated with ARK will never solicit funds, investments, or offer crypto giveaways on social media, including Facebook.
LinkedIn: Scammers often create impersonation profiles for Cathie Wood and other members of the ARK Team. The only LinkedIn account in use by ARK Invest is this account. Any account claiming otherwise is an impersonation. ARK and anyone affiliated with ARK will never solicit funds, investments, or offer crypto giveaways on social media, including LinkedIn.
ARK on Other Social Media Platforms: ARK Invest also has a company social media account on TikTok and Reddit. These are the only accounts affiliated with ARK Invest on TikTok and Reddit. Anyone claiming otherwise, including those offering investment advice, private investment programs, cryptocurrency giveaways, and similar offers, are impersonators.