The saga began in 2021 when Steven Reece Lewis emerged as the CEO of HyperVerse, a metaverse investment platform. However, it soon came to light that the platform was not regulated by international authorities, resulting in investor losses reaching a staggering $1.3 billion. To add credibility to his identity, promotional materials for the project claimed that Lewis had a successful track record, including selling a web development company to Adobe and working at Goldman Sachs. Additionally, he was said to have obtained a master’s degree from Cambridge University and graduated from the University of Leeds.
Yet, when The Guardian’s journalists dug deeper, they made some startling discoveries. Lewis was nowhere to be found in the databases of the mentioned universities, and he had no presence on any social media platforms. Furthermore, both Adobe and Goldman Sachs denied any association with him. To further cast doubt on his existence, Lewis was absent from both the UK company register and the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
One of the most perplexing aspects of this story is the endorsement HyperVerse received from various celebrities and public figures. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, singer Lance Bass, and action star Chuck Norris were among those who lent their support to the project. Wozniak went as far as stating that he believed HyperVerse would dominate the metaverse space under Lewis’s leadership. The Guardian speculated that these celebrities might have been recruited to promote the project through the Cameo video platform.
According to reports, HyperVerse is part of the HyperTech group, managed by Sam Lee and Ryan Xu. Both individuals previously founded Blockchain Global, an Australian company that also faced bankruptcy, with debts totaling $58 million. It’s worth noting that international regulators have previously raised suspicions of fraud against HyperVerse. However, Australian authorities have yet to recognize the HyperTech group and its affiliated companies as financial pyramids. Meanwhile, Lee denies being the founder of HyperVerse, as noted by The Guardian.
It is important to recall that several years ago, The Guardian linked fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes in Australia, which involved the use of celebrities’ images, to Russia and Ukraine.