CONSUMER CATCH-UP: Metallica Warns Fans of Crypto Scams by Imposters, Robinhood Launches IRAs on App

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SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — In this edition of Consumer Catch-Up, metal legends Metallica warn their fans about imposters claiming to release their new album to lure them into a cryptocurrency scam, and the investment app Robinhood announces new retirement accounts for customers.

Metallica Warns Fans About Fake Livestreams and Crypto Scams

Metallica recently announced a new album and world tour – and the scammers are trying to cash in on the fan excitement.

Metallica took to Facebook on Monday to warn subscribers about fake YouTube live streams that use a QR code to link unsuspecting fans to fake cryptocurrency giveaways. “In the wake of last week’s exciting news regarding our new song, new album and new tour, sadly the ugly side of social media has come to the fore,” the band wrote in a post.

The YouTube videos claim to be new interviews with the group, featuring full tracks from the upcoming album ’72 Seasons’, which will be released next April. However, the interviews use old footage taken from promotions in 2020 and 2021 and promote fake “Metallica Crypto giveaways”.

The band noted that all of their social media accounts are verified and urged fans to double-check the name of any channel or account featuring Metallica content to ensure they are not being taken over by an impostor.

Investing app Robinhood announces the launch of retirement accounts on the platform

Robinhood, the investment and crypto trading app, has announced a new product on its platform: Individual Retirement Accounts, better known as IRAs.

While IRAs have long been a common way for people to set aside money for their old age, this is Robinhood’s first time getting into investing for retirement. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev cited the fact that many young workers do not have access to 401(k)s through their employers as the reason for the offer. “Today you see an increasing number of people working on contract, part-time, in a gig economy. They just don’t have access to it. We wanted to offer that to everyone, no employer no ‘needed it,” Tenev said.

Robinhood even offers a 1% match for qualifying contributions, which could mean an extra $65 in the pockets of workers under 50 who contribute the maximum amount allowed to their IRA.

Early sign-ups for accounts begin Tuesday, with full access for everyone starting in January.

Google Search now uses continuous scrolling to show more results

Clicking is (almost) a thing of the past on Google Search.

Google announced on Monday that it was reformatting its search engine results page, offering “continuous scrolling” instead of letting users click through to other results pages. Users will be able to scroll through the equivalent of the first six pages of results before having to click “See more” at the bottom of the page.

Google rolled out continuous scrolling for its mobile app in October 2021.

According to Google, most users view the first four pages of results for their queries.

Check out more stories and videos from Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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