Serhiy Harbaruk
Serhiy Harbaruk | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | Wikipedian |
Serhiy Harbaruk, is a self claimed Wikipedian,[1] who has been alleged by clients for scamming them to write and publish Wikipedia pages for their companies and about them. He came into the spotlight due to allegations of misleading clients about writing and publishing Wikipedia pages for their businesses and personal profiles. Harbaruk is reported to have operated since 2019, using several LinkedIn profiles and email identities with variations of his name such as Serhiy Harbaruk Jr, Sergii Garbaruk, Sergey Garbaruk, and others.[2]
Harbaruk is said to have promised organizations that he would craft Wikipedia pages about them and establish Google Knowledge Panels.[3] Notably, between 2019 and 2020, Wikipedia reportedly deleted 18 pages that Harbaruk had established. This action adversely affected entities like Job.com, Spacebit, ARDOR, Bitkub, Minebest, N.exchange, Ignis, and more. Consequently, in May 2021, he was banned from all projects and language versions of Wikipedia.[4]
In spite of these setbacks, there are claims that Harbaruk continued his operations by accepting payments for Wikipedia pages that he no longer even intended to create.[5] After receiving payment, he allegedly blocked communication with his clients and went incognito. To further his operations, he is reported to have registered as a private entrepreneur in 2021.[6]
Reported clients and scams
Companies that were purportedly approached by Harbaruk for Wikipedia page validations include Change, IoTeX, WOWCube, Stephen Calk, and Martin Muoto. The frequently targeted demographics appear to be startups, especially those in the cryptocurrency realm, based in Asia, the US, and Europe, as well as individual CEOs and business owners. For further personal experiences, there are posts by alleged clients.[7]
Edward Banayoti, one of the purported victims, took the matter to the police in 2021 and sought public awareness regarding the issue. The legal case is still undergoing and result is still awaited.
References
- ↑ "User:Serghiy Hrabarook". Wikipedia. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "Serghiy Hrabarook". xtools.wmcloud.org. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "Як професійний скамер Сергій Гарбарук уже 2 роки розводить компанії на "валідацію" їх сторінок у Вікіпедії ᐉ Народна Правда". Народна Правда (in українська). 6 December 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "ФОП ГАРБАРУК СЕРГІЙ СЕРГІЙОВИЧ Чернівецька область на сайті VKURSI.PRO". Vkursi (in українська). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "Как профессиональный скамер Сергей Гарбарук уже 2 года разводит компании на «валидацию» их страниц в Википедии". info-one.ua (in русский). Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ "Шахрай виманював гроші з іноземних компаній за сторінку у Вікіпедії". ВЕСТИ (in українська). 6 December 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ↑ Chou, Jacky (13 August 2023). "Harbaruk Serhii (Sergey) Serhiyovych Jr Wikipedia Scam - [email protected]". Chou Projects. Retrieved 28 August 2023.