The release appeared on Kroger’s investor relations page, and was later deleted. The company said the page, which gets automatically updated, receives a direct feed from PR Newswire, where the fake release also appeared.
“This morning a press release was fraudulently issued claiming to be The Kroger Co that falsely stated the organization will begin to accept Bitcoin Cash. This communication was fraudulent and is unfounded and should be disregarded,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
PRN issued an advisory to disregard the announcement. The news release distributor, which describes itself as a “trusted source” for accuracy on its website, did not respond to questions on how the fake statement was released on its service.
Kroger shares were trading marginally lower in early trading.