An image shared on Facebook claims to show a purported New York Times opinion piece headline on Bitcoin ETFs and inflation.

Verdict: False

A spokesperson for the New York Times denied the claim’s validity and labeled the headline as “fabricated” in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

The price of Bitcoin cryptocurrency recently fell 7% to $40,887.81, according to CNBC. The drop represents the “worst daily drawdown” since Bitcoin fell below $25,000 back in August, Coin Desk reported.

The Facebook image claims to show a purported New York Times opinion piece headline on Bitcoin ETFs and inflation. “Bitcoin ETFs: The Main Reason For The Next Inflation Crisis,” the purported headline reads. “Big Banks embrace the digital ‘money’ of the dark web,” a purported subheadline follows. The post claims the purported piece was written by columnist Robert M. Mehmers on Dec. 2, 2023.

The claim also circulated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, where it was viewed over 400,000 times.

The headline is fabricated, however. Check Your Fact conducted a search of The New York Times’ website, which did not generate any articles matching that of the purported headline. In addition, the outlet has not referenced the supposed headline on any of its verified social media accounts.

Likewise, Check Your Fact conducted a keyword search for the alleged writer of the piece, Robert M. Mehmers. While Mehmers’ verified X account lists him as a freelance opinion columnist and New York Times contributor, he does not appear to have authored any pieces for the Times, according to a search of the outlet’s website.

Furthermore, there are no other credible news reports supporting the claim. (RELATED: Did Israeli Newspaper Claim Israelis Made Millions From Shares Ahead Of Oct. 7 Hamas Attack?)

Naseem Amini, a spokesperson for The New York Times, denied the claim’s validity and labeled the headline as “fabricated” in an email to Check Your Fact.

“[It] is indeed a fabricated headline, and no such essay was published by the New York Times,” Amini said.