Haliey Welch: The Rise and Fall of the 'Hawk Tuah Girl' and Her Cryptocurrency Scandal

One minute you're going viral for 'spitting on that thang', the next you're at the centre of a cryptocurrency scandal. Well, if you're Haliey Welch, that is.

Haliey Welch, also known as 'Hawk Tuah Girl', has spoken out about her involvement in the $HAWK token scandal.

The 22-year-old, who became famous after a video of her spitting on a camera went viral, said she feels "really bad" for those who were affected by the coin's rapid devaluation.

Speaking on Banks' Stream, Welch said the coin was presented to her as a "long-term coin" that would "change the way everybody thinks about crypto."

However, she said it "just didn’t go the way I planned."

Welch, who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed against the coin's creators, said she was kicking herself for trusting a person who was a "friend of a friend" to get involved with the coin.

"That was probably my biggest mistake, trusting somebody that I didn’t really know that well to get me into something like that," she said.

"I probably should have looked into him a little bit more."

She added that she was left "suspicious" on $HAWK token's launch day as the guy was a "little bit weird."

Those who bought the $HAWK token collectively lost millions, with some accusing Welch of endorsing a 'pump and dump' scheme.

This refers to people hyping up a coin to increase its value, only to then sell it quickly for profit.

A federal lawsuit was filed by Burwick Law on the behalf of 12 claimants against the firm overHere Ltd and it's founder Clinton So.

Social media influencer Alex Larson Schultz and the Tuah The Moon Foundation were also named in the lawsuit.

It accuses them of unlawfully promoting and selling cryptocurrency, which was was allegedly never properly registered.

The lawsuit also claims that those accused used Welch's large social media following to help market the coin.

It claims that the defendants did this to "emphasise community engagement, inclusivity, and bridge mainstream culture with the cryptocurrency world."

According to The Sun, the complaint also states: "The rapid decline in the Token’s value caused substantial damages to investors who relied on Welch’s participation and the project’s stated roadmap."

LADbible Group has previously contacted Welch’s reps for comment.