Photo: Gaskings
We don't like to talk about what's going on with big car-related YouTube channels, but once in a while, something big happens.
If you like binging on funny video compilations of people crashing or generally doing stupid stuff on the road, you might have heard about of a guy called "Gaskings."
The guy rose quite fast within the YouTube community and at the height of his popularity had over 600,000 subscribers thanks to this "Savage Level" reaction videos done in an exaggerated British accent. But one day, about two months ago if we're not mistaken, he just stopped uploading out of nowhere. So what happened?
Well, Anthony Locke (that's his real name) and his friend Ray King were apparently doing a bit of fraud. They were going to people, mostly pensioners, telling them to invest money and promising high returns. So far, 16 people have lost £999,266, which is around $1.3 million.
Investigators found that the money had been used for everyday expenses and a lot of Internet gambling. Even exotic vacations were reported, but Locke's personal passions are also coming through in these expenses, as cars he bought may have been used to give himself more clout on the Internet.
What's really interesting is that the YouTube channel has disappeared into thin air. You can't even find copies of his original videos. The last time it was seen, it had about 675,000 subscribers.
Even after he stopped making new videos, the channel was still pulling about six million views a month, which might have been enough for him to indulge in his car passion. With those kinds of views, he could have gotten close to at least $20,000, not including any sponsorship deal, which he did have.
According to Daily Mail, Locke denies "24 counts of fraud by false representation and three of money laundering." He faces five years in prison, but what we really want to know is what happened to the channel. Do the authorities have a basis to delete something like this or was this a knee-jerk reaction on his behalf?
The guy rose quite fast within the YouTube community and at the height of his popularity had over 600,000 subscribers thanks to this "Savage Level" reaction videos done in an exaggerated British accent. But one day, about two months ago if we're not mistaken, he just stopped uploading out of nowhere. So what happened?
Well, Anthony Locke (that's his real name) and his friend Ray King were apparently doing a bit of fraud. They were going to people, mostly pensioners, telling them to invest money and promising high returns. So far, 16 people have lost £999,266, which is around $1.3 million.
Investigators found that the money had been used for everyday expenses and a lot of Internet gambling. Even exotic vacations were reported, but Locke's personal passions are also coming through in these expenses, as cars he bought may have been used to give himself more clout on the Internet.
What's really interesting is that the YouTube channel has disappeared into thin air. You can't even find copies of his original videos. The last time it was seen, it had about 675,000 subscribers.
Even after he stopped making new videos, the channel was still pulling about six million views a month, which might have been enough for him to indulge in his car passion. With those kinds of views, he could have gotten close to at least $20,000, not including any sponsorship deal, which he did have.
According to Daily Mail, Locke denies "24 counts of fraud by false representation and three of money laundering." He faces five years in prison, but what we really want to know is what happened to the channel. Do the authorities have a basis to delete something like this or was this a knee-jerk reaction on his behalf?
Google News