A reported New York City high schooler’s fortune was revealed to be fake.
17-year-old Mohammed Islam said on Monday to the New York Observer that the money he made from the stock market wasn’t real, according to the New York Daily News. Originally, Islam was highly profiled as having made $72 million off of the stock market, being profiled primarily in New York Magazine.
It was revealed in an interview with the New York Observer by Islam that the story was fictional, and that he wasn’t sure how the New York Magazine reporter, Jessica Prowler, found the $72 million. He said that he found great success in stock trade simulations which were based off of the S&P market.
“All I can say is for the simulated trades, I was very successful,” he said to the Observer. “The returns were incredible and outperformed the S&P.”
Islam also told the Observer that the lie caused severe backlash from his family, and that he was currently residing at the house of a friend. He said that both he and his family haven’t spoken to each other since the original story about his success was published.