Kevin O'Leary & Kevin Harrington From 'Shark Tank' Sued for Fraud

Shark Tank hosts Kevin O’Leary and Kevin Harrington are being sued by entrepreneurs who claimed they were defrauded by the pair for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Source: CNBC / Getty

One of America’s favorite shows is Shark Tank. On the program, we get to see everyday people pitch themselves to the big wigs of business and hope their lives are changed forever. If you’ve ever seen the spin-off Beyond The Tank, you see how quickly things fall apart the second they leave the stage. Business can be tricky, things can be lost in translation and sometimes, people get finessed. According to TMZ, a group of 20 entrepreneurs are claiming they were defrauded by two Sharks from the show.

In the suit, the folks who claim they got scammed say they were promised help raising funds for the businesses and some say the prospect of appearing on “Shark Tank” was dangled in front of them … but they say once they paid money to the companies endorsed by “Shark Tank” stars, they got little to nothing in return, aside from a bill.

What’s more, the suit claims the crowdfunding companies O’Leary allegedly endorsed might not even exist at all and suspect it may be a big “predatory fraud scheme.”

These 20 people are just the ones who took action and the damage could reportedly involve hundreds more. As far as the sharks, they responded claiming it’s a case of misrepresentation and stolen identify.

O’Leary is denying any involvement in the alleged scam.

KO, through his attorney Andrew Brettler, tells TMZ … “It appears that someone has been using my name and likeness without my knowledge, permission, or consent. I’ve never heard of any of these purported companies and have never conducted business with any of the plaintiffs who filed this suit.”

He adds … “Obviously, I want to get to the bottom of it too, as my rights have been violated. We will make sure that the bad actors are held accountable.”

Hopefully, they aren’t attached to this scheme because it could be some serious legal issues for not only both Kevins, but for Shark Tank as a whole. If it is a case of someone finessing people, its amazing all these people didn’t do their homework and see what’s real. Either way, the truth will come out soon enough.