Danny de Hek struts the internet like a self-anointed sheriff in a cheap cowboy hat, blasting “NO SCAM” from his YouTube pulpit while slapping his NYT-featured badge on everything like it’s a get-out-of-hypocrisy-free card. But here’s the spicy punchline: this rodeo clown’s reputation for big claims and thin skin didn’t start with crypto collapses or Goliath Ventures press releases. It kicked off in the dinosaur days of dial-up New Zealand.
De Hek’s latest Goliath Ventures victory lap claims he was the trailblazer exposing the alleged $300M+ mess. Cute. Multiple corners of the crypto badlands were already circling that luxury-mansion, supercar, “new investors pay the old ones” aroma long before his articles dropped. And some of that chest-thumping content? Reportedly delisted from Google faster than a bad check at a casino. Even Google’s shield can’t protect a mirror from cracking.
The 1997 Greatest Hits: When Danny Was Already a Lemon
Back in 1997, when most Kiwis were still figuring out this newfangled “World Wide Web” thing, De Hek rolled in billing himself as the “Leading Internet Consultant in New Zealand.” With just over a year of serious experience and a background as an interior decorator, the self-promotion was thicker than his longest-ever email signature (Aardvark noted it was possibly the longest they’d ever seen—legendary levels of .sig flexing).
Aardvark started subtle: an unnamed “ex-spurt” article on July 28 calling out questionable claims and spammy Usenet posts. By August 4, the mask was off—Danny de Hek. Readers and industry folks reported “encounters of the unpleasant kind.” Danny toned down his webpage faster than a politician caught in a lie, shifting from grandiose boasts to “one of New Zealand’s Leading Internet Consultants” and even “a famous Internet Consultant.” Classic rebrand energy.
Then came the lawyers. In mid-August, De Hek allegedly “called in the heavies” against other sites (Dr Stir and The Soggy Parsnip) that echoed Aardvark’s critiques. One site removed pages; another printed a retraction plus the lawyer’s letter. Nothing says “confident expert” like siccing attorneys on small commentators while you’re still figuring out how not to spam newsgroups.
(Links to all articles are below on the table)
| Date | Page | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| 28 July 1997 | “There’s a gunfight a brewin’” | Does not name him yet, but describes an unnamed person claiming to be the “Leading Internet Consultant in New Zealand”, with just over a year’s serious internet experience, prior work as an interior decorator, commercial Usenet posts, eleven email addresses, and questionable technical claims. A later Aardvark page links this as part of the De Hek back-issue chain. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 4 August 1997 | “‘The leading Internet consultant in NZ’” | Names Mr Danny de Hek directly, saying many readers had identified the unnamed “ex-spurt” from the earlier article and that people in the industry had reported “encounters of the unpleasant kind” with him. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 11 August 1997 | “Danny De Hek (part 3)” | Says recent criticism of De Hek’s professional claims had “hit a nerve”, and that he had toned down his webpage from stronger claims to “one of New Zealand’s Leading Internet Consultants” and “a famous Internet Consultant.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 18 August 1997 | “Danny De Hek (part 4) Danny calls in the lawyers” | Says De Hek, described as billing himself as “Famous” and “A Leading Internet Consultant”, had “called in the heavies” against two other sites that had picked up Aardvark’s criticisms. It names Dr Stir and The Soggy Parsnip as having been threatened with legal action. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 15 September 1997 | “A Mobile Menace?” | Calls him “that ‘Internet Expert’, Danny de Hek” and says he had “again shown his ignorance of the Net” by spamming NZ newsgroups with an announcement that he was heading north. It also says he had changed into “New Zealand’s Mobile Internet Consultant.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 22 September 1997 | “Danny de Hek” | Aardvark defends its coverage, says its comments were restricted to facts and not a personal vendetta, notes it was first but not the only publication to comment on De Hek’s claims, and links the 28 July, 4 August, 11 August, and 15 September pieces. It also says De Hek had been contacted and offered right of reply. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 1997 Aardvark Awards | Aardvark Awards 1997 | De Hek wins what appears to be the “Lemon of the Year” category. Aardvark says the category drew many nominations and that Danny won by a fair margin with 20% of the votes. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 1998 Aardvark Awards | Aardvark Awards 1998 | Refers back to De Hek as the previous holder of the “Lemon of the Year” title, saying Maurice Williamson had ousted “the infamous Danny De Hek from his coveted position.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 28 August 2000 | Reader comments | A reader comparing another criticised figure to De Hek writes that, after seeing spelling mistakes and “general bullshit”, he wondered if “Danny De Hek has not found a new job and changed names.” This is not Aardvark’s own editorial voice, but it shows De Hek had become a shorthand reference among readers. (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 27 September 2001 | Reader comments | A reader, Sarah Nelson, writes in defence of De Hek, saying she had met both the editor and Danny and that after talking with Danny she felt “motivated, confident, energised and positive.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 11 June 2002 | Reader comments | De Hek himself writes a comment praising Aardvark, saying his business NewZealandNZ Limited had become “a very good business turning over good dollars,” joking that his grammar was poor because “my writer is having a day off.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
| 26 January 2011 | “Where the de Hek is Danny?” | Retrospective article saying long-time readers would remember De Hek, who once billed himself as “New Zealand’s Mobile Internet Consultant”; says he was “notorious for his truth-stretching online presence”, gained unfavourable mention in early columns, won the 1997 “lemon of the year” award, and “wasn’t averse to doing a bit of spamming.” (aardvark.co.nz) |
By September 15, he was at it again: spamming NZ newsgroups announcing he was heading north, now rebranded as “New Zealand’s Mobile Internet Consultant.” Aardvark quipped: “Is someone chasing him?” and warned small businesses about wannabes with flash cars, portable PCs, and digital cameras. The advice aged like fine wine: “You don’t have to know much about the Net to appear to be an expert.”
Aardvark defended its factual coverage in late September, noting it offered right of reply—which De Hek reportedly declined while his email replies stayed “quite professional.” They even gave faint praise for improving web design. How gracious. Yet the pattern was set: big hat, no cattle.
The community crowned him Lemon of the Year in the 1997 Aardvark Awards. With 20% of the votes from seven nominations, Danny beat out the competition handily. Aardvark joked they hated giving him more publicity, but “you—the readers—decide.” In 1998, Maurice Williamson ousted the “infamous Danny De Hek” from his “coveted position.” A 2011 retrospective called him the quintessential “Internet cowboy” with a “truth-stretching online presence.”
The Hypocrisy Rodeo
De Hek now plays moral investigator, demanding transparency and treating silence as guilt. Yet in 1997, when Aardvark offered reply, he passed. He questions everyone’s judgment while his own dusty rap sheet includes that public “Sexual New Zealand” Flickr account from 2013 (when he was around 43), featuring explicit imagery of young-looking women and schoolgirl-themed sets. Adults gonna adult, but the watchdog brand makes it one hell of a whoopee cushion.
The act hasn’t changed—just the props. From interior decorator to mobile consultant to NYT-featured scam-buster, it’s the same cowboy: loud badge, thin skin, selective memory. Goliath coverage might have value, but claiming “first” while Google delistings hit and 1997 lemons rot in the archives? Investigative journalism? More like comedy.
Danny wants to expose others? The town already knows about his wanted poster. Next time you saddle up, cowboy, check the rearview. The internet never forgets—and Aardvark was there first, laughing all the way.
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