The supermarket chain said Friday that a press release claiming that it would accept bitcoin cash at its stores this holiday season was a fake.
Kroger's PR team said in an email statement: "This communication was fraudulent and is unfounded and should be disregarded."
The phony announcement, which has been taken down, showed up on Kroger's website due to a direct feed from PR Newswire, a service many companies use to make public announcements.
PR Newswire didn't respond to a request for comment on how the hoax was released on its service.
Bitcoin cash differs from bitcoin as the two operate on different networks and bitcoin cash carries lower transaction fees.
This is the second recent cryptocurrency lie to involve a major retailer.
Walmart was the subject of a fake press release in September, claiming a partnership between the world's largest retailer and litecoin.
Despite these two instances, cryptocurrency is making inroads on Main Street.
Theater chain AMC announced it would accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for ticket purchases.
Prices for most digital currencies traded slightly lower in mid-day Friday trading.
