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Offshore Broker Direct TT Expanding With New Regulatory Permissions!
In June 2022, FinTelegram published the initial review of Direct Trading Technologies UK Ltd d/b/a Direct TT or DTT, an investment firm regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In addition, the DTT Group operates offshore brokers with regulatory permissions in Vanuatu, Colombia, and UAE. DTT Group is seeking to expand into various jurisdictions via regulatory permissions. This is a thoroughly trustworthy approach that we welcome. Here are the latest updates.
Latest Updates
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Whistleblower Request About SettlePay, CheckoutFX, And Their Shabby Binance Pay Services!
We have found the CheckoutFX payment platform dozens of times among the many broker scams we analyze. This is operated anonymously from Russia and/or Ukraine. Most recently, we found CheckoutFX in the PocketOption broker scheme PocketOption together with SettlePay, a supposedly exclusive Binance partner for the CIS countries, including Ukraine. Through CheckoutFX and SettlePay, deposits from PocketOption clients were misrepresented as food transactions. We would like to know more.
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Warning Against Russian PocketOption and PO Trader Broker Schemes Disguised As Ice Cream Seller!
In December 2022, we brought our initial report on the offshore broker PocketOption, allegedly operated by the offshore entity Gembell Limited in the Marshall Islands. PocketOption is connected to PO Trade, operated by PO Trade Ltd. The Russian Evgenii Kalashnikov controls the schemes. According to the latest Similarweb statistics, PockeOption acquired almost 18% of its clients in the U.S. Deposits are possible with credit/debit cards, Jeton, Perfect Money, Webmoney, Advcash, or via crypto. Stay far away and protect your financial health.
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Introducing Czech Payment Processor GMPays With Strong Russian Connections!
GMPays a/k/a GameMoney are the trading styles of the Czech-based Mercurius Partners s.r.o., which has been regulated as a payment institution by the Czech National Bank since 2017. The institution is owned and controlled by the Latvian national Aleksandrs Bikovs. Similarweb statistics for GMPays a/k/a GameMoney suggests strong connections to Russian websites. The majority of website visitors are referenced from Russian video and gaming sites.
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Key To Markets: Offshore Broker Lost
KEY TO MARKETS is an offshore broker in Mauritius regulated by the FSC Mauritius. In the UK, the broker is registered with the FCA as an exempt CAD, not allowed to carry on any investment services and activities to which MiFID applies. Like many regulated brokers with offshore mutations, most clients are onboarded offshore, which creates problems. Lastly, we have noticed that Cyprus-based Payabl processes a significant part of KEY TO MARKETS' payments. Here is our update.
Payment Processors
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Whistleblower Request: SinaraCorp, BitnextLTD, And Their Cybercrime Scheme Facilitated By Luna!
In March and May 2022, FinTelegram warned against a cybercrime scheme around different companies in different jurisdictions and a multitude of domains and websites. Since our report, some websites have vanished, but the scheme is still chasing victims. The German BaFin warned against SinaraCorp, while the Austrian FMA warned against BitnexLTD. Other regulators have also issued warnings against the aggressive cybercrime scheme. Here is an update.
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Urgent Warning Against Broker Scam Portrades!
Today we have discovered Scam Portrades, a broker that appears to be operated through Bulgarian and is supposedly operated through Signix Ltd, registered in the Marshall Islands. Bulgarian Tera Solutions is named as the payment agent on the website. As a payment facilitator, we have once again discovered ShinePays, which processes victims' credit/debit card deposits. Stay very far away and save yourself from losing your money and misusing your data.
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Attention! Do Not Fall For The Russian MaxiMarkets And MaxiTrade Broker Scams!
MaxiMarkets is already an old scam and is still not gone. In April 2019, the Spanish regulator CNMV issued a warning, and in August 2020, the Italian regulator Consob had the offshore broker's website blocked for Italian consumers. The Financial Commission has also placed MaxiMarkets on its warning list. However, the scam is still active and targets mainly Russian-speaking victims. We have discovered Ramp and the Irish Apachewell as payment processors.
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Investor Warning Against Trades Universal Broker Scam!
The Spanish regulator CNMV has issued a warning against the broker scam Trades Universal which is allegedly operated by the offshore entities Everest Capital Ltd and Universal Scale Investment Ltd in the Marshall Islands. As a payment processor we have discovered PayRetailers. Potential victims may lose their money via credit and debit card deposits. Stay far away and save yourself from losing your money and misusing your data.
Cybercrime Court Cases
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Bloomberg: Cybercrime Mastermind Gery Shalon Free And Back in Israel Since 2021!
Gery Shalon, the cybercrime mastermind behind the online casino schemes, pump-and-dump schemes, and one of the partners of Gal Barak, returned to Israel after being allowed to leave US custody two years ago, his father Shota Shalelashvili allegedly said in an interview broadcast in the Republic of Georgia. Shalon was extradited from Israel in 2015 and faced 23 counts and potentially decades in prison. He also was accused of running global money-laundering operations.
Regulatory Updates
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German BaFin Warns Against Crypto Fraud Scheme SkySailBit!
BaFin clarifies that Skysailbit Inc., operator of the website skysailbit.com, does not have a license to provide financial, securities or payment services. The operator is not supervised by BaFin. SkySailBit gives an address in Munich and falsely claims to be registered in the commercial register and to be licensed by BaFin. The documents used in this context are forgeries. Stay far away; this seems to be just another fraud scheme!
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Investor Warning Against AUXCapital Broker Scam!
The German regulator BaFin has warned against the scam broker AUX Capital, allegedly operated by the offshore entity Iridiscent Group LLC. The offshore entity was founded in July 2022. Customers can lose their money via credit/debit cards and crypto deposits. This white-label scam offers nothing special. It is just one of the hundreds that try to steal money from consumers daily and disappear afterward. Stay far away and keep your money and data.
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Urgent Warning Against Exteom Broker Scheme Powered By PandaTS
We received emails yesterday and today where a new robot trading solution was advertised to us. The link in the email led us in the reviews to several fraudulent crypto campaigns like Bitcoin Millionaire Pro or Bitcoin Bank running on https://hot-investing-news.com. After registering, we were immediately redirected to the payment page of the Exteom broker scheme. This is implemented as a PandaTS white-label solution. Stay Far Away; it's most likely just another scam!
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