Tag: DataBridge

Over the last years, FinTelegram has discovered the Russian-controlled high-risk payment processor Itez in several scams, such as FXOptex, Optimus Markets, and Spintop Capital. Itez is operated by FIU-licensed Estonian DataBridge OÜ and the UK-registered Hypergate Ltd. In both companies, Maria Neverdinova-Rostovtseva is installed as a director. The Itez scheme is connected to the Italian Allesandro Rocco Piedrodola and his group of companies. Similarweb says they mostly do business in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Digital currencies are the future in one way or another. For a few months now, online payment pioneer PayPal has also been accepting bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies. Estonia is currently the epicenter of European crypto payment processors. As of mid-2020, the Estonian FIU had issued more than 3,000 licenses (report here). Unfortunately, many of them are used to facilitate scams and illegal payment services. We have drafted a list of Estonian crypto payment companies that have come to our attention in scams.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued an investor warning against the broker scam PrimeQX. The scam is operated by PRIME BUSINESS FINANCE LTD and MAGNETITS CAPITAL LTD. The scam claims to be regulated by CySEC with license number 129/22. The scammers operate the fake CySEC site www.cysecgov.com where PrimeQX is falsely presented as a CySEC-approved domain. As the scams payment facilitators, we have discovered iPayTotal, Itez, WE4BTC, and PaymentsPro.

The Italian regulator Consob ordered the blackout of the then GlobalCFD broker scam website in Feb 2021 www.globalcfd.co. A few days ago, the regulator also blocked the scam's new domain www.globalfxcfd.com. The scam is allegedly operated by GlobalCFD Ltd and D&D Venture Project Ltd via the Marshall Islands. As payment processors, we have once again found a few of the usual suspects. Among them the iPayTotal and the crypto payment processors Itez and WE4BTC.

We have already discovered the high-risk payment processor Itez (www.itez.com) in several scams as a facilitator. For example, FXOptex, Optimus Markets, and Spintop Capital have integrated Itez as a payment processor. Itez is operated by DataBridge OÜ, which is licensed in Estonia by the relevant FIU. Maria Neverdinova-Rostovtseva is installed there as Nominee Director (Monkey). Currently, we do not know the beneficial owners of DataBridge. We would like to know more about the payment processor.

FMA issued an investor warning against the broker scam FXOptex Groups which FXOptexGroups Global Ltd operates. Further details about persons or companies cannot be found. The website only mentions that the company operates under the laws of Cyprus. However, you can find the usual suspects below the scam-facilitating payment processors like iPayTotal, or OctaPay. In addition, we have also found ShefaPay and the Estonian Itez.