AiConnects fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

AiConnects’ website domain (“aiconnects.io”), was privately registered on April 12th, 2024.

Over on YouTube we find AiConnects marketing videos tying three names to the company:

• AiConnects founder – M. Baris Arslan (below)
• AiConnects CEO – Nicoletta Flare
• AiConnects Director of Sales – Asker Sakinmaz

Baris Arslan is purportedly from Germany. Arslan doesn’t appear to have an MLM history (or much of a digital footprint), which is an immediate red flag.

Nicoletta Flare, aka Nicoletta Weinstock, is originally from Germany but lives in Spain,

Flare also doesn’t appear to have a verifiable MLM history. On social media Flare  cites herself as a “business & life coach” and “wealth creator”

Asker Sakinmaz has a history of serial involvement in fraudulent in MLM schemes.

Sakinmaz, from Turkey, first popped up on BehindMLM’s radar as CEO of the FlexKom pyramid scheme in 2013.

FlexKom was rebooted as Weeconomy in 2019. Weeconomy marked a transition to MLM related crypto fraud.

In his capacity as a FlexKom executive, Sakinmaz was convicted on fraud charges in Belgium in 2020. Sakinmaz, convicted in absentia,  was sentenced to forty months in prison and an €18,000 EUR fine.

After Weeconomy collapsed, in 2021 Sakinmaz resurfaced as part of Safir International’s “circle of trust”.

Safir International was an MLM crypto Ponzi built around Zeniq Coin. The scam collapsed in 2023.

Another name attached to AiConnects worth noting is George van Wijk:

Wijk was a top promoter of the Crowd1 Ponzi scheme.

After a fallout with owner Jonas Werner, Wijk ditched Crowd1 in 2022. Later that same year Wijk resurfaced with Star Horizon.

Star Horizon, essentially an unofficial spinoff of Crowd1, collapsed in March 2024.

Instead of acknowledging its ties to Germany and Turkey through its executives, AiConnects provides a Singapore PO Box address on its website.

The address purportedly corresponds to FintechBay Pte Ltd, a purported Singapore shell company.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]

A new notice posted on GSB’s GSPro and Lydian World websites went live on January 21st.

As per the notice, the GSB victim claims process will begin on February 21st.

The claims process, through which GSPartners victims will be able to claim funds lost to any GSB investment scheme, will run until May 22nd. This is a hard deadline. [Continue reading…]

EM Gas fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

EM Gas’ website domain (“vipemip.net”), was registered with bogus details on January 16th, 2025.

Of note is EM Gas’ website domain being registered through the Chinese registrar Alibaba (Singapore).

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has expanded its national list of prohibited pyramid.

The updated January 20th, 2025 list now includes Qnet, MTFE and Ledger Block and Ride to Three Freedom. [Continue reading…]

Beonbit fails to provide verifiable ownership or executive information on its website.

The only reference to BeonBit’s CEO is a news entry for a marketing video:

“Richard Bates” doesn’t exist outside of Beonbit’s own marketing. An obligatory rented office marketing video reveals an actor with an eastern European accent.

This is typical of Boris CEO schemes, which are typically run by Russian and/or Ukrainian scammers.

It should be noted that Bates and the other actors are recent additions to Beonbit. Up until late December 2024 the company was faceless.

In an attempt to appear legitimate, Beonbit provides a registration certificate for Beonbit Pty Ltd.

Beonbit Pty Ltd was registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), on December 12th, 2023. Nothing has been filed with ASIC beyond Beonbit’s 2023 company registration application.

ASIC are known for non-regulation of MLM fraud. Furthermore anyone can register a company with ASIC using whatever bogus details, there is no verification.

For this reason ASIC registration is favored by scammers residing outside of Australia.

With respect to MLM due-diligence, ASIC registration certificate as proof of legitimacy is therefore meaningless.

Beonbit’s website domain (“beonbit.com”), was privately registered on October 3rd, 2023.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]

Following a November 2024 Status Conference, what’s left of Qyral has been ordered dissolved.

As per a January 7th, 2025 court order; [Continue reading…]

GS Caltex USDT, aka GS Caltex Investment Mall, fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

GS Caltex USDT’s website domain (“fa.outletking.cc”), was registered with bogus details on May 5th, 2024.

Of note is GS Caltex USDT’s website domain being registered through the Chinese registrar Alibaba (Singapore).

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]

Core Various fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

Core Various’ website domain (“corevarious.com”), was first registered in May 2023. The private registration was last updated on May 27th, 2024.

As of December 2024 SimilarWeb tracked top sources of Core Various website traffic as India (63%, down 89% month on month), Bangladesh (20%, down 86% month on month), Uganda (9%) and Nigeria (7%).

Whoever is running Core Various likely has tied to India and/or Bangladesh. Recruitment in these countries appears to be collapsing however, with Africans now being targeted.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]

Navan Global founder Trey Knight, aka Haskell Knight, and wife Emily Knight, aka Emily Deborah Fryer, are set to plead guilty to bankruptcy fraud. [Continue reading…]

Trusted Smart Chain fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

I came across Trusted Smart Chain when an IN8 marketing video linked to in one of BehindMLM’s articles was flagged as deleted.

The video was uploaded by Travis Flaherty. To confirm I visited Flaherty’s YouTube channel and found the videos had been deleted.

IN8 started off as an NFT grift spinoff of iX Global, an unregistered investment scheme sued by the SEC and subject of two criminal investigations by Indian authorities.

Flaherty was a named defendant in the SEC’s $110 million iX Global fraud lawsuit;

Flaherty is an iX Global “Brand Ambassador” and, as such, has solicited investors to purchase DEBT Box crypto asset securities.

Flaherty is also the Registered Agent for Relief Defendant Flaherty Enterprises, LLC.

After IN8 collapsed a few months after launch, owner and wanted fugitive Joe Martinez rebooted it as a failed DAO project.

Getting back to Flaherty’s YouTube channel, after IN8 Flaherty uploaded marketing promo videos for Shoply and Nuway Healthcare.

Neither of those seem to have panned out, with Flaherty uploading videos on “TSC” from late 2024.

“TSC” stands for Trusted Smart Chain. In the video description of “TSC Overview 12-28”, uploaded on December 29th, 2024, Flaherty confirms he is a Trusted Smart Chain co-founder.

I am thrilled to officially announce my acceptance as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Trusted Smart Chain (TSC).

The thumbnail of Flaherty’s video cites Billy Beach as Trusted Smart Chain’s other co-founder:

Billy Beach, aka Mark Williams Schuler, was also a named defendant in the SEC’s iX Global fraud lawsuit.

Schuler is an iX Global “Brand Ambassador” and, as such, has solicited investors to purchase DEBT Box crypto asset securities.

Along with Defendant Benjamin Daniels, Schuler is the co-founder and a member of Defendant Core 1 Crypto, an entity that partnered with DEBT Box to solicit DEBT Box investors.

In addition, along with Defendants Alton Parker and Benjamin Daniels, Schuler is a co-founder of the FAIR Project, and has solicited investors to purchase crypto assets offered by the FAIR Project.

Whether there are other Trusted Smart Chain co-founders is unclear. Given both Flaherty and Schuler were recently named defendants in a US regulatory fraud lawsuit, this non-disclosure is a significant red flag.

Trusted Smart Chain’s website domain (“trustedsmartchain.com”), was privately registered on October 2nd, 2024. Trusted Smart Chain’s website was put together in November 2024.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money. [Continue reading…]