Michael Shannon Sims, aka Mike Sims, has settled SAEG Ponzi charges with the CFTC for $250,000. [Continue reading…]

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

TOST operates from five known website domains:

1. tostq.com – privately registered on December 23rd, 2023 (primary website)
2. tostadon.com – first registered in 2020, private registration last updated on June 21st, 2024 (app funnel)
3. ntost.com – first registered in 2004, private registration last updated on June 21st, 2024 (app funnel)
4. ctostapp.xyz – registered with bogus details on August 20th, 2024 (app funnel)
5. ctost.com – registered with bogus details on June 16th, 2024 (app funnel)

There are likely other TOST website domains we’re not aware of.

Despite existing for less than a year, on its website TOST provides a bogus roadmap dating back to 2018:

If we click on the support section of one of TOST’s websites, we learn it runs on the Meiqia platform.

Meiqia is a Chinese software company based out of Beijing. This suggests whoever is running TOST has ties to China.

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…]

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

Opix Technology’s website domain (“opixtech.com”), was first registered in 2017. The private registration was last updated on June 17th, 2023.

Through the WayBack Machine, we can see Opix Technology’s website went live in late 2022.

Opex Technology represents it is run through Opix Technology Limited, purportedly a Seychelles shell company.

Opix Technology Limited is registered in the Republic of Seychelles (Registration number: 193365)

Seychelles is a tax haven with little to no active MLM regulation. Opix Technology representing it has a shell company in Seychelles is an immediate red flag.

Supposedly heading up Opix Technology we have “Joseph Culter”.

Culter, as represented on Opix Technology’s website and in its marketing material, doesn’t exist. This makes Culter a prime Boris CEO candidate.

Over on Opix Technology’s official YouTube channel, we find the actor playing Culter has an eastern-European accent.

Culter doesn’t feature in many Opix Technology videos. Instead they are fronted by “James Rossi” and “Raymond Wong”.

Rossi appears to be a North American actor who has appeared in campaigns from Chinese (Hong Kong) and Taiwanese companies. I couldn’t find anything definitive so I’ll leave it there.

If I’m not mistaken, the actor playing Raymond Wong has a Malaysian accent.

This ties in to Opix Technology’s official FaceBook page being managed from Malaysia:

Whereas Boris CEO schemes are typically run by Russians, it’s clear Opix Technology has ties to Malaysia.

This presents three scenarios;

1. Russian scammers operating out of Malaysia
2. Russian scammers working with Malaysian scammers out of Malaysia; or
3. Malaysian scammers operating out of Malaysia

Oh and as per the Raymond Wong screenshot above, any MLM company representing ties or any association with Dubai raises an immediate insurmountable red flag.

Due to the proliferation of scams and failure to enforce securities fraud regulation, BehindMLM ranks Dubai as the MLM crime capital of the world.

BehindMLM’s guidelines for Dubai are:

1. If someone lives in Dubai and approaches you about an MLM opportunity, they’re trying to scam you.
2. If an MLM company is based out of or represents it has ties to Dubai, it’s a scam.

If you want to know specifically how this applies to Opix Technology, read on for a full review. [Continue reading…]

Following a Bloomberg report on early Tuesday, September 17th that a bankruptcy filing was pending, Tupperware filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy later the same day. [Continue reading…]

Charles Joseph Garis Jr. has settled Blueprint to Wealth fraud charges with the FTC.

As part of his filed September 13th settlement, Garis Jr. consented to a $567,313 monetary judgment.

Based on sworn financial statements provided to the FTC by Garis Jr., the parties have agreed to a reduced $100,000 suspended judgment. [Continue reading…]

iX Global scammer Viraj Patil managed to convince a Judge in Kolkata to grant him interim bail.

Upon release, Nagpur’s Economic Offenses Wing immediately arrested Patil and threw him back in prison. [Continue reading…]

Sky TRX fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

Sky TRX’s website domain (“sky-trx.com”), was registered with bogus details on September 7th, 2024.

Of note is Sky TRX’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…]

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

Odecent’s website domain (“odecent.com”), was first registered in 2022. The private registration was last updated on May 22nd, 2024.

Odecent came to BehindMLM’s attention courtesy of a reader tipoff. Said tipoff led us to a September 12th recording featuring Validus co-founder Mansour Tawafi.

Validus was a Dubai Ponzi scheme that collapsed in April 2023. In the September 2024 video, Tawafi states he’s “moving on” from Validus investor losses with Odecent.

This video today is to inform everyone about … my decision to move on with a new company called Odecent and join my old partners as part of what we believe will be a good solution.

Tawafi goes on to reveal Odecent was actually a failed Validus reboot launch in late 2023;

So around two months ago my partners from Validus, Billal and Salman, they came to me and they started speaking about the product that they were working on even before we met.

So before Validus they already started working on some very good products and they had a team that was developing these products for the last three years.

We also tried to launch this in Validus. Some of you may remember Fingenius was a product towards the end of Validus.

Towards the end of 2023 we got a stage where we wanted to… we actually gave it to some leaders to test but it didn’t run very successfully at the time.

In January we wanted to launch this but of course after the cease and desist order from the DFSA in mid December, the company became, y’know, operationally inactive.

Tawafi is referring to a Validus securities fraud warning issued by the Dubai Financial Services Authority on December 22nd, 2023.

So my partners, they came to me and said they want to start with this product now again, and they have created a whole system for it and they’re ready to do something.

Tawafi states he will be “taking a position, taking a role” within Odecent. As of filming however that role hasn’t been finalized.

The “Billal” and “Salman” Tawafi refers to are Billal Ali and Salman Shahzad.

Validus marketing cites Billal Ali as a co-founder of the Ponzi scheme:

Salman Shahzad appears to be a top Validus Ponzi promoter from the UK:

Another name we can attache to Odecent is Phil Moser, aka Philippe Moser. Moser hosted the Odecent prelaunch webinar, held on or around September 1st.

Moser, who appears to have ties to Canada, the US and Colombia, was a Validus executive.

Moser was instrumental in recruiting Validus victims across Africa and South America.

Prior to Validus Moser made a name for himself in ACN. At some point Moser split from ACN to join NeXarise, an MLM company launched by former ACN promoters in 2020.

Conspicuously absent from Odecent marketing is Parwiz Daud and Howard Friend.

Following the collapse of their post-OneCoin Ponzi AuLives, Parwiz Daud and Mansour Tawafi launched Validus in 2021.

Howard Friend was Validus’ CEO and, at least at the time he surfaced, appeared to be a random finance bro from Europe.

Neither Friend or Daud have made any public appearances since Validus’ collapse. They are both presumed to be laying low in Dubai.

As with Validus, Odecent appears to be operated from Dubai:

Due to the proliferation of scams and failure to enforce securities fraud regulation, BehindMLM ranks Dubai as the MLM crime capital of the world.

BehindMLM’s guidelines for Dubai are:

1. If someone lives in Dubai and approaches you about an MLM opportunity, they’re trying to scam you.
2. If an MLM company is based out of or represents it has ties to Dubai, it’s a scam.

If you want to know specifically how this applies to Odecent, read on for a full review. [Continue reading…]

The fourth and final EmpowerCoin and JetCoin Ponzi defendant has pled guilty.

At a change of plea hearing held on September 16th, Dwayne Golden pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. [Continue reading…]

Nykaa Mall fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

Nykaa Mall’s website domain (“nykaa-mall.vip”), was registered with bogus details on September 5th, 2024.

Nykaa Mall has already attracted the attention of financial regulators. The Central Bank of Russia issued a Nykaa Mall pyramid fraud warning on September 6th, 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…]