Cybertrace’s experienced investigators are issuing an urgent warning about the OneBTC.online scam, another sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud. After first calling it out in May 2021 as part of a mass scam alert, our analysts have uncovered further important information. Combining a stylish website and persuasive sales tactics, the OneBTC.online scammers fleece victims of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don’t listen to the siren call of their empty promises – keep your wallet firmly shut! These wily fraudsters only seek to deceive! If you have become a victim of the OneBTC.online scam, contact our expert investigators today. Most importantly, don’t give them any more of your hard-earned money. Whether they are asking for further “investment”, “taxes” or “fees” – it’s all just a ruse to deceive you further!
What’s the problem?
The OneBTC.online scam is a story Cybertrace only knows too well, as we have investigated dozens of similar cases. Unfortunately, more and more Australians are losing money to crypto scammers, with awful stories like this illustrating the personal losses. With steeply rising case numbers, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) even had to issue a recent crypto warning. It concluded that “most crypto ‘investment opportunities’ reported to ASIC appear to be outright scams”.
As such, the OneBTC scammers follow a common pattern. They lure unsuspecting targets onto their website, where they sign up and register an account with a small initial deposit. Next, the scammers pretend that victims have made great initial wins and pressure them to plough in even more money. Unfortunately, everything the victim is seeing is fake and the scammers are simply pocketing all the money. When victims finally want to cash out, the fraudsters either cease contact or ask for payments of “taxes” and/or “fees”. Needless to say, these are just further scams, and no victim is getting any of their money back.
What are the police doing about it?
Unfortunately, not a lot! At present, the sheer volume of cases is overwhelming law enforcement bodies around the world. Police may want to investigate OneBTC.online scam losses but likely don’t have the time, resources, or appropriate technical expertise. Luckily, Cybertrace has both the intelligence capability and the investigative track record to do the hard work for you. We are the first certified Australian provider of cryptocurrency tracing products to the public. Despite the many myths surrounding it, cryptocurrencies are eminently traceable. Furthermore, Cybertrace successfully collaborates with international partners, including police forces across Australia and the world, to bring criminals to justice. In other words: there is hope!
So how do you know OneBTC.online is a scam?
Thankfully, our team of expert analysts have access to sophisticated website forensics and cyber investigation tools. However, there are also a number of red flags concerning the OneBTC.online scam that everyone can look for.
Unregistered and unregulated
The first sign that something is awry is a complete lack of information on the OneBTC.online scam website about where the company is supposedly headquartered, registered, and regulated. If it were a serious and professional broker, this information would be front and centre. The website’s dispute resolution procedures reference the Seychelles, a well-known tax haven and secrecy jurisdiction. While OneBTC.online provides several supposed office addresses around the world, they are likely all fake. Global incorporation registers do not reveal any such entity legally existing anywhere. Just the UK address alone would require regulation by the UK Government’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). However, a search of the FCA’s financial register doesn’t turn up anything by that name. Furthermore, the 1:400 leverage that OneBTC.online offers exceeds the FCA’s permissible maximum of 1:20 by a factor of twenty. The lack of safety due to absent regulation is a huge red flag!
Faceless and nameless
Another common characteristic of fake companies such as the OneBTC.online scam is an absence of any verifiable personnel information. In other words: we don’t know who owns, runs, or works for the company! There is zero information on the website and a search of LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram sites comes back empty. Isn’t it strange that a supposedly successful broker has no active social media presence or any publicly visible employees? Domain records show that someone only registered the website in December 2020, but they used a privacy-shielding registration company. What all this undoubtedly tells us is that whoever is behind OneBTC.online doesn’t want anyone to know who they are. Another clear red flag!
Fake news and bad reviews
In the reputation economy, reviews can be great tools to inform consumers about what to purchase and what to avoid. Looking at customer reviews on independent sites such as Trustpilot, there are many individual fraud stories about the OneTBC.online scam. Likewise, there are further critical reviews that add to the chorus: OneBTC.online is a scam! A note of caution, though. As detailed in a recent blog, scammers have quickly cottoned on and are trying to manipulate victims with fake reviews. For example, you can see many superficially positive reviews that are likely either fake or bought (yes, there is a marketplace for positive reviews)!
Some fraudsters even go so far as to write fake news stories that provide a supposedly independent perspective but are obviously just false, uncritical puff pieces. It looks like the OneTBC.online scammers have taken exactly this route, with fake news articles here, here, and here. While one should always take independent reviews with a grain of salt, they can add an important part to the clearly emerging overall picture: avoid the OneTBC.online scam!
So, what do I do?
Frauds such as the OneBTC.online scammers have so many tools in their arsenal. What can you do to cut through all the fake? In Cybertrace’s ongoing battle against scammers, frauds, and crooks, we have developed a band-new tool: ScamID. It’s a free, easy-to-use public scam detector to help you discern what is fake and what is real. Simply pop the website into ScamID and, within seconds, its user-friendly traffic light system informs you of the risk level. As explained in a recent blog, ScamID is so effective because it doesn’t just automatically tap into multiple global databases. Rather, it combines this with exclusive access to the vast vaults of virtual intelligence from Cybertrace’s forensic website investigations. ScamID is truly a premium product and best of all – it’s quick and completely free to use.
What if they scammed me already?
If the OneBTC.online scam syndicate has already hooked you, don’t feel ashamed! These professional and convincing scammers run a sophisticated operation, and there plenty of other victims. Whatever they tell you, do NOT send them any more money. Any “tax” or “fee” they ask for are simply further ways to scam you and won’t get your money back. Instead, get in touch with Cybertrace’s expert analysts today. Since 2015, we have successfully investigated cyber fraud, traced cryptocurrencies, and exposed scam syndicates all around the world. Talk to us today to find out how we can help you.
If you are a current or former staff member of the syndicate and would like to speak with us, you can contact us anonymously via [email protected]. We have successfully worked with conscientious insiders when investigating previous scams, thus bringing justice and relief to long-suffering victims. Your help can make a real difference!
WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for essay writer