Archive for March 2015

Two Former Federal Agents Involved In Silk Road Probe Were Bitcoin Thieves And One Was An Extortionist, Justice Department Says

Two Former Federal Agents Involved In Silk Road Probe Were Bitcoin Thieves And One Was An Extortionist, Justice Department Says

UPDATED 8:33 P.M. EDT U.S.A. There must be some long faces at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Secret Service today. That’s because two federal agents once assigned to a Task Force investigating the illicit Silk Road marketplace have been charged with federal crimes. Carl M. Force, 46, of Baltimore, was a DEA […]

BULLETIN: Receiver Sues USHBB Inc., Maker Of Zeek Videos — And Ties Firm To AdSurfDaily Ponzi Scheme

BULLETIN: Receiver Sues USHBB Inc., Maker Of Zeek Videos -- And Ties Firm To AdSurfDaily Ponzi Scheme

9th UPDATE 9:01 P.M. EDT U.S.A. Indianapolis-based USHBB Inc. and three of its principals — James A. Moore, Robert Mecham and Oscar H. Brown — have been sued by the court-appointed receiver in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi- and pyramid-scheme case. Receiver Kenneth D. Bell alleges USHBB, a producer of videos, also did work for the […]

Registration Page At TelexMOB Triggers ‘Web Forgery’ Warning In Firefox Browser

Registration Page At TelexMOB Triggers 'Web Forgery' Warning In Firefox Browser

Late last night the PP Blog visited the registration page of the emerging and bizarrely named “TelexMOB” scheme, which appears to be targeting victims of the alleged TelexFree Ponzi- and pyramid scheme. Our earlier story is here. The page now is triggering a “Web Forgery” warning in the Firefox browser. Such warnings may be associated […]

United States Asks Canada To Extradite Nicholas Smirnow, Alleged Head Of ‘Pathway To Prosperity’ Ponzi Scheme

United States Asks Canada To Extradite Nicholas Smirnow, Alleged Head Of 'Pathway To Prosperity' Ponzi Scheme

UPDATED 7:41 P.M. EDT U.S.A. If the office of U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Wigginton of the Southern District of Illinois gets its way, Canada will turn over accused international Ponzi schemer Nicholas Smirnow to the United States. Smirnow, whom INTERPOL says in a wanted notice is 57, was arrested at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport a […]

Now, ‘TelexMOB’

Now, 'TelexMOB'

UPDATED 11:25 A.M. EDT U.S.A. Something calling itself “TelexMOB” has established a web presence this month. A logo resembling that of TelexFree — an alleged Ponzi- and pyramid scheme said to have gathered $1.8 billion across national borders — appears on the site. BehindMLM.com was first with the news today. The PP Blog has sent […]

SEC Enforcement Chief References Investor Alert On ‘Pyramid Schemes Posing As Multi-Level Marketing Programs’ In Congressional Testimony Today, Says ‘Coordinated Effort’ To Disrupt Them Under Way

SEC Enforcement Chief References Investor Alert On 'Pyramid Schemes Posing As Multi-Level Marketing Programs' In Congressional Testimony Today, Says 'Coordinated Effort' To Disrupt Them Under Way

“The staff also has recently seen what appears to be an increase in pyramid schemes . . . under the guise of ‘multi-level marketing’ and ‘network marketing’ opportunities . . . These schemes often target the most vulnerable investors, and social media has expanded their reach. The Division is deploying resources to disrupt these schemes […]

March PP Blog Subscription Post

NOTE: This post originally was published March 4 at 1:07 p.m. It will remain in this slot for several days. New posts will appear below it. Dear Readers, As was the case with our 2,500th-post commemoration in November, there are four subscription options. In the spirit of that post and the 6th anniversary post in […]

Zeek Receiver Posts ‘Notice Of Certification Of Defendant Class Action’; Document Pertains To Thousands Of Alleged ‘Winners’

Zeek Receiver Posts 'Notice Of Certification Of Defendant Class Action'; Document Pertains To Thousands Of Alleged 'Winners'

What once was only theoretical in the context of MLM HYIP schemes — that a receiver appointed by a court could simultaneously sue thousands of “winners” from disparate locations for return of funds received from an alleged Ponzi or pyramid scheme — is now a reality. This reality was cemented today by the posting of […]

PARTINGS: Ronald C. Machen Jr., Whose Office Led AdSurfDaily Criminal Prosecution, Is Leaving Post As U.S. Attorney For District Of Columbia

PARTINGS: Ronald C. Machen Jr., Whose Office Led AdSurfDaily Criminal Prosecution, Is Leaving Post As U.S. Attorney For District Of Columbia

“Serving as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia has been the highest honor of my professional career. I am tremendously grateful to the President, Attorney General Holder, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for placing their trust in me. The men and women of this office are among the most dedicated and talented public […]

BULLETIN: Zeek Figure Robert Craddock Indicted In Separate Scheme

BULLETIN: Zeek Figure Robert Craddock Indicted In Separate Scheme

BULLETIN: Florida resident Robert Craddock, a figure in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi-scheme story, has been indicted in a separate scheme involving the alleged theft of more than $135,000 from a compensation fund set up to assist businesses affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. The office of U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III […]

EgoPay Site Inaccessible

EgoPay Site Inaccessible

Poster “Markus” stopped at the PP Blog at 2:19 p.m. ET today, raising a question about why the site of the EgoPay payment processor won’t load. When the PP Blog later sought to visit the site, it encountered this error message: “www.egopay.com – Connection failed.” Precisely when the site started generating that message is unclear. […]