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Tag: NJF Global Group

  • Kansas Dismisses Action Against Profitable Sunrise Figure Nancy Jo Frazer

    recommendedreading1The office of the Securities Commissioner of Kansas has dismissed a civil action against Profitable Sunrise HYIP figure Nancy Jo Frazer and Ohio-based Focus Up Ministries, doing business as NJF Global Group. The dismissal was “without prejudice,” meaning that the state could file again under certain conditions.

    The dismissal order is dated Nov. 26. It appears on the state’s website today.

    In May, a month after the SEC brought a fraud action against Profitable Sunrise, the state said two Kansas residents invested in Profitable Sunrise through an organization known as the NJF Global Group Community.

    “The NJF Global Group Community was operated by Focus Up Ministries, Inc. and its founder, Nanci Jo Frazer,” the state said at the time. “The NJF Global Group Community promoted Profitable Sunrise as a fundraising opportunity for religious-based and charitable organizations.”

    Frazer was not charged in the SEC action. Apparent Frazer supporters have claimed she was a victim of “innocent ignorance.”

    Frazer was named a defendant in an Ohio fraud action in July and was referenced in an earlier action filed in Minnesota. NJF Global Group is referenced in an alert by the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand.

    In May, Kansas became one of at least 36 U.S. states or provinces in Canada to issue cease-and-desist orders or Investor Alerts against Profitable Sunrise. At least four Kansas residents invested a total of at least $22,000 in Profitable Sunrise, the state said.

    Purported Profitable Sunrise operator “Roman Novak,” whom the SEC said may be fictitious, appears not to have responded to any of the state-level actions or the SEC’s federal action. Profitable Sunrise was targeted at people of faith, the SEC said, alleging the purported “opportunity” was using a mail drop in England and bank accounts in other countries to fleece the masses.

    One of the purported Profitable Sunrise “programs” was known as the Long Haul. It purported to pay interest of 2.7 percent a day with compounding available. Such schemes long have been associated with the HYIP sphere.

    “Long Haul” payouts were due April 1, April Fool’s Day and the day after Easter 2013. The payouts never materialized.

     

  • From Profitable Sunrise To ‘Guaranteed50kIn30days’: ‘What Would You Do With $50,800? Or Better Yet, What Would You Do With A MILLION $$!’

    From a Jon Simmons' pitch for Guaranteed50XXXXXX.
    From a Jon Simmons’ pitch for Guaranteed50kIn30Days.

    After the Profitable Sunrise intercontinental affinity-fraud and pyramid-scheme aimed at Christians, Rev. Jon Simmons has cast his net with a 5X5 matrix “program” known as “Guaranteed50kIn30days” and is fishing for a “team,” a source tells the PP Blog.

    “Turn your $50 [into] a MILLION Dollars!” Simmons trawled.

    Simmons was a Profitable Sunrise colleague of Nanci Jo Frazer and NJF Global Group. Frazer and two of her purported ministries were charged with fraud earlier this month in Ohio. Simmons was not charged. Profitable Sunrise may have scammed tens of millions of dollars in a cross-border fraud, the SEC said in April. Frazer and team may have driven $30 million to the scam, Ohio authorities said.

    “What would you do with $50,800?” Simmons queried his audience about Guaranteed50kIn30days in an email, according to the source. “Or better yet, what would you do with a MILLION $$!”

    Precisely what was “guaranteed” about getting $50,000 in a month wasn’t made clear in the pitch, which references a web entity known as PrivateMillionairesClub.com.

    “Membership by Invitation Only,” the site says.

    Schemes pushed by self-identified Christians that trade on claims of being private and exclusive have generated headlines in recent months. Profitable Sunrise was such a scheme. Zeek Rewards, which the SEC described in August 2012 as a $600 million Ponzi- and pyramid scheme, advertised itself as “private, invitation-only,” the agency said in court filings.

    Guaranteed50kIn30days says it’s located in Nebraska as part of B & B Communications Inc. and is associated with entities known as B & B Communications Philippines Inc. and B & B Communications Hong Kong Limited. Web properties, according to the company, also include BandBOnlineAds.com and 2x2SuccessTeam.com, with BandBeBookStore.com, ShowMeTheFreebies.com, BandBSuccessClub.com, FilipinoSavingsClub.com and FilipinoSavingsClub.net also in the fold.

    Frazer’s Profitable Sunrise team also targeted prospects in faraway lands. One of those lands — New Zealand — referenced Frazer’s group in a March 2013 warning about Profitable Sunrise. Ohio authorities have said they’d linked Frazer to “ProfitClicking,” a “program” that became the subject of actions in Italy and the Philippines.

    According to the information provided by the source, a July 16 Guaranteed50kIn30days email from Simmons began, “Jon Simmons here. This is WAY BETTER THAN SGR!”

    SGR appears to be a reference to a “program” known as “ShareGiveReceive.” Online promos for SGR position it as “A Ministry/Business . . . not operating like a regular business” and “A World Wide Community Of People Working For The Benefit Of All MAN Kind.”

    Guaranteed50kIn30days, however, apparently blows SGR away — in Simmons’ view.

    “This is Best program to come along in decades,” he told his email audience about Guaranteed50kIn30days. “We are talking real daily step by step training. A 30-day video training course that anyone can follow to be successful. True duplicating process.”

    Another part of the pitch reads, “Get paid weekly every Wednesday by check, or have it loaded onto your Payoneer card. Go Quick! We just officially launched last Monday, July 1, 2013! Amazing earnings in 1 week!!!”

    In the email, prospects were provided a link to a heart-tugging video featuring B&B co-founders Steve Borgman and Brian Barnhouse riding in an automobile and reflecting on their days spent living in rural poverty in Nebraska. Those painful days now are over, according to the video: Both men now are well-equipped on the vehicle front. Borgman owns “the biggest house in Gage County,” and Barnhouse resides in a home with a scenic river view.

    The video was filmed in the region of Wymore, Neb., which has a population of 1,656, according to a road sign shown in the video. (Despite the newfound financial success of the duo, the mournful background music in the video seems more appropriate for a funeral dirge).

    Simmons, according to his email pitch, also can provide help with getting “leads” for Guaranteed50kIn30days.

    “Do you need help recruiting?” he asks. “I found a solution! Ask me about a great lead system I found for only $25 (one-time, NOT monthly)! Get your 5 for $50K easily! You can also use this Lead Scraper for ANY business. Imagine… No more having to talk to friends and family!!”

  • URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Ohio Calls Nanci Jo Frazer’s Focus Up Ministries ‘Front’ For Profitable Sunrise HYIP Fraud Scheme; State Says It Believes Frazer Was An AdSurfDaily Pitchwoman With History Of Promoting Fraud Schemes Such As Zeek Rewards And Profit Clicking

    breakingnews72URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (Fourth update 9:10 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) In court papers, the state of Ohio has called Nanci Jo Frazer’s Focus Up Ministries a “front” for the Profitable Sunrise HYIP scheme and alleges that Focus Up changed its name to Defining Vision Ministries Inc.  in June 2013 — two months after the SEC brought the Profitable Sunrise fraud action in federal court in Atlanta.

    Records suggest Nanci Jo Frazer also is known as Nancy Jo Frazer. The Ohio court documents list the “Nancy” spelling. Other documents list the “Nanci” spelling.

    A judge in Williams County, Ohio, has ordered Frazer, Focus Up and other entities associated with Frazer to “[i]mmediately cease all activities on behalf of any charitable organization/trust in the state of Ohio,” to preserve assets and to return assets that already may have been dissipated.

    The judge also ordered Frazer and others to cease selling unregistered securities. Meanwhile, the judge ordered three Ohio banks to take eight accounts linked to Frazer and others into “actual and/or constructive possession.” Frazer resides in Bryan, Ohio.

    Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Commerce said today that the state has brought civil fraud charges against Frazer, Focus Up, Defining Vision and others. Documents say the state believes Frazer was a pitchwoman for the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme and other “programs,” including Zeek Rewards and Profit Clicking.

    “This case involves a worldwide pyramid scheme that defrauded Ohioans and others out of millions of dollars,” DeWine said. “These individuals brought the scheme to Ohio by promising outrageous returns and telling investors that their donations and investments would help charities. We will continue to work closely with the Department of Commerce to hold the defendants accountable for their actions.”

    Also charged were David Frazer, Frazer’s husband, and Albert Rosebrock, a member of Frazer’s NJF Global Group.  Rosebrock also was alleged by Ohio to be an AdSurfDaily and Zeek affiliate.

    Purported Profitable Sunrise operator “Roman Novak” is called “John Doe” in Ohio’s complaint, leading to continuing questions about whether “Novak” actually exists. In April, the SEC said that Profitable Sunrise pitchmen may not even have known with whom they were doing business. Profitable Sunrise purported to pay up to 2.7 percent interest a day. The SEC said it was using a “mail drop” in England and offshore bank accounts potentially to scam tens of millions of dollars.

    Frazer’s group may have driven $30 million to the scam, according to court files.

    The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Rosebrock is blaming the SEC for the collapse of Profitable Sunrise.

    From a statement by Ohio prosecutors (italics added):

    Profitable Sunrise is an international pyramid scheme recently shut down by federal and international authorities. Profitable Sunrise claimed to be a Christian company that would use investment proceeds to help charities and provide investors with large returns. According to the state’s complaint, the Frazers, of Bryan, and Rosebrock, of Sherwood, used Focus Up Ministries’ status as a charity to solicit donations and investments into Profitable Sunrise. They also claimed that invested funds would compound at 1.6 to 2.7 percent daily, growing at annual rates of 5,000 to more than 75,000 percent.
     
    The complaint also alleges that the defendants used funds donated to Focus Up Ministries for personal expenses and other unlawful purposes. These included financing for personal business ventures, the purchase of a big screen television, no-interest personal loans, and compensation for agents who solicited on behalf of the Profitable Sunrise pyramid scheme. The complaint contains counts of misrepresentation, deceptive acts and practices, conversion, falsification, securities fraud, and unlicensed sale of securities, among other violations.

    The SEC has described Zeek Rewards as a $600 million Ponzi- and pyramid fraud. AdSurfDaily was a $119 million Ponzi scheme, according to the U.S. Secret Service. Meanwhile, ProfitClicking is a “program” linked to Frederick Mann, the purported operator of JSSTripler/JustBeenPaid, which has come under regulatory scrutiny in Italy and the Philippines.

    If Frazer was a pitchwoman for ASD, Zeek and ProfitClicking/JSS/JBP, it would mean she was pushing Profitable Sunrise after various well-publicized regulatory or law-enforcement actions against those “programs,” which purported to pay interest of between 1 percent and 2 percent a day. (ASD = 1 percent/day; Zeek = 1.5 percent/day; ProfitClicking/JSS/JBP = 2 percent/day.)

    Beyond that, it would mean Frazer pushed the purported 2.7 percent a day Profitable Sunrise “Long Haul” plan, even though agencies filed various actions against the “lower-paying” programs with which she allegedly was involved previously.

    Some HYIP promoters move from one fraud scheme to another, while engaging in willful blindness. ASD is known to have had ties to the “sovereign citizens” movement. Mann, of ProfitClicking/JSS/JBP, once used a website to drive traffic to videos featuring Francis Schaeffer Cox, a purported “sovereign citizen” and “militia” man implicated in a murder plot against public officials in Alaska.

  • BULLETIN: Kansas Issues Cease-And-Desist Order To Profitable Sunrise; Document Names 2 Alleged Promoters, Including Nanci Jo Frazer; State Urges Investors To Contact Securities Commissioner

    breakingnews72BULLETIN: The state of Kansas has issued a cease-and-desist order against the alleged Profitable Sunrise HYIP scheme, saying the “program” offered “gaudy” returns “of 1.6% to 2.7% on a daily basis.”

    In a statement, Kansas securities officials say the order names Florida resident David P. Cozzocrea as a Profitable Sunrise pitchman. Cozzocrea’s promo appeared on a website styled KTFAlways.com. (The site appears to be offering an Iraqi Dinars scheme at the time of this post.)

    “Two Kansas investors learned about Profitable Sunrise through KTFAlways.com and contacted Cozzocrea directly. Cozzocrea provided the investors with instructions for setting up an account with Profitable Sunrise and directly funded their accounts with Profitable Sunrise,” the office of Josh Ney, Kansas interim securities commissioner, said.

    Meanwhile, the Kansas order also identifies Ohio resident Nanci Jo Frazer of NJF Global Group as a Profitable Sunrise pitchwoman.

    “Two other Kansas residents invested in Profitable Sunrise through an organization known as the NJF Global Group Community,” Ney’s office said. “The NJF Global Group Community was operated by Focus Up Ministries, Inc. and its founder, Nanci Jo Frazer. The NJF Global Group Community promoted Profitable Sunrise as a fundraising opportunity for religious-based and charitable organizations.”

    Kansas now has become at least the third U.S. state to identify Frazer or NJF Global Group Community in a securities action. The others include Ohio and Minnesota. NJF Global Group also is referenced in an alert by the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand.

    Kansas urged “any Kansas residents” who may have invested money with Profitable Sunrise or had contact with persons promoting Profitable Sunrise to contact Ney’s office immediately.

    “Considering the extent of this scheme, it is likely that several other Kansas residents have funds at risk with Profitable Sunrise,” Ney said.  “Our office needs information from such people in order to stop this type of activity.”

    A website tied to the NJF Global Group, however, appears to be encouraging investors not to contact state regulators.

    “If you file a claim in your State, be prepared to prove yourself and allow access to your bank accounts, personal info and emails as a part validating you,” NJFGlobalGroup.com says. “Some states are saying that all who participated are considered to have purchased an unregistered security.”

    In 2008 (and later), pitchmen for the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme also discouraged recruits from filing complaints with regulators.

    Read the statement by the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner.

    In April, the SEC described Profitable Sunrise as a pyramid scheme that may have gathered tens of millions of dollars through offshore entities.

    Kansas now has become one of at least 36 U.S. states or provinces in Canada to issue cease-and-desist orders or Investor Alerts against Profitable Sunrise. At least four Kansas residents invested a total of at least $22,000 in Profitable Sunrise, the state said.

    Whether purported Profitable Sunrise operator “Roman Novak” has any plans to help pitchmen address potential legal bills is unknown.

    The Kansas investigation is ongoing, the state said.

  • WTOL Introduces Middle America To The Profitable Sunrise HYIP Scheme; Graphic Shows 3-Tiered Affiliate Program On Top Of Absurd Payout

    From the WTOL report.
    From the WTOL report.

    During its 11 p.m. newscast yesterday, WTOL (CBS/Toledo) aired a report titled “Holy Rip-Off” about the alleged Profitable Sunrise HYIP scam. The report, which began with images of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff playing in the background, focused on alleged Profitable Sunrise pitchwoman Nanci Jo Frazer of Bryan, Ohio. Frazer and her NJF Global Group are referenced in Profitable Sunrise-related regulatory actions that brought the alleged scam to a halt, but have not been charged.

    It’s easy to imagine that many people in WTOL’s audience will be surprised to learn that groups of individuals were pushing Profitable Sunrise and its absurd purported daily rates of return with a straight face. Among the Profitable Sunrise offerings was the bizarrely named “Long Haul” plan that promised interest of 2.7 percent a day that could be compounded. That Profitable Sunrise also traded on faith may bring a special blend of horror to the station’s Middle America viewers.

    Still, it won’t be the maximum horror. Indeed, the SEC has alleged that Profitable Sunrise pitchmen may not even have known the identity of the person or persons running the “program” from a “mail drop” in England.

    Indeed, a situation has evolved in which self-identified Christians apparently were targeting other Christians with promises of daily payouts that would make Madoff gag — and from all indications were doing so without even knowing for whom they were working as the offer spread virally over the Internet.

    Whether purported Profitable Sunrise operator “Roman Novak” even exists still isn’t known.

    Then, of course, there is the question about the final destination of purported tens of millions of dollars directed at the “program,” which was pitched in part from well-known forums referenced in U.S. court filings as places from which massive Ponzi and fraud schemes are promoted.

    Within hours of an action brought by North Carolina against Profitable Sunrise weeks ago, a poster on the MoneyMakerGroup Ponzi forum said this:

    “lol @ NC officials.” (See Comments thread in this PP Blog March 1 story.)

    As the story has continued to unfold, an element or elements within NJF Global Group appears to be trying to blame critics for the demise of the “program,” as though the 2.7-percent-a-day “Long Haul” and four other absurd plans were entirely rational and didn’t warrant any scrutiny at all.  This is occurring against the backdrop of major actions brought against other HYIP “programs” by the U.S. government in recent years, including Zeek Rewards last year. Zeek allegedly planted the seed it paid an average of 1.5 percent a day, about half of the purported return of the Profitable Sunrise “Long Haul” plan.

    One of the issues posed by Profitable Sunrise is the issue of willful blindness among promoters. If Zeek was a scam at 1.5 percent a day, for instance, how could Profitable Sunrise not be one with “plans” that dwarfed the returns of Zeek?

    It is known that Profitable Sunrise had promoters in common with Zeek. Some of the promotional ties among various HYIP programs date back at least to the AdSurfDaily 1-percent-a-day scheme in 2008. Like Profitable Sunrise, ASD also traded on religion.

    As the screen shot (above) from the WTOL report shows, Profitable Sunrise offered a three-tiered, MLM-style referral “program” on top of the absurd interest rates. ASD President Andy Bowdoin is in federal prison for his 2008 scam, which offered a two-tiered referral program on top of an absurd 1-percent-a-day interest rate.

    When the U.S. Secret Service exposed the ASD scam, Bowdoin compared the agency to “Satan” and the raid on ASD’s Florida headquarters to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Earlier — prior to the August 2008 raid — he described himself as a Christian “money magnet” and encouraged prospects to send him tens of thousands of dollars at a time.

    Watch WTOL introduce Profitable Sunrise and the early fallout to its audience . . .

    ToledoNewsNow.com: News, Weather

  • WTOL To Air Profitable Sunrise Report Titled ‘Holy Rip Off’

    From The WTOL teaser.
    From The WTOL teaser.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: GlimDropper, an administrator at the RealScam.com antiscam forum, gave PP Blog readers a heads-up on the WTOL report yesterday . . .

    WTOL, the CBS affiliate in Toledo, Ohio, says it will air a report Thursday (April 25) at 11 p.m. EDT titled “Holy Rip Off.”

    A teaser for the report shows photos of Profitable Sunrise pitchwoman Nanci Jo Frazer. Frazer’s NJF Global Group is referenced in a New Zealand fraud warning on the Profitable Sunrise “program” and also within the body of a March 14 notice issued by the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities. Frazer and NJF Global Group also are referenced in the body of a March 14 cease-and-desist order issued by the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

    Numerous securities regulators have described Profitable Sunrise as a form of affinity fraud targeted at people of faith. At least 35 agencies in the United States and Canada have issued cease-and-desist orders or Investor Alerts against the HYIP “program,” which had a presence on infamous Ponzi forums such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup.

    The website of Profitable Sunrise has been missing since at least March 14. On April 1 — the day after Easter Sunday and April Fools Day — the “program” failed to make good on promised payouts from the bizarrely named “Long Haul” plan. The “Long Haul” was purported to pay interest of 2.7 percent a day. Its claims were similar to other collapsed schemes promoted on the Ponzi boards.

    On Dec. 30, the PP Blog reported that Profitable Sunrise appeared to be relying on appeals to faith in a bid to attract investors in the wake of the August 2012 collapse of the Zeek Rewards “program.” Zeek, which allegedly planted the seed it paid interest of 1.5 percent a day, also had a presence on the Ponzi boards. In August, the SEC described Zeek as a $600 million Ponzi- and pyramid fraud.

    Earlier this month, the SEC described Profitable Sunrise as a pyramid scheme that had collected an unspecified sum believed to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

    RealScam.com, an antifraud forum recently targeted in a DDoS attack, has been publishing information on Profitable Sunrise since at least Dec. 1.

    The PP Blog learned last month that at least one apologist for the NJF Global Group has relied on purported “research” by a notorious cyberstalker known as “MoneyMakingBrain” in an apparent bid to discredit critics of the “program.”

    MoneyMakingBrain emerged in 2012 as an apologist for the JSSTripler/JustBeenPaid “program” purportedly operated by Frederick Mann. JSS/JBP purported to pay 2 percent a day. MoneyMakingBrain claimed he’d defend Mann “so help me God.”

    JSS/JBP, which appears to have morphed into secondary and tertiary scams (ProfitClicking and ClickPaid) after the August collapse of Zeek, may have ties to the “sovereign citizens” movement. Mann has compared the U.S. government to the Mafia, claiming that government employees were part of “a criminal gang of robbers, thieves, murderers, liars, imposters.”

    Profitable Sunrise also may have ties to the “sovereign citizens” movement.

    Some “sovereign citizens” have an irrational belief that laws do not apply to them. It is known that the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme in 2008 also had ties to “sovereign citizens,” including Kenneth Wayne Leaming. Leaming, a resident of Washington state, was convicted earlier this year of filing false liens for billions of dollars against public officials who had a role in the prosecution of the ASD Ponzi scheme.

    ASD operated from Florida, planting the seed it paid a return of 1 percent a day. ASD President Andy Bowdoin — now serving a 78-month prison term — also was associated with a 1-percent-a-day scam known as AdViewGlobal. AVG bizarrely claimed in 2009 that it enjoyed the protections of the U.S. and Florida constitutions while purportedly operating from Uruguay. The scam collapsed during the summer of 2009 — but not before issuing threats to members and critics.

    In May 2009, AVG bizarrely announced it had secured the services of an offshore facilitator. The announcement was made on the same day President Obama announced a crackdown on offshore scams.

    Obama later was pilloried in an ad for a “program” known as MPB Today. MPB’s operator later was charged in Florida with racketeering.

    “Sovereigns” are infamous for drafting others into scams, including people who do not recognize they are being drafted into illegal pursuits.

    The teaser for the WTOL report is below . . .

  • BULLETIN: AdSurfDaily/OneX Pitchwoman Rayda Roundy Faces Proposed Fine Of $81,250 In Utah For Alleged Unlawful Sale Of ‘Safevest LLC’ Securities In Ponzi Scheme Targeted At Christians

    breakingnews72BULLETIN: (UPDATED 4:58 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The state of Utah has proposed that Rayda Roundy of Hurricane be fined $81,250 and ordered to cease and desist from selling securities unlawfully in the state for her alleged role in hawking Safevest LLC.

    In May 2008, the SEC described Safevest as a fraud- and Ponzi-like scheme that had gathered at least $25 million in part by targeting the Christian community.

    Roundy later became a figure in the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme story. In August 2008, the U.S. Secret Service described ASD as a massive Ponzi scheme operating online. By April 2012, Roundy was tied in court filings in the ASD case to the mysterious “OneX” scheme, which federal prosecutors described as a financial pyramid that was recycling money in ASD-like fashion.

    ASD’s Andy Bowdoin started pitching OneX while he was awaiting trial on Ponzi-related charges flowing from the ASD case. Federal prosecutors said ASD had gathered at least $119 million in its scam. Bowdoin was sentenced in August 2012 to 78 months in federal prison.

    In September 2008 — just a month after the Secret Service had  seized more than $80 million in the ASD Ponzi case — the Utah Division of Securities accused Roundy in a civil filing of hawking Safevest unlawfully. Roundy denied the assertions.

    The case dragged on from 2008 into 2013. Roundy missed a hearing scheduled for March 6 after being warned the presiding officer would hold her in default if she did not attend, the state said.

    Utah proposed that the fine could be used to provide restitution. Roundy’s alleged Safevest target was described only as “ME.”

    In August 2011, the court-appointed receiver in the Safevest case announced that he “does not anticipate any distributions to the investor/victims as no significant funds have been recovered or are anticipated.”

    News about the proposed sanctions against Roundy occur against the backdrop of Investor Alerts or cease-and-desist orders being issued in at least 33 states and provinces in the United States and Canada against the Profitable Sunrise “program.”

    Profitable Sunrise allegedly was targeted at Christians. Its website has been offline for two weeks.

  • New Zealand Calls Profitable Sunrise ‘Illegal,’ Issues Warning, Cites YouTube Promos — And Suggests U.S.-Based Recruitment Arm May Be Part Of Scam

    recommendedreading1The Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand (FMA) has joined regulators in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in issuing a warning on the Profitable Sunrise HYIP “program.” New Zealand’s warning also extends to NJF Global Group, which appears to be a Profitable Sunrise recruitment organization operating from the United States. (More below.)

    FMA’s announcement described Profitable Sunrise as “illegal,” saying the “program” also is known as ProSun and is being advertised on YouTube by an individual named Robert “Bob” Hughes. The “NJF” initials appear to stand for Profitable Sunrise promoter Nanci Jo Frazer of Ohio. The NJF Global Group now appears to be calling itself “The Global Impact Resource Alliance Group.”

    North Carolina regulators said late last month that Profitable Sunrise listed a business address in the United Kingdom and was asking that money be sent by wire to the Czech Republic. Warnings subsequently were issued by the state of Alabama, the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

    At least some of the Profitable Sunrise videos attributed to Hughes appear to have been removed from YouTube or to have been blocked from public access. Google cache (from Feb. 10, 2013) shows that the videos also touted NJF Global Group and positioned Profitable Sunrise as a better option than “Banners Broker.” One of the videos was titled “Income From Profitable Sunrise Blows Away What You Can Make With Banners Broker.” Another was titled “Forget Banners Broker & Make Real Money With Profitable Sunrise & NJF Global Group.”

    Like Profitable Sunrise, Banners Broker also is being promoted on well-known Ponzi scheme forums such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup.

    There were reports today that Banners Broker has been stripped of its ability to distribute money via MasterCard debit cards. Other Ponzi-board “programs,” including Imperia Invest IBC in 2010, have met similar fates. Imperia was met with a cease-and-desist order from Visa. An action by the SEC to halt Imperia’s operations followed.

    Other Profitable Sunrise videos attributed to Hughes made headline appeals to populations in entire countries and had titles such as:

    • “Our NJF Global Team In Profitable Sunrise Invites Those In New Zealand To Join Us”
    • “Our Private NJF Global Team In Profitable Sunrise Is Inviting Those In Korea To Join Us”
    • “Our NJF Global Group In Profitable Sunrise Invites Those From India To Join Our Top Team”
    • “NJF Global Group / Profitable Sunrise Invites Those In The Philippines To Join Our Private Team”
    • “NJF Global Group / Profitable Sunrise Invites Those In Thailand To Join Our Amazing Team”
    • “Our Profitable Sunrise / NJF Global Group Invites Those From Germany To Join Our Team”
    • “Our NJF Global Group In Profitable Sunrise Invites Those In China To Join Our Amazing Team”
    • “Our NJF Global Group In Profitable Sunrise Invites Those In Australia To Join Our Team”
    • “Profitable Sunrise – The 2.7% Daily Long Haul Plan Is Closing Soon”
    • “Profitable Sunrise – How To Move Money From The Private Plan To The Long Haul Plan”
    • “Profitable Sunrise & Our NJF Global Group Really Are Helping People To Retire Early”
    • “The Best Way To Join Profitable Sunrise Is Through Our Private Group – NJF Global Group”

    Here is the New Zealand warning, as published March 11 (italics added):

    Warning: Beware of offerings of securities made by NJF Global Group and Profitable Sunrise

    11 March 2013

    The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) warns the public of an illegal offering of securities by Profitable Sunrise (Prosun) and/or NGF Global Group which has been advertised on ‘youtube’ by Mr Robert(Bob)Hughes, also known as Bob Hughes.

    It is FMA’s understanding that these entities are operating from the UK and the US.

    FMA is concerned that Prosun is illegally offering securities to the public in New Zealand in breach of NZ securities law, and warns New Zealanders not to invest in the above entities.

    If you have invested with Profitable Sunrise or NJF Global Group, FMA would like to hear from you. Please contact our helpline on 0800 434 567.