An apparent investment and banking website whose domain registration is hidden behind a proxy appears to be preparing to accept money from investors worldwide by planting the seed it is a charitable enterprise.
The website of OnlineInvestmentBank.org appears to have been registered just days ago — on Jan. 21. The site suggests it is both “private” and eager to do business with Americans and others worldwide. Meanwhile, the site suggests it does not have to comply with U.S. law when soliciting U.S. residents.
Examples of fractured English syntax appear across the site.
“Don’t post bad vote on Public Forums and at Gold Rating Site without contacting the administrator of our program FIRST,” the site prompts prospects. “Maybe there was a technical problem with your transaction, so please always CLEAR the thing with the administrator.”
Other examples of the awkward use of the English language appear on the site. At the same time, OnlineInvestmentBank.org appears to be issuing an appeal for customers to embrace a culture of both spamming and secrecy.
“You agree that all information, communications, materials coming from onlineinvestmentbank.org are unsolicited and must be kept private, confidential and protected from any disclosure,” the site advises prospects.
The site also claims an exemption from U.S. law:
“As a private transaction, this program is exempt from the US Securities Act of 1933, the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the US Investment Company Act of 1940 and all other rules, regulations and amendments thereof,” the site claims. “We are not FDIC insured. We are not a licensed bank or a security firm.”
Money can be sent to the firm via Liberty Reserve and Perfect Money, according to the website.
Why a purported investment company and banking firm would use a .org domain was not immediately clear. On its website, OnlineInvestmentBank.org says it is offering a referral program and promises to pay participants “5% of your referrer’s deposit.”
“Everyone can participate in this program,” the website claims in its FAQ section. “We accept members from any country in the world.”
The site says it accepts a minimum deposit of “USD 10” and a maximum of “USD 500000.”
How it purportedly earns money and is able to give away 5 percent of its deposits in the form of commission payments are unclear.
Bizarrely, the website also appears to claim that customer deposits are locked down, but earn spectacular sums of interest daily — in addition to the 5 percent commissions paid for referrals.
Under an FAQ that reads, “What do you mean xxx% on your plans? can (sic) I withdrawal (sic) Principal (sic) too?”, the website notes:
“You can’t withdrawal (sic) your principal money. For example 102% after 1 day is (sic) means 100% which is your principal money plus 2% as profit.”
And the website also says it favors “e-currencies” because they attract less attention from two notable groups of potential meddlers: “hackers” and “any of the governmental organizations (like tax structures).”