Bitcoin News and Finance
Report: BTC Mining Investment Platform Declared Pyramid Scheme by South African Consumer Watchdog Skip to main content

Report: BTC Mining Investment Platform Declared Pyramid Scheme by South African Consumer Watchdog

According to the National Consumer Commission, about 4,000 South Africans who invested in a bitcoin mining equipment supplier, Obelisk, may have participated in a pyramid scheme. The commission said participants in the pyramid scheme may have lost as much as over $6 million.

Obelisk Used Social Media Platforms to Lure Victims

A South African consumer watchdog, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) recently announced that Obelisk — a purported bitcoin mining equipment supplier — is in fact a pyramid scheme which has swindled millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. The watchdog reportedly made the announcement after it received complaints from investors who accuse Obelisk of defrauding them.

According to a Businesstech report, the 4,000 individuals who participated in the investment scheme were convinced they were purchasing bitcoin mining equipment which could generate constant income for them. The machines cost between $18.75 and $24,850, the report added.

In a statement, the commission revealed Obelisk had lured victims via social media platforms like Facebook:

Participants were recruited on social media platforms, such as Facebook, where they were required to make a minimal investment. Upon joining and making an initial investment, they were added to different Obelisk Whatsapp groups.

The watchdog added some investors had been given small returns in order to convince them to invest more.

Residents Warned Against Falling for Scammers’ Tricks

However, problems soon started when investors could not make withdrawals. The report alleges that individuals who confronted the operators of the scheme were blocked and subsequently removed from the Whatsapp groups.

The NCC has reportedly confirmed receiving 25 complaints from investors who claim to have lost $41,400. The watchdog, however, believes that as many as “4,000 participants from eight Whatsapp groups” might have lost an equivalent of $6.18 million.

According to Thezi Mabuza, the NCC’s acting commissioner, South African residents must avoid being tricked by investment schemes that promise significant returns in a very short space of time.

“We implore members of the public to spare themselves from heartache and suffering by not joining these deceptive schemes. History is replete with many examples of these schemes that inevitably collapsed, often leaving a trail of financial distress, broken trust, friendships, and even broken families,” Mabuza said.

Register your email here to get a weekly update on African news sent to your inbox:

What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl
Post a Comment
Read more

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju
Post a Comment
Read more

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and
Post a Comment
Read more

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r
Post a Comment
Read more
Blogarama - Blog Directory