Scam alert 2016 - and then?

Scam alert 2016

Scam alert … well, some people have criminal minds and set up fraudulent operations. That´s one thing. Some of us are duped. That also happens. But how do the scammer reach the potential victim? Can those involved in spreading the “sales-message” also be seen as part of the scam? Maybe not legally but probably morally. Or what do you say?

Eventually it rises the question on what online sources can be trusted and which ones not – in this, my most recent blog on the scam called PowerBTC, I also list the good & the bad multipliers.

Background story here: Warning: PowerBTC is scam. My story is short, simple and about greed.

Setting up a scam goes something like this: Set up an operation with a quite unique offer with a really good looking deal. The set up, like the homepage and marketing material need to look and sound professional. Then buy PR for the operation. Internet PR services are happy to spread the “sales-message”. When people come to the site, have people pay money to the operation. For some time, the operation might even deliver. This makes it look real, even more people come, more PR can be bought. Keep the whole thing growing until the flow of money IN is so big that ONE day´s worth of scammed profit is well enough to satisfy the fraudster. Close down and disappear.

The PR part is where it gets interesting morally. News agencies and news aggregator and their journalists and editors, who spread this original PR “sales message”, to what extent are they responsible for the content they spread? With a disclaimer they might be "legally not responsible".

But soon the news from us people being scammed reaches the editors … do they go on spreading the original “sales-message” ? Do they spread any updated versions of “sales-message/s”, in case these exist? And what do an editor, a news aggregator do when s/he gets clear feedback – “it´s a scam”. Does s/he start warning people? Does s/he take down the salesy PR message/s. Or does s/he let these stay on the net (maybe because the fraudsters paid for, let´s say, three months?).

After I got scammed, on Saturday the 17th of Sep 2016 I contacted the following online sites that has or had had the “sales-message” of PowerBTC. Some I emailed, some have online forms. Some are hard to reach, some openly state that they don´t want to have anything reported by “normal people” (amongst those is a swiss – german site).

Link to PDF PR-warned-of-scam

Here is the list of the “good guys”, sites reporting on bitcoin and / or online investments, where I could not find anything on the scam operation PowerBTC (or with an older entry found through google, but taken away on their actual page). I´ll set up a news feed with these, to make sure I have “clean” sources in the future.

• forextv.com
• www.btc-echo.de
• bitcoinnews.org
• www.coindesk.com
• bitcoinsaltcoins.com
• www.newsbtc.com
• www.weusecoins.com

With these two I´m not sure, please check yourself

• www.x-crypto.com
• www.bitkoin.com

Take care // Ola

If reading this saved you from any stupid “investment”, feel free to tip me at:
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PS: Once I realised that I was duped, I somehow managed to provoke the people behind the operation PowerBTC enough for them to respond. From two of their emails, dated Saturday the 17th of Sep 2016:

Quote: "Dude open your fucking eyes ... we are already reported everywhere ... If you want to make money work with us get us victims and we give you 50 % share ... and please pass the part when your saying to return back you funds .... consider that money an opportunity to meet us ." An hour later: dude you talk to much i am lazy to read :))) go on do everything you wish .... you are dumb as fuck ... stay on the line .. there are thousands that want to report aswell :) we will shut down website soon so gl :)