Cocaine and human trafficking have traditionally been the crime of choice for transnational criminal organizations. However, cryptocurrency scams and forex trading scams have become new hyper-growth industries. It yielded over $14 billion in 2021 – that is near twice the $7.8 billion reported in 2020.
Earlier this year, I reported on a new crypto and forex scam run by Seus International Group. This morning, an anonymous source that identified himself only as “Barracuda”, provided Fox Chronicle with information connecting Seus International Group to at least other 30 companies and websites.
“This is not just a simple scam as you originally reported,” according to Barracuda, “Seus International is a small node in a transnational criminal empire with outposts in various countries throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.”
Based on the number of websites and what is known about Seus International’s activity, this criminal organization may be responsible for up to $100 million in total losses to victims around the globe over the last two years.
Here are some tips to recognize the scam:
- You were contacted on social media (Facebook, Instagram,etc.) or an online dating site (Tinder, Bumble, etc.). A “friendly” online relationship is developed. The scammer mentions an investment opportunity but doesn’t insist.
- The contact was generally made by a Chinese woman who…
