"Give me 245 euros, and with the help of the Nearest Edge platform, I will earn a million in 12 to 15 weeks", this is what the authors of the website that, using the names of public figures and their photos, abuse the ignorance and/or naivety of users and on that way, when they accept the invitation and log in to the platform, they commit fraud to their detriment.
journalists Darko Sukovic, Milica Minic, Tamara Nikcevic, Drazen Zivkovic, former deputy and high-ranking official of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) Petar Ivanovic...allegedly they have already made money thanks to the platform that the fake website authors refer to.
The Police Directorate told "Vijesta" that it was a so-called "investment fraud". They also told the editors on Friday that no one had filed a complaint with them in relation to the aforementioned publications.
"Until now, the police administration has not received a report from individuals and legal entities in relation to the Nearest Edge platform, which assures users that with a certain investment they can earn money in a short time. In relation to the data you provided us, we inform you that it is a type of online investment fraud", they state in the reply from UP.
What is investment fraud
In the past few days, posts targeting several public figures have been noticed on social networks, and the visual identity of the CdM portal, the Central Bank of Montenegro, has also been misused.
Content in which public figures allegedly promote a bitcoin investment platform was shared from the Facebook page "Football in Lebanon - Chido".
The Police Department told "Vijesta" that it is an online investment fraud, a type of financial fraud, in which fraudsters deceive investors in order to get them to invest money in fake investment opportunities.
"There are several types of investment scams, such as ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, pump and dump, fictitious investment platforms, cryptocurrency scams. These frauds use different methods to attract and deceive victims," said the Police Department.
Contacts with victims, as they clarified, most often start on social networks, in most cases through the social network Instagram, where they contact potential victims through a fake page that promotes fake investments and enter into communication and presentation of the investment with them.
"The investment is always in cryptocurrencies and the attacker uses a separate account for each victim. The victim is given access to the administration of the alleged investment, where he can monitor the alleged growth of the investment. When the victim decides to withdraw funds, she is most often asked for additional payment (opening of certain accounts, fees...) or before the deadline for payment, the victim is offered a new package with a higher commission on earnings, if in the following period (24 to 48 hours) pay more. When in the end the victim sees that he has been deceived and reports the disputed site, it is shut down in a short period of time", explained the Police Directorate.
Be careful with internet domains
The "Vijesti" reporter, using false data, filled out a form on a link that is circulating on the net and presents itself as a platform through which quick earnings are possible. All links have been submitted to the police. Analyzing the links, the Police Directorate explains, it was determined that one (https://weedenhost.com) is displayed as inactive, and that the other (https://weedenhost.com/?_lp=1&_token=uuid3fou7sj44h4893fou7sj44h489668d2d7ca355a9.29 626619) gets information that it has expired or is incorrect.
"Based on the history of the site's previous activity, it can be concluded that weedenhost.com is actually a site, although it is no longer available, and it was renting hosting to other clients. The given link is actually a time token that redirects visitors to the primary domain wealthsolutionsltd.com. On the mentioned website, it is shown that it deals with alleged investments and that it allows investors a certain profit in relation to the invested funds", explained the police.
The website wealthsolutionsltd.com, they added, is a copy of the website https://www.wealth-solutions.co.uk/ "which has a good reputation for financial planning and investing in savings and pension funds".
"By examining the two domains, we can see that the names are the same, but that the creator of the fake site has made certain changes (wealth-solutions.co.uk wealthsolutionsltd.com) to mislead the victim. The fake site looks authentic, but by searching open sources it can be seen that it was created on May 27, 2024, which immediately suggests that it is a fraud and that a financial institution they represent cannot have a newly created domain," they said. from the police.
The link https://dashboard.wealthsolutionsltd.com/login, which is obtained after the victim enters the registration information, as they added, is the part of the site that allows victims access to the administration, where they can monitor the alleged growth of the investment and earnings that have achieved.
Another abuse of public figures
The disputed content appeared on social networks, in a way that allegedly represented links from the CdM portal (cdm.me), with texts in which journalists whose names were misused allegedly interviewed Tamara Nikčević, Dražen Živković and Petar Ivanović and recommended the platform. Nearest Edge”.
A platform of that name exists, but its original content is different from the platform used as bait.
A few days ago, the Raskrinkavanje.me portal published a text in connection with the aforementioned fraud. Among other things, they clarified some illogicalities in the disputed posts, which should indicate to users that it is a fraud.
"Although the website from which the texts were shared has the same visual identity as the CDM portal, the domain from which the disputed texts were published has been changed and is not the address used by CDM. Also, the font of the title and publication is different compared to the one used on the CDM portal, and in addition, the texts are published in Cyrillic. Texts published on CDM are visible only in the Latin script," they state.
As they add, "inconsistency in the writing style can also be observed" in the disputed content.
"Thus, in the publication that refers to Tamara Nikčević, it is noticeable that she is often addressed in the masculine gender, even in the title itself, as well as that ekavica is used. It is interesting that every attempt to select a different column on the alleged CDM website ends unsuccessfully", they stated in the text and added that the Facebook page "Football In Lebanon - Chido", from which the controversial posts were shared, was not it is possible to determine where it is registered.
"Nevertheless, a phone number is highlighted, the area code of which belongs to Lebanon. It is clear that the content is completely fabricated in order to promote an unreliable cryptocurrency trading site," the Raskrinavanje.me portal announced. They also reminded that, before this fraud in which Tamara Nikčević, Petar Ivanović and Dražen Živković as public figures were misused for marketing purposes, the target of such advertisements were also journalists and presenters. Marija Razić, journalist and presenter Ananije Jovanović, as well as their colleagues from the region, presenters N1 Tatjana Aleksic i Sanela Dujković.
MJU: It is not our jurisdiction
"Vijesti" also sent questions about the disputed publications to the Ministry of Public Administration (MJU), which it heads Marash Dukaj. Among other things, they were also asked for advice to users for safe use of the Internet, as well as to indicate which elements on the disputed page clearly indicate that it is a fraud.
"MJU, in accordance with special regulations, is responsible for managing the information and communication infrastructure and the information and communication network of the authorities, and accordingly monitors that network and, through the Government CIRT, promptly informs and warns users of the Government infrastructure and network about the possibility of misuse content and provides guidelines for action. The aforementioned platform is not within the competence of this Ministry, and therefore we do not have the competence to react, nor to check the relevant platform and link", they told "Vijesta".
How to recognize fraud
On the Raskrinkavanje.me portal, they also published several recommendations for identifying fake posts.
"Sites that offer a certain product are mostly so-called - landing sites, one-sided sites, which have no other content. By clicking on any of the offered options, the search leads to a link to purchase the product. A 50 percent discount is almost always offered. It is almost always an 'opportunity not to be missed'. The content is full of linguistic illogicalities and seems to have been generically translated from another language. The figures mentioned are usually exaggerated", they state on the Raskrinkavanje.me portal.
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