And the "fraudster" claims he was scammed

One of the founders of the non-governmental organization "DistribucijaX", which uses the name "DistributeX" as a foreign name and is associated with the platform of the same name through which, allegedly, more than 3.000 Montenegrin citizens were harmed through financial fraud, claims that he himself was deceived.

Against Goran Trifunović and two other founders of the NGO "DistribucijaX" have been charged with multiple criminal charges for alleged crypto and financial fraud.

"I would like to inform you that I have given a statement to the competent authority in response to a report, and that I can only inform you that I was one of the first members who, following a notification from a manager from abroad via WhatsApp, was so-called fired, and that I am also one of the injured parties here," Trifunović told "Vijesti".

He also did not answer what the goal of establishing the NGO was, or whether the NGO "DistribucijaX" had any connection to the activities of the disputed platform.

The Ministry of Regional Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs approved the registration of the NGO “Distribucija Iks” in June. According to data from the registry (ngo.gov.me), this NGO uses the name “DistributeX” as a foreign name, its activity is “social and health care”, and the broader description of this NGO states that it is “organizing humanitarian actions and distributing collected aid to socially vulnerable persons”.

In addition to Trifunović, the following are listed as founders: Smiljana Obradovic from Andrijevica and Marko Djokvučić from Bar.

"Vijesti" also contacted them, Đokvučić announced a response, while Smiljana Obradović did not respond to the editorial team's messages.

The guarantor was the decision to establish an NGO

Citizens who claim to have been defrauded through the “DistributeX” scheme in Montenegro previously told “Vijesti” that they were misled precisely because the organizers of the scheme presented them with a decision on entry into the NGO Register, issued by the Ministry of Justice, as a “certificate of legality and work permit”. Ernad Suljević.

"By misusing an official state document, the founders united thousands of people into a pyramid structure that promised unrealistic daily earnings and 'salaries,'" they stated.

The Ministry of Regional Investment Development and Cooperation with NGOs told "Vijesti" in April that they would not check whether the non-governmental organization "DistributeX" could be involved in a network that bears the hallmarks of crypto fraud.

In the meantime, they have not responded to a query regarding whether they will possibly review the registration and initiate the process of deleting it from the records...

Last week, it was confirmed to "Vijesti" and the Police Directorate, that in several Montenegrin cities, several criminal charges were filed against the persons behind the "DistributeX" platform and similar ones, on suspicion of committing financial fraud... The editorial staff's interlocutors who were themselves part of the "DistributeX" scheme claim that more than 3.000 citizens of Montenegro were harmed through it, and they estimate that the amounts involved are in the millions, which were collected through crypto payments and cash transfers "in person" at local offices.

The Police Directorate previously said that citizens had filed one report each with the security departments of Herceg Novi, Nikšić, Budva and Danilovgrad regarding their business dealings with representatives of the "DistributX" platform.

Interlocutors of "Vijesti", among those who claim to have been deceived, state that reports have also been filed in Podgorica.

The Police Department has not yet responded to these allegations. The editorial team was provided with a copy of a report filed with the Podgorica police.

Meetings via Zoom, payments delayed

The applicant (name known to the editorial staff) describes how he got into the business through a friend, that he was given the website address www.dx818.com, that after accessing the site he immediately received a message via WhatsApp, when a person named Malia, who uses a British phone number, that he was soon included in the group, and Malia also explained to him how to deposit money in the amount of 755 euros, or 800 USDT, what is the value in coins... That was his initial deposit, after which, he explains in the application, he was supposed to make 10 clicks on the website www.dx818.com and thus make a daily "earnings" of 26 USDT, or 25 euros.

"I did that for about 30 or three or four days, but there were no payments on my e-wallet and they always had different excuses as to why there were no payments and guaranteed that there would be, it just took patience," he says.

He adds that they held meetings every evening via the Zoom platform, and that the meetings were led by Goran Trifunović, one of the founders of the NGO associated with the controversial platform, and another person.

"These two individuals presented themselves as representatives of all the engaged individuals from Montenegro. They made presentations of the company, namely 'DistributeX', at meetings and said that they had a seminar at the hotel... and that there were many more ways to make money on this platform," the report states.

The applicant adds that he recently realized that it was a fraud:

"Because they didn't want to pay me for a month, and the Zoom meeting was also suspicious, because the above-mentioned persons (Trifunović, ed. nov.) started telling us about a boiled frog (in order to present us as boiled frogs, or deceived), and after that the administrators removed them and many other people who spoke against the platform from the group. The day after that, an additional 300 USDT was requested for some fake wallet verification... Three days after that, the platform was deleted, and the day before that, WhatsApp groups were also suspended," the report states.

Closing all communication channels

Vijesti first reported on the activities of the “DistributeX” system in Montenegro at the end of March. The editorial staff then suggested to citizens that if they had paid funds to “DistributeX”, they should immediately stop doing so and report everything to the Police Department and the Central Bank. They then explained that the “DistributeX” business model fully fits the category that the FBI classifies as a “cryptocurrency job scam”, a scheme in which fraudsters recruit victims via WhatsApp, ask for payments in cryptocurrencies, assign them simple clicking tasks on proprietary platforms, promise commissions and escalate financial exploitation through a VIP level system.

The “DistributeX” network in Montenegro functioned in exactly this way - the business was entered after a payment of 256, up to even 800 euros, with higher amounts meaning entry to a higher level. Additionally, members were required to recruit new members, complete daily tasks, and make a certain number of daily clicks on some online sites.

Some members told the editorial staff that the “work” had stopped, after the WhatsApp group through which they communicated with the administrators was shut down a few days ago. The associated “DistributeX” websites were also shut down at the time, and in the meantime the office in Podgorica was also closed. The “official community office”, as it says on the entrance door, was opened in the spring, in the part of the city across the Morača...

"Vijesti" recently published the "payroll" list for engagement through "DistributeX" for July, according to which around 200 people were engaged in the work, including staff in local offices, four in Podgorica, three each in Bar and Nikšić, while two people were responsible for work in the offices in Andrijevica and Danilovgrad.