Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (SEC) Filipina Mengeluarkan Perintah Berhenti dan Menghentikan terhadap Penipuan Perdagangan Kripto BG Wealth

• SEC Filipina mengeluarkan perintah Cease and Desist kepada BG Wealth karena tidak mematuhi aturan, serta menandainya sebagai penipuan finansial.

Setelah sekitar satu tahun menjalankan operasinya di beberapa yurisdiksi, termasuk AS, Samoa, dan Filipina, Komisi Sekuritas dan Bursa Filipina akhirnya mengeluarkan perintah Cease and Desists terhadap BG Wealth Sharing Ltd. Melalui Departemen Penegakan dan Perlindungan Investor regulator Filipina, lembaga tersebut memerintahkan perusahaan, termasuk manajemen, perwakilan, dan para promotor, untuk menghentikan transaksi serta aktivitas pemasaran mereka.

What is BG Wealth

BG Wealth is a crypto scam ring founded and operated by Stephen Beard, a self-proclaimed professor and investment guru. According to the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), the company marketed itself as an investment group and “the world’s largest hedge fund.”

The fake investment firm enticed people to join its social media channel, particularly on Facebook. From there, its operators urged unsuspecting victims to join its group via messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or Bonchat, where they encouraged them to invest in an associated trading platform, DSJ Exchange.

ADVERTISEMENTInitially, BG Wealth gradually builds its members’ confidence by generating “advanced trading signals” with “zero risk.” These eventually translate into unrealized gains in their DSJ accounts of up to $1,500 for every $2,000 invested.

In reality, the perpetrators are allegedly just doctoring all the exchange’s data to make it appear that actual trading is taking place and that its users are benefiting from its sophisticated strategy. Meanwhile, BG Wealth immediately siphons all the money investors have poured into DSJ into its own bank accounts.

Overall, it’s a clear Ponzi scheme since it generates revenue only from new users to pay out older ones. The scam eventually unraveled when various regulators flagged BG Wealth’s activities, and users began having trouble withdrawing their funds. DSJ mysteriously freezes during those attempts, masking the issue as a mere technical glitch rather than a measured exit scam from the culprits.

ADVERTISEMENTWhat’s worse, as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized its platforms, BG Wealth made a last-ditch effort to demand “advanced fees” from users with frozen funds to supposedly help them withdraw their money.

Dasar bagi Perintah Cease and Desist

Bitpinas melaporkan bahwa SEC Filipina menemukan bisnis BG Wealth melanggar Securities Regulation Code (SRC) dan Financial Products and Services Consumer Protection Act (FCPA). Badan tersebut menggunakan landmark Howey Test sebagai dasar perintah Cease and Desist, dengan memutuskan bahwa ketiadaan pendaftaran dan izin perusahaan untuk menjual atau menawarkan efek dalam penawaran publiknya merupakan penipuan finansial.

Anehnya, perintah terbaru SEC hanya berfokus pada aspek kepatuhan dalam bisnis BG Wealth. Meski menyebut bahwa penipuan finansial mencakup permintaan yang menipu, seperti skema Ponzi, lembaga itu tidak mengulang temuan sebelumnya bahwa bisnis tersebut menjalankan skema Ponzi yang terencana dengan rapi.

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