Bitcoin Forum

What happened: FAKE TEAM / Using STOCK IMAGES of the team

Scammers Profile Link:

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4866136.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180042/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4866136.0

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5043218.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102175954/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5043218.0

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4907727.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180011/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4907727.0

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4862144.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180023/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4862144.0

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4856159.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180033/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4856159.0

ANN - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4740101.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180059/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4740101.0

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5042740.0
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102180246/https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5042740.0


Scammer Website: https://bitsmo.io/Home#team
http://web.archive.org/web/20181102173508/https://bitsmo.io/Home

http://icoethics.com/imgs/bitsmo/bitsmo%20fake%20team.JPG
http://icoethics.com/imgs/bitsmo/stock.jpg

FAKE NAME = Louis Colton – STOCK IMAGE
https://www.shutterstock.com/ru/image-photo/purposeful-young-businessman-looking-camera-642441640

FAKE NAME = Ken Riley – STOCK IMAGE
https://www.istockphoto.com/tr/foto%C4%9Fraf/fighter-gm112264023-10170903
https://www.freeimages.com/premium/couple-holding-each-other-7320
https://fhaloansearch.com/qualifying-for-an-fha-loan-in-five-steps-2/couplehomeboxes1386x1385/

FAKE NAME = Bill Hogland – STOCK IMAGE
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/portrait-of-confident-man-with-blonde-beard-royalty-free-image/518338865
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-portrait-of-confident-man-with-blonde-beard-73968084.html



ATTENTION:
The adviser below has participated/or helped to promote a few scams in the past. We already warned him twice about the scams that he was helping / promoting.
The only thing he did was to delete the scam ICO listed on his Linkedin profile. His name and image still on the scammer's website.

http://icoethics.com/imgs/bitsmo/crook%20felipe%20teixeira.jpg

ADVISER - Felipe Teixeira
https://www.linkedin.com/in/luizfelipetx/
https://icobench.com/u/luizfelipetx
SCAM - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5045079.0 (www.utpay.io)
SCAM - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5048659.0 (www.enomcoin.com)
SCAM - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5062208.0 (www.bitsmo.io)

Please remove this post immediately. This is nothing more than speculation. You are making a very strong accusation based on very weak evidence. You are free to ask any questions you'd like if you are suspicious of our legitimacy, however outright declaration of our exchange as a scam is slanderous.

Nothing will be removed.

Well, since when having fake team members is considered a weak evidence? Almost every project that has used other people identities is or turned out to be a scam. Why would it be any different with you?



Can you name these 30+ popular exchanges you are connected with?

Being able to offer transactions 10 times faster than other exchanges means you have hard working devs. It's just that your github is basically empty:
https://github.com/Bitsmo/Bitsmo

On your website, you claim that you have raised more than $2 million dollars, any proof of that?

https://ethplorer.io/address/0xbbd575b0652a9a097b4921ab279436be1b52adfb

Hello ICOEthics.

As i spoke on linkedin with you,as i say before i gave advices to some projects. And they listed me as a advisor.

I have no problem to prove my real person, experience, university or wherever you need. As i say to you i am a real person and i just help some projects on advisoring. They request me some doubts about consistency Project in general, advice tech , how can hire a team, etc.

I talk to you in linkedin and i REALLY not understood why you put my profile, links , all information here as a warning to another people.

Any people can contact me, make a Skype room session, or wherever.

Im not search image people on google to say if ico is a scam or not... This is not my job.

My job is help people and share my knowledge. Im not a superstar in blockchain world, but i have a little experience and this experience give to me a Expert Ico Bench profile - Verified 3x times , documents, phone call , etc etc... ( if you want contact icobench, go a head.) ,

I will request to you to remove this "suspicious" informations ABOUT ME. Im never ignore you, i always respond you and give all support on your questions, and you enter on this forum and 'share' my profile as supicious... This is not correct.

And you are accusing me, after all informations sended to you...

Why before share this in this format, requesting to more details, or the relation contact ?

The more impressive part of this, is i talked with you without any problem,...

@Cyrus Please, request to this member to remove information about me.
If you want any explanation i can talk also..

After ICOEthics contact me, i talk with all projects that i help to send this notifications. But i not have any connection directly with any this projects. Just a advisoring.

Also i think the information about ICO to say scam or not scam is not enough to you position about scam.
But this i will leave to guys from project send message here , as im doing explain any situation to anyone.

Again, please , remove this accusations on my part.. You are wrong.

And the advice gave from me to guys.

enomcoin - They are a massive scan, Scrap my info profile and used, i report this to local policy on my country and cyber criminal division . They stolen my info. this guys never contact me.
 I never join icos as a team member directly, !!!!!  cto, developer or other, I never join on ico..


bitsmo - i advice to this guys - As i said before , as i said to you in linkedin. Just advisoring.
utpay - i advices to this guys - As i said before , as i said to you in linkedin. Just advisoring.

This morning you sent us the message below just because someone from Bitcointalk forum told you about our post where your name appears on a third scam.
You never replied to our message on October 12 when we alerted you about the second scam - enomcoin - neither you wrote the information above about enomcoin on the message below. You wrote: "As i spoked with you i give advices to all this guys that you mention, but no direct association on project."

https://icoethics.com/imgs/other/message2.JPG





We are not stealing your information. It is published on public websites. Also we are not ignoring you, we were the ones who informed you about such scams.



You are wrong. It is your job and obligation to know who you are dealing/working with, especially as an adviser.
If your job is to help people, find a way to help all the people that will loose their money on these scams because they believed in you as a real person (and you are) and as an adviser for these ICOs. It is really sad!

1) The numerous threads posted here on bitcointalk which you linked above are made by the accounts "dimcoin1", "nikkyBTC", and "futureICOs". These threads were NOT authorized by Bitsmo. These accounts are NOT representatives of Bitsmo.

2) You use the fact that members of our team have photos linked to stock photo websites as conclusive proof that we are a scam. However, here is evidence that our "fake team" is legitimate. I am a part of Bitsmo's marketing department and I am listed on the website. I have met several of the team members personally including Ken Riley, who you claim is not a real person. I'm linking a photo  (https://imgur.com/a/pFpQU9H) of part of the team which includes myself (Joe Coburn), Ezra Bergstein, and Ken Riley among others not listed on the Bitsmo homepage. Clearly, we are an actual team of actual people.

Understandably, the team is not able to come together physically in its entirety. Moreover, it would be unreasonable to expect that a project in the blockchain/finance/tech space wouldn't consult and communicate with advisors primarily over the internet. Take Felipe Teixeira for example, who we paid as an adviser and communicated with him online.

3) It is far from conclusive proof to say that Bitsmo is a scam because the advisor's photo is also listed on a stock photo website. As shown above, you were wrong about one of the team members whose photo appears on a stock photo site. I am neither confirming nor denying any of the following reasons, however there are many explanations for the stock photos:
It is not unreasonable to believe that some of our advisors may have sent us stock photos to use on our website for the sake of their own anonymity, or that they simply had professional photography done, which they posted to stock photo sites and also used for their bio on our site. I am awaiting more information regarding this specifically and will provide the details as soon as they are made available to me.

4) I see no conclusive proof that Felipe Teixiera is a scammer. The threads that you linked contain only your accusations and insinuations that he is as you claim. If you are going to make these serious accusations, you must provide definitive proof.

All of our advisers have been legitimately paid for their services and have contributed significantly to the project.

@ICOethics you can always ask for video call with any of the team members, you know.

It is just strange, giving all these pictures and everything, Felipe is verified member of ICObench https://icobench.com/u/luizfelipetx, and yet he is advising project which fail ICObench's KYC test https://icobench.com/ico/bitsmo

Maybe BitsmoExchange could tell us why CEO Patrick Kimbley and COO Ken Riley fail test?

https://i.imgur.com/zrvFJtJ.png

Maybe their advisor Felipe could shed some light? I would ask other advisors the same questions but I don't really trust team from pexels.

---

On side note, I always wondered how these projects are trying to collect money without knowing their team members, advisors etc. They talk via email only or something? They don't do video calls? They trust random person on internet and they expect investors to trust them :-\

I'm criticizing this argument: "Premise: the advisor's photo is also listed on a stock photo website. Conclusion: the adviser is fake and therefore the team is fake."  Weak evidence leading to a bold conclusion. In other words, there is no conclusive proof that there are any fake team members and for this reason it is unfair to assert that we are a scam.  


Some of the top exchanges included in our Community Network are Gemini, Poloniex, Binance, GDAX, Kraken, Bitfinex, Bitstamp, KuCoin, and OKEX.


We are partnered with Modulus Global, who is handling development for the platform and enabling us to reach those transaction speeds.


The data on ethplorer is not accurate because we used internal wallets for the ICO.

What about me sir, what about my question sir?

Can you address this?

Can you list other 21 exchanges you are connected with? How are you exactly connected with them?

I couldn't find Louis Colton and Bill Hogland's names as ICO advisors anywhere on the web. Likely identities are fake, which means that you have submitted false information both on your website and ICOBench.

---

Modulus Global has partnered with companies/banks like ING, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase etc. but I couldn't get any information about Bitsmo (if we don't count fake shill websites like newsbtc, crossroadstoday where scam projects usually dump awful articles for pennies). I would like to see any kind of documentation that proves your partnership with Modulus if it's not too much trouble for you.

---

If you don't mind please share these internal wallet addresses so that we can check for ourselves. All I see is 42 BTSM holders with approximately $240k raised in ETH, correct me if I'm wrong.

---

As i said before..

bitsmo - i adviced this guys, they contact me virtual mode, i give tips, Project , check withepaper etc.
utpay - i advice this guys, they contact me , virtual mode, i give tips , Project, check whitepaper, etc.


enomcoin- I NEVER SPOKE WITH THIS GUYS... ..
i report this to local policy on my country and cyber criminal division . They stolen my info.


this is my final position.


What i made when you contact me. ( Im talking about Bitsmo and UTPAY ,  i not read last message about enomcoin, i just read about enomcoin 3 days ago, and on the thread that you open i put my final position.)

 - Send messages to ICOBench about and re check this guys  bitsmo and utpay ( maybe because this is kyc failed)
 - Request to acusation teams photos, kycs, etcs about Project. (bitsmo and utpay, send messge private)
 - Remove/ Request suspicious Project from my profile , ICObench (request sent bitsmo and utpay) until they contact me.
 - Waiting responses. from bitsmo and utpay


i think all responses on this thread is enougth. Now people can read and take own conclusions.

So, i sent the questions to teams, and maybe they will contact you.
You are also sharing our private conversation. Im have nothing to hide, but this is not confortable.

Moderator if possible @Cyrus, request to remove my images and profile from this thread.
My image with big red fake created by other user, is not correct. im not like. if is not possible i can understand.

I'm done for now.

Your name and image are listed on those scammers website, which makes you part of the scam.



Again, where is the report?


We are not stealing your image. Your name and image ARE LISTED on the scammer's website. We will do you a favor and remove the visual part, but we will keep the links.

It's simply unbelievable. I am not sure how these negative feedback are meant to helpful? IF I posted ANN thread on BEHALF of them, does that make me partner of them? I SEE NO RULES where Bitcointalk tells it's WRONG/INCORRECT/ILLEGAL, then HOW do I get punished for something that's considered as ALLOWED.

Now BEFORE anyone tells me it's a scam, I am sorry but when I posted ANN thread, they were NOT scam. So, HOW I am supposed to know that they are to scam? But I guess most people LOVE using their Power regardless of whether the person is correct or not. Thank you

Really? why are you complaining about this 2 months later?

It was posted on the thread created by you (November 2) you should have made some comments about this long time ago.
" IF I posted ANN thread on BEHALF of them, does that make me partner of them? "  =  YES it does make you a scam promoter/supporter because you were warned about them, and you took no action. You could/should have blocked/suspended/ the thread. Evidence was provided - They had a fake team. But you preferred to remain silent and complain later once their ICO is over. Sorry, but we can't help you. Ask a DT to remove the red trust.

You do realize that you have been tagged for different things, right?

1) RAISEX
2) Arbitao
3) VEIAG
4) Bitsmo
5) Gold Bits Coin

They are helpful, people will see that you are promoting scams and they will stay away from you which will save them few bucks.

What happened to bismo? They fail KYC test and disappeared from BCT.

Buddy, did you even checked your inbox? You were the one who gave me negative feedback for Arbitao. I posted content about them, and I removed it 24 hours later after I received your complaint, but yet I NEVER received your reply over it or the negative feedback removed. So, can you tell me what was my fault exactly?

So, ICOEthics, can you please tell me what was my FAULT here? You said that I didn't took action, but I did for Arbitao and that WITHIN 24 hours of the POSTED time and only FEW hours after receiving the complaint, yet nothing changed.

FTFY.

The reason you're so outraged all of a sudden is the recent change in the trust system, which makes the feedback left previously by ICOEthics and me now visible, as we are now both in Default Trust.

The fact is that you have and will post and support any old shit for payment, including scams like VEIAG (https://www.veiag.com/) which is what I gave you negative trust for.
You didn't only post their ANN, you supported the thread for three months completely ignoring the huge red flags I raised in it, even questioning whether I had read their obviously fake WP
When they went dark, you continued to post pages of their PR memes before locking it and changing the title to Outdated Thread (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3761624.80) presumably to fuck it up for anyone searching "VEIAG".
That's why I left you negative trust, and it's staying, despite your bullshit pm to me claiming they hadn't paid you. That what happens when you deal with scammers, they scam everybody and people like you help them.
I'm not talking for Marlboroza, he's quite capable himself, but I was going to leave you negative trust for your Arbitao post (http://archive.is/1uIbT) (which I commented on disparagingly) because you posted it on July 9th.
If you had the remotest interest in the honesty of the schemes you promote, then you'd have known thru a 5 minute search that there was a big SCAM ACCUSATION  (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4486941.0)against Arbitao already on the forum, opened over three weeks before you made that shill post (as well as serious doubts being raised in their ANN thread).

Tl,dr:  Posting and shilling for shit schemes for money, no questions asked, is as bad as running them.

June 11, 2018, 10:07:20 AM --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4455437.0 0.75% daily
2018-06-16 ---> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=2084637 first -ve
June 17, 2018, 09:31:38 PM --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4486941.0 scam accusation
June 17, 2018, 11:56:18 PM --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4486941.msg40344351#msg40344351 give us 24 hours
2018-06-19 --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=2084637 second and third -ve

23 days after...

July 09, 2018, 10:30:04 PM --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4632175.0 http://archive.is/1uIbT shilling hard for arbitardao
2018-07-10 --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=1187801 -ve


July 10, 2018, 04:26:35 PM

---

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4907727.0 bitsmo thread remains open. Team failed KYC. Questions in this thread - not answered.

2018-11-02 --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=trust;u=1187801 -ve for shilling for bitsmo
January, 12, 2019, 06:38:36 PM --> https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5062208.msg49197145#msg49197145 "WTF??"

Bitsmo has been operating in collaboration with Modulus Global, which itself is one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.
 
Here we have attached our Licenses along with Registration Numbers for your cross-verification. Moreover, our platform is going to be fully regulated as it would feature KYC and AML both. Besides, our platform is bonded with 30+ major exchanges in the world, for users to make suitable and profitable trading decisions.

Whatever we do, we do it for the sake of our users and we mean it.

Bitsmo and its team strongly deny any accusations by you, and here’s the reason why. We hold both cryptocurrency and company licenses. Anyone, who’s interested, can also cross-verify our registration numbers either by calling us or by themselves.

We have always been an authentic cryptocurrency exchange platform, operating in collaboration with Modulus Global.

Estonia Business License
https://imgur.com/L6yrgm3

Crypto Licenses (BITSMO)
https://imgur.com/JPKwbkU

Ref Post: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5062208.msg49231137#msg49231137

Bitsmo has been operating in collaboration with Modulus Global, which itself is one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

Here we have attached our Licenses along with Registration Numbers for your cross-verification. Moreover, our platform is going to be fully regulated as it would feature KYC and AML both. Besides, our platform is bonded with 30+ major exchanges in the world, for users to make suitable and profitable trading decisions.

Whatever we do, we do it for the sake of our users and we mean it.

Bitsmo and its team strongly deny any accusations by you, and here’s the reason why. We hold both cryptocurrency and company licenses. Anyone, who’s interested, can also cross-verify our registration numbers either by calling us or by themselves.

We have always been an authentic cryptocurrency exchange platform, operating in collaboration with Modulus Global.

Estonia Business License
https://imgur.com/L6yrgm3

Crypto Licenses (BITSMO)
https://imgur.com/JPKwbkU

Just recap for us please, seeing as that was the point of the thread, who exactly that "team" is?
Is it still these people?
Or not?

https://i.imgur.com/a0ZGlpd.png

https://i.imgur.com/vaaOACN.png

I don't understand why person in charged is hidden, it is publicly available information.

Anyway, "person in charged" is not part of the team. Why?

Because people might get curious who this guy is, and the results are not too good for "the company".

https://i.imgur.com/j2glIzY.png

Looks like he is establishing crypto companies at the rate an mg42 fires  ;D ;D
And he is pretty cheap and only requires scanned id:
http://www.eestifirma.ee/et/service/firma-asutamine/

Seriously, two years and people still believe a simple authorization to conduct business in Estonia means something?

Ps, I wonder how many of the crypto companies listed there are scams...99%? 99.9%?

Oh my God! Fake photos and now a serial "entrepreneur"? Defend Bitsmo is indefensible cuz you can't explain away for using fake teams if your project is legit. Thanks to the guy who caught this.  :)

And the scammers are going a head with the exchange launch

https://talkimg.com/images/2023/05/14/blobd4ba65156d1b3730.png

https://medium.com/bitsmo/bitsmo-exchange-launching-tomorrow-8715a08e9f12

I pray an innocent person out there first does research and doesn't fall for this crap. The good thing is that there was no clap reaction on their medium post so that's a sign that nobody is interested in their scam

Hmmm, I agree with you. This isn't looking good them. This person is a scammer! They have promoted nothing but scams as you have pointed out!

I am Crypto-Info, bringing attention to the Raisex.io SCAM

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5056211.0

Bitsmo...you are on my radar...you will remember me with Raisex.io, as "a thorn in your side".

thanks for the post, im new to this and i have made a research on this bitmo thing and i found this post. I have made an account just to thank for posting and avoiding me the head ache of falling into a scam.

Thanks