In Mendoza, Argentina, law enforcement agencies opened an investigation into a sports investment site believed to be a bitcoin scam. Among the investigations, the authorities are investigating whether they are involved in money laundering and tax evasion.
Platform claims to invest customer funds in placing football bets
According to Clarin, Javier Giaroli, the public prosecutor for the San Rafael Public Ministry, is leading the investigation into Ganancia’s deportivas. Local authorities have interviewed several alleged victims to determine whether or not it was a Ponzi scam.
According to the results, Ganancias Deportivas attracted over 41,000 residents from the Mendoza province, of whom 30,000 lived in the city of San Rafael.
The Costa Rica-based platform supposedly offers investment packages that promise a high return of 20% monthly and 240% annually.
However, they ask for a one-time payment of 100 euros to join the site. If every member can refer others to the platform, they will receive 20 euros per newly registered customer.
Investment packages range from 60 to 10,000 euros. People can make deposits in Bitcoin (BTC) to participate in the platform.
The website advertises itself as a “networking company” investing in sports betting, especially soccer. They claim to have “expert analysts with ten years of experience” placing bets on football matches from the “major international leagues and tournaments”, particularly from Europe.
Local promoter who testifies at the request of the prosecutor
One of the requirements required by Ganancias Deportivas is that users cannot withdraw the initial investment for six months. However, there are some users who deny the claims that Ganancias Deportivas is a scam.
Nonetheless, white-collar crime investigators have raised concerns about the “exorbitant” returns offered by Ganancias Deportivas. In addition, the prosecution sees the fact that a “network company” is raising funds to invest in alleged sports betting as contradicting itself.
Prosecutor Giaroli told Clarin that they had sent requests for reports overseas because the company was allegedly based in Costa Rica but was founded in Spain.
In addition, he called a former cell phone salesman in San Rafael who is actively promoting business in the city to testify. The organizer claimed to have documents supporting the source of funds from Ganancias Deportivas.
At the time of going to press, there are no detainees or arrests as the investigation is still ongoing. Also, the site is blocked in Colombia as the local authorities blacklisted it as an illegal betting site.
What do you think of this case of alleged Bitcoin sports betting related fraud? Let us know in the comments below.
Tags in this story
Argentina, Argentina Crypto, Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme, Bitcoin Fraud, Costa Rica, Ganancias Deportivas, Javier Giaroli, Latin America, Mendoza, Ponzi Fraud, Prosecutor, Soccer, Soccer Betting
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