I am clever enough and skillful enough to spot the warning signs of a potential scam. I'm also ethical enough to do what I can to warn people about it instead of letting them lose their money to prove it.
Studying financial crime is something a hobby of mine. I actually got in trouble at one place I worked for warning people about a 419 scam - since if Mrs. Abacha or an official from the NNPC really did want someone's help transferring millions of dollars and I called it a scam, the could sue me and the company. After all, I had no proof that these specific people weren't really trying to move 10's of millions of dollars out of Nigeria, even while complaints came in from people who'd lost large sums of money to exactly the same fraud.
So, the next time you get an email asking someone's help to move millions of dollars, remember - there's no proof that this time it's not the real deal. Make sure to tell anyone who warns you that it appears to be advanced fee fraud that they don't have knowledge or proof, so shouldn't argue that people need to steer clear.
Take a few moments to read this and then tell me how I should have sat back and said nothing since I had no knowledge or proof:
https://www.forexpeacearmy.com/fore...1-cre-capital-corporation-crecapcorp-com.html
A guy claiming to be the VP of CRE threatened to sue because I said it showed potential warning signs of being a Ponzi. That was before the whole thing got shut down by the CFTC and SEC 2 months after my first warning. The charge - being a Ponzi.
And then there was this one:
https://www.forexpeacearmy.com/fore...r/2451-anybody-heard-tirn-www-mytirn-com.html
I spent a long time arguing with a bunch of people who were very sure it wasn't a Ponzi even though it showed all the signs. Based on your viewpoint, I should have just stood by and let more innocent people go to the financial slaughterhouse, since the proof wasn't there - until 16 months later when the CFTC and SEC stepped in to file charges.
Even after the initial charges were filed, a number of "baby TIRNS" popped up - each claiming to be safe, secure, and not a Ponzi. Despite warnings from me (and the SEC and CFTC), some people threw in their money for the chance for all that "free money" and lost it all. I and a few other FPA members were like a small pack of sheep dogs faced with a record setting sheep stampede. We managed to save some, but there were too many and they were too determined to run into the minefield despite out best efforts.
So, do you really think that I and everyone other member at the FPA should sit by silently when something shows warning signs of being a scam? The SEC and CTFC can't do a lot against Ponzis that are based offshore and don't get a lot of US clients. Even when one is based in Florida and actively recruiting around the USA, it can take months or years before charges are filed, thus providing the proof you are demanding.
I've seen so much of this type of crime, I wrote an article on it:
https://www.forexpeacearmy.com/fore...959-ponzi-schemes-hyips-free-money-traps.html
Maybe Vladimir Fx isn't a Ponzi, but let me tell you something about financial investments that you don't seem to get. Due to the very nature of the industry, the burden of proof is on the company offering those big returns. If a company shows any potential signs of being a Ponzi and isn't transparent enough to overcome this, I'm not going to listen to someone who says "there's no proof, so there's no reason to worry." Not sounding the warning when I see a potential risk is an unethical path that I am not willing to go down no matter how many times you point me in that direction.
Even with a licensed CTA trading your own money in a conservative fashion at a well regulated broker, there's always a reason to worry. The only time to not worry about your money is when your cash is sitting on the table in front of you. That's been the case since the concept of investing was invented.
I am more concerned with the return of my money than the return on my money. - Mark Twain