USI-TECH Limited (USI) claims to be an online Forex and Bitcoin trading platform provider, located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
USI is not registered to trade in, or advise on, securities or exchange contracts in New Brunswick. We strongly urge New Brunswickers to avoid dealing with firms that are not registered to trade or advise in New Brunswick.
USI-Tech claims to provide automated trading software that allows smaller investors to trade in FOREX and purchase Bitcoin investment packages. It advertises high rates of return and promises a pyramid-like compensation structure to get people to recruit family and friends to invest. A Ponzi scheme pays fake investment returns to investors. The money for these fake returns comes from new investors buying into the scam. A pyramid scheme requires you to recruit new people into the scheme in order to earn money.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading are receiving a lot of attention lately, but consumers should be very cautious about getting involved. Cryptocurrencies are very volatile and highly risky. The “growth” in value seen with some cryptocurrencies is simply not sustainable, and investors may lose all of their holdings very quickly. Do not give into the “Fear Of Missing Out.” Do your research and understand what you are getting into.
How to Recognize a Pyramid Scheme
If you have to pay to join, and making money is based mainly on how many people you can recruit, it is a pyramid scheme. Watch for these red flags:
Earnings are based on how many people you can recruit: If the only money you earn is based on recruiting new members, it is pyramid scheme. Legitimate business makes money by selling products or services for a fair price. In an MLM your earnings are based on your personal sales and the sales of the people you have recruited.
Get rich quick: Pyramid schemes promise to make you rich with little effort or risk. MLMs must set reasonable expectations about earning potential and the time and effort required to make money. A legitimate MLM opportunity will take hard work and, like any business, making a profit is not guaranteed. Consider the costs, competition and realistic sales expectations before committing.
Training: If the training and promotional material focuses on convincing you that the opportunity is not a scam, it’s a scam. MLMs provide their salespeople with quality training and support to help them get to know the products they are selling and be successful.
How to recognize a Ponzi scheme:
Many Ponzi schemes share common red flags:
High Returns, No Risk: There is just no such thing. All investments have some amount of risk. The higher the risk, the higher the potential returns. “Guaranteed” investment opportunities are almost always a scam.
Very Consistent Returns: The value of investments goes up and down over time. Especially if the investment is offering the potential to make higher returns. If you’re being promised great returns but the investment value hasn’t changed (even if the rest of the market goes down), be very cautious.
Secretive or Complicated Opportunities: Don’t invest in something you do not understand. Many investment opportunities may be promoting something that is very speculative. These are risky.
Can’t Get Paid: If you have a hard time receiving your payment or you can’t cash out your investments, you should be suspicious. Ponzi schemes rely on money coming in from new “investors” in order to pay older “investors.”. Once new recruits become difficult to find, there is less money to pay “investors.” with. Ponzi schemes will often pressure victims to re-invest money instead of withdrawing it. They may promise even higher returns in exchange for doing so.
What to do if you are targeted:
Anybody who has been approached or targeted to invest in USI is asked to contact the commission toll-free at 1-866-933-2222, or through its website at fcnb.ca.
Learn more about cryptocurrency : Be Cautious of Cryptocurrency
Learn more about FOREX
Learn more about Ponzi
Learn more about how to report fraud and where to report fraud in New Brunswick.
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