DANNY DE HEK

The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger has now premiered the long-awaited exposé: 51 Voice Messages Reveal the Truth Behind “Digital Degen” Scam Operations.

Within two hours of the premiere going live, YouTube issued a country-level defamation block. The video is now restricted from viewers in Canada.

That’s no coincidence.

Steve Colwill, known online as Digital Degen, is attempting to erase his tracks. He has now deleted his YouTube channel, Telegram group, and various social profiles following escalating pressure from regulators, whistleblowers, and victims.

But the damage is done, and the documentation is permanent.

TetherBot Exit Scam Confirmed (April 27, 2025)

Steve promoted TetherBot.io — a so-called “AI trading bot” platform — quietly in Telegram, never on YouTube. Why? Because he knew how shady it was.

The site is now gone. Vanished. No warning, no refunds, no explanation. Withdrawals remained stuck in “pending” status until the final rug pull.

Victim testimonies:

  • Brian: “I waited until I hit $150 and tried to withdraw everything. My account was blocked and no money. Go figure.”
  • SaltGrains: “All attempted withdrawals never left pending and it ended there with everyone robbed.”

This was never decentralised finance. This was deception — and Steve played a key role in onboarding victims behind the scenes.

❗️ Exclusive: Whistleblower “Anonymous Alex” Reveals a $20,000 Pressure Campaign

After seeing our first investigation, a longtime follower came forward. We’re calling him Anonymous Alex to protect his identity.

Alex had trusted Steve for months. He joined project after project, influenced by Steve’s reviews and Telegram group chatter. But what he didn’t realise was that Steve had moved his most aggressive sales tactics off-platform — directly into private WhatsApp chats.

That’s where the real manipulation happened.

Projects Steve pressured Alex into:

  • Trongy, Beonbit, Mevbridge, Niolic, Ventrobi, ZX3, Minervabot, Solana Telegram Bot, Aliaope, Acrotrade, Astrofinance, and LegitiMiners

The crown jewel of Steve’s deception came with LegitiMiners — where Steve pressured Alex into investing $20,000, with $14K already paid and $6K still expected.

There were no contracts. No legal oversight. Just Steve’s voice notes saying things like:

  • *”It’s real, trust me.”
  • “Returns are 6.5 to 7% daily.”
  • “You can’t get paid unless Coinpayments validates it.”

He weaponised fear of missing out with bonuses that “expire in 24 hours” and implied that any hesitation could result in loss. He even advised Alex not to speak negatively about past schemes that failed because it would “scare others.”

Key Red Flags

  • Guaranteed daily ROI (6.5%+)
  • Use of Coinpayments name as false endorsement
  • Bonuses contingent on rushed decisions
  • No registration, transparency, or documentation
  • Psychological grooming disguised as mentorship

⚡ The Pattern is Now Undeniable

Steve Colwill operates with a clear playbook:

  • Promote publicly until suspicion grows
  • Shift recruitment to private channels
  • Create urgency, secrecy, and FOMO
  • Claim “documenting his journey” while directing traffic into unregulated schemes
  • Blame victims or act shocked when they lose money
  • Repeat

He plays both sides — distancing himself from projects when they collapse, while claiming he warned people in advance. In truth, he continues to profit through affiliate links, referral bonuses, and alleged “inside access.”

When challenged, he doesn’t defend the project — he attacks the whistleblower.

Defamation or Damage Control?

Let’s be clear: Steve Colwill deleted his own channel.

This isn’t speculation — this is fact, proven by:

  • A blank YouTube profile URL with no “account terminated” banner
  • Archived video links showing “video unavailable” with no copyright strikes
  • Ongoing deletion of Telegram chats, voice messages, and group links

Now, he’s trying to silence commentary via false defamation reports.

But the public has a right to know.

Our latest video is still viewable outside of Canada, or on Rumble, with the full voice message breakdown and blog post:

➡️ Full Blog & Audio Archive: https://www.dehek.com/general/whistleblowers/steve-colwill-the-voice-of-defi-deception-a-new-2-5-hour-audio-leak-exposes-it-all/

This blog stands as a public record — not just for Steve Colwill’s victims, but as a warning to anyone who follows smooth-talking promoters into unregulated territory.

We will not be silenced. And we will not stop until the scams stop.

About the Author Danny de Hek, also known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger, is a New Zealand-based investigative journalist specializing in exposing crypto fraud, Ponzi schemes, and MLM scams. His work has been featured by Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Guardian Australia, ABC News Australia, and other international outlets.

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