DANNY : DE HEK

TetherBot.io launched in early 2025 as the latest AI-powered crypto trading platform promising up to 1.25% daily returns. But behind the sleek graphics, buzzwords, and private Zoom presentations, it followed a well-worn Ponzi playbook.

Now, the original site tetherbot.io quietly redirects to Tether’s official domain (tether.to), in what appears to be an exit scam tactic designed to mislead victims and erase digital footprints.

The Facade: AI, Arbitrage, and Unverifiable Trades

TetherBot marketed itself as a sophisticated AI trading bot, exploiting arbitrage, mean reversion, and sentiment-driven strategies. Users were told the bot executed trades across multiple exchanges, managed portfolios with institutional-grade infrastructure, and provided 24/7 monitoring.

What they didn’t provide was any verifiable proof of such trading. Instead, victims were shown spreadsheet screenshots, vague charts, and fake trade logs designed to appear technical but were impossible to audit.

The Multi-Level Money Trap

TetherBot operated a 4-level referral scheme:

  • Level 1: 5.5% commission
  • Level 2: 3.5%
  • Level 3: 1.5%
  • Level 4: 0.5%

Minimum deposits began at $99 USDT or BTC. This structure incentivized constant recruitment rather than real trading. Classic signs of a Ponzi model.

Social Media Silence and Secret Zooms

TetherBot explicitly banned public discussion of the platform on social media. From their own promo slides:

“There is no public promoting of TetherBot allowed on ANY social media sites including but not limited to YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram…”

Violators were threatened with termination and forfeiture of earnings. This gag-order tactic is frequently used by scams to avoid public scrutiny.

Recruitment and promotions were conducted in private Zoom meetings. One of the primary hosts was Bob Bearden, a known serial promoter of failed Ponzi-style ventures including DPVIP777 and AladdinBot.

Marketing Tricks and April Gimmicks

TetherBot pushed hard in March and April 2025 with:

  • Spin-the-wheel giveaways during Zooms
  • 10% cashback on deposits over $2,500
  • Fake trading reports presented as analytics
  • “Meet the Owner” Zooms featuring a staged dashboard

They even promised an all-expenses-paid trip to Denmark for promoters who reached $50K in volume. No evidence confirms this trip ever happened.

The Domains Tell the Story

WHOIS records show:

  • Tetherbot.io registered March 10, 2025 (Cloudflare-hosted)
  • TeamUnited.live registered Dec 2, 2024 (GoDaddy)
  • Tboverview.com used as the marketing funnel with MLM-style language

These domains were short-lived, and the main site now redirects to tether.to, likely to confuse victims and falsely imply legitimacy.

Exit Scam Tactics in Play

Redirecting tetherbot.io to tether.to is no accident. This tactic:

  • Creates plausible deniability for the original operators
  • Muddies the paper trail for investigators
  • Prevents victims from gathering evidence from the original site

This behavior mirrors what was seen in other collapsed Ponzi schemes like Pegasus, NovaTechFX, and Torque Trading.

Connections to Known Fraudsters

Bob Bearden and J. Scott Whitney, both previously tied to DPVIP777, played key roles in promoting or possibly running TetherBot. The operation recycled language and tactics from past scams:

  • Identical Zoom slides and disclaimers used in their earlier scheme DeFi Synergy (2024)
  • A fictional Danish operator named Lars Hendrick presented in Zooms with no verifiable identity
  • A silent partner allegedly in New Zealand, also vanished post-collapse

After the rug pull, Bearden and Whitney now claim to hold a “security wallet” with $30,000, supposedly intended to reimburse victims. Their new plan? Launch a “very safe crypto opportunity” to grow the fund—a clear setup for yet another Ponzi.

Final Warning to the Public

TetherBot.io was never about trading. It was a disguised multi-level Ponzi wrapped in crypto jargon and AI hype.

Our team continues to expose the architects behind this fraud.

Stay vigilant and never trust platforms that:

  • Guarantee profits
  • Hide their leadership
  • Ban public discussion
  • Offer commissions for recruitment

This wasn’t AI trading. This was AI-themed theft.

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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