Whangārei Man Caught Promoting CRGLOBAL Scam – 20 Recruits, Paid Lunches, and a Full Confession
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:06:39 – Dirk Boesser from A1 Solutionz (Whangarei)
01:21:20 – Hamish Dorrington (Business Broker) Kakapo Business Sales Limited
02:02:28 – Elaine Tourangi Real Estate agent at eXp New Zealand Limited
02:36:57 – Mantar Deep Manager at William Brittan & Waltham
03:01:05 – Sarah Cucake General Manager at Te Hiku Hauora (Wellington)
03:45:25 – Summary
If you’ve landed here, you may have already read my earlier exposé “Why You Should Never Trust CRGlobal.vip, UICEXAY.com, UICEXAT.com, UICEXAP.com, or UICEXAU.com: Red Flags of a Likely Crypto Ponzi Scheme.” If not, I highly recommend starting there to get a solid overview of how this web of deception began.
But this new post is different—it’s an update fueled by fresh insider evidence, whistleblower reports, and a now-public Government Warning from New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA).
What you’re about to read pulls back the curtain on a sophisticated, morphing scam model that preys on trust, exploits friendships, and disguises recruitment bonuses as legitimate investment returns.
A Government Warning Confirms the Worst
On 17 April 2025, the FMA officially listed CRGLOBAL and UICEX among a long roster of fake crypto platforms, identifying them as part of a wider scam ring involving dozens of rapidly rebranded websites. These scams operate mainly through WhatsApp and Telegram—offering fake “trading signals,” promising 100% success rates, and manipulating users into recruiting friends and family.
The FMA’s language couldn’t be clearer:
“When the user asks to withdraw funds, they are told they must pay a significant fee to release the money. But even if these fees are paid, no money is returned.”
And yes—UICEX is named directly in the warning.
How the Scam Hooks You
Scammers don’t just send spam anymore. They pose as employees from legitimate banks and financial institutions, building trust before slipping you into a “VIP” group chat full of bots and scripted messages. These groups are run by cartoonishly vague personas like “Professor John” and his assistants “Lisa, Anna, and Daniel.”
Users are told to:
- Fund a crypto exchange account
- Transfer money into a fake “trading platform”
- Follow signals from a so-called expert
- Recruit others for meal reimbursements, rank bonuses, or leaderboard prizes
One whistleblower reported that every person in their group received $5 USD just to post fake 5-star reviews on Trustpilot—yet the platform itself hasn’t even been officially claimed by its “owner.”
Whistleblower Intel: The Mantis Team, Webcam Access, and Reimbursements
A trusted informant, code-named Susie Stealth, has provided alarming evidence:
- Recruiters are reimbursed for meals and coffees as long as they bring a friend and talk about CRGLOBAL.
- Recruiters share messages like: “Had dinner with Hep, he just got his third signal from the Professor. It’s his shout.”
- Videos found in the Telegram group appear to be filmed through user webcams, possibly without permission—suggesting either forced compliance or spyware.
- New groups like the “Mantis Team” are setting up shop physically in Wellington and Christchurch, with suspicious websites such as mantistrade.com linking back to UICEX.
These tactics mirror what the FMA described: using everyday social connections and hospitality as lures, creating the illusion of success and momentum.
Team of 5? That’s the MLM Core
Despite claims that “this isn’t multi-level,” CRGLOBAL aggressively pushes a team-of-five recruitment model. Participants are:
- Pressured to sign up friends and family
- Promised meal reimbursements and special trading bonuses
- Threatened with removal for “negative talk” or private DMs with other members
This is classic MLM psychology, weaponized through crypto hype.
And if you’re wondering whether people can “still withdraw”—sure, some can. That’s how all Ponzi schemes stay afloat. Early users receive small withdrawals to build trust and keep recruiting. But as the FMA notes, these wins are short-lived, and you’ll pay hefty fees before eventually being ghosted.
The Platforms Keep Morphing – Stay Vigilant
CRGLOBAL and UICEX are just two heads of the hydra. The FMA lists dozens of known fraudulent sites that constantly rebrand—TXEX, IJEX, CBEX, DSJEX, 68EA, and many more. Since the last blog, a new domain has already popped up! Look out for UICEXAP.com If you see one of these names or anything with a similar interface, run the other way.
Final Thoughts: It’s Not Just a Scam, It’s a Machine
What we’re seeing isn’t a few bad actors—it’s a global machinery targeting English-speaking countries with polished deception. And they are training recruits to do the dirty work locally, all while hiding behind fake domains and unverifiable compliance documents.
If you’re in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, or the US, and someone invites you to lunch to “learn about trading,” this might be the scam talking.
Let this blog serve as your warning.
If you’ve already been targeted or recruited, you are not alone—and you don’t need to stay silent.
Share this warning. Speak up. Report it.
Together, we can starve this beast of what it needs most—new victims.
Disclaimer: How This Investigation Was Conducted
This investigation relies entirely on OSINT — Open Source Intelligence — meaning every claim made here is based on publicly available records, archived web pages, corporate filings, domain data, social media activity, and open blockchain transactions. No private data, hacking, or unlawful access methods were used. OSINT is a powerful and ethical tool for exposing scams without violating privacy laws or overstepping legal boundaries.
About the Author
I’m DANNY DE HEK, a New Zealand–based YouTuber, investigative journalist, and OSINT researcher. I name and shame individuals promoting or marketing fraudulent schemes through my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Every video I produce exposes the people behind scams, Ponzi schemes, and MLM frauds — holding them accountable in public.
My PODCAST is an extension of that work. It’s distributed across 18 major platforms — including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and iHeartRadio — so when scammers try to hide, my content follows them everywhere. If you prefer listening to my investigations instead of watching, you’ll find them on every major podcast service.
You can BOOK ME for private consultations or SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, where I share first-hand experience from years of exposing large-scale fraud and helping victims recover.
“Stop losing your future to financial parasites. Subscribe. Expose. Protect.”
My work exposing crypto fraud has been featured in:
- Bloomberg Documentary (2025): A 20-minute exposé on Ponzi schemes and crypto card fraud
- News.com.au (2025): Profiled as one of the leading scam-busters in Australasia
- OpIndia (2025): Cited for uncovering Pakistani software houses linked to drug trafficking, visa scams, and global financial fraud
- The Press / Stuff.co.nz (2023): Successfully defeated $3.85M gag lawsuit; court ruled it was a vexatious attempt to silence whistleblowing
- The Guardian Australia (2023): National warning on crypto MLMs affecting Aussie families
- ABC News Australia (2023): Investigation into Blockchain Global and its collapse
- The New York Times (2022): A full two-page feature on dismantling HyperVerse and its global network
- Radio New Zealand (2022): “The Kiwi YouTuber Taking Down Crypto Scammers From His Christchurch Home”
- Otago Daily Times (2022): A profile on my investigative work and the impact of crypto fraud in New Zealand
I believe I know Johann and his wife, they have been acquaintances for some time. They introduced me to the CR Investments thing back on the 24th of July 2025, and I paid in to the scheme even though I saw several red flags, mainly because I considered Johann to be a friend and savvy enough to have investigated the scheme fully.
My father in Australia was dying (he has since passed) and I tried to get my money back out so I could see him before he passed, but I had insufficient ‘business volume’ and the conversion from USDT to Etherium so that I could withdraw the money, they took 20% of the money I had just put in as a ‘conversion’ fee.
I was told that the conversion fee for new members was 20% up until there was enough business volume’ where the conversion became less (10%).
Apparently sufficient business volume is when you have doubled your initial stake.
Each trade (of which there are two a day) earns about 0.64%, which means I would have to trade for months and months enough to earn sufficient volume to withdraw anything (wish I had known that earlier).
I have been involved with MLM’s before so I had no intention of EVER recruiting. I only thought of it as an investment, but it is clearly a scam and I have lost my money.
I also believe that Johann and his wife have similarly been scammed by someone else and that they had no idea that it was a Ponzi scheme at the time when they introduced me.
Now my money is committed, I face the situation where I write off the loss, or continue to try and go through the trades until I have sufficient ‘business volume’ to at least get some of my money out.
Please note that while the e-mail address is real, the name is not my name, and honor my privacy. I have made no attempt to recruit anyone and have messaged Johann and his wife about my concerns that he is being scammed.
Thank you for bravely sharing your story. I’m deeply sorry to hear about your father and the distress this scam added during such a difficult time. Your account perfectly illustrates how these schemes weaponise trust — especially when presented by someone we know personally.
That 20% “conversion fee” you mentioned is one of many red flags we’ve seen repeatedly across this scam network, along with the impossible “business volume” requirement used to trap funds and delay withdrawals indefinitely. It’s textbook Ponzi strategy: keep victims engaged just long enough to stop them from walking away.
I appreciate your clarity in saying you never intended to recruit. You were misled into thinking this was a legitimate investment — like so many others. And I hear you loud and clear about your privacy; your identity will remain protected.
For what it’s worth, I do believe some promoters were victims first. But when the truth becomes undeniable, they must stop — and if they don’t, they become part of the problem.
You’ve done the right thing by warning others. Thank you again for speaking up.
– Danny (The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger)