Recently, Fundlandfx.ltd service surfaced, promoting itself as a platform where you can securely keep cryptocurrency and other assets. I managed to gather reliable evidence that clearly indicates it is, in truth, a deceptive service.
Regardless of the promises of the most user-friendly, dependable, and customer-centric service, Fundlandfx.ltd does not fulfill any of them. In fact, all this is just a shiny wrap around a dirty scam, which takes your money and data and never gives them back. Any stories about gifts, sponsorship from celebrities etc are absent as well.
Fundlandfx Scam Overview
Originally, Fundlandfx poses as a crypto trading & cryptowallet service with outstandingly low commission fees. Another notable selling point for this site is backing from celebrities that have relation to the crypto world. Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, Vitalii Buterin, Jeff Bezos – the site claims having significant support from them. To make these claims look real, frauds use deepfake videos with those celebs advertise the scam as if it was the best thing in the world. For known reasons, Elon Musk is the most common among them. But, as I said in the introduction, all this is just a blatant wrap around an obvious scam.
Fundlandfx Scam
Initially, Fundlandfx copies the appearance of numerous similar online platforms. There are quite a few examples, like Yeblance, Telumex or Taxtay. They are completely identical in terms of graphic elements, with small discrepancies in the webpage header. Other particulars, and at times even crypto wallet addresses, are the same. Probably, all these fraudulent websites are managed by the same gang of frauds.
Cryptocurrency Scam Summary
| Website | Fundlandfx.ltd |
| Hosting | AS47583 Hostinger International Limited France, Paris |
| IP Address | 154.56.32.53 |
| Threat Type | Scam/Fraud |
| Scam Type | Fraudulent offers of cryptocurrency services |
How the Fundlandfx Scam Works?
Fundlandfx is a part of a large cryptocurrency scam scheme that started circulating actively in 2023. Rascals who stand behind it use various website designs, which still share the identical overall layout. Another mutual element are the ways the scams like NAME are promoted, and the manner all this ends up to the victim of the scam. To reach peak efficiency, frauds apply sophisticated psychological tricks that make the user believe in the authenticity of the website. But let’s review them one by one.
Step 1: Promotion
To start the fraud, criminals set up and fill accounts on popular social media platforms. They primarily aim at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Subsequently, the advertising campaign begins. Utilizing bots and sponsored advertisements (when achievable), scam actors increase the exposure of their fraudulent activities to potential victims. And as I said, scammers do not disdain using deepfake for creating videos with the aforementioned celebrities that promote their scam to the public. To boost the folks even more, frauds claim the bonus for every user who joins the service immediately.
Promotions of cryptoscams like Fundlandfx in TikTok. Most of these videos are AI-generated deepfakes
Step 2: Gaining Traffic
After clicking the promotions, users end up on a page filled with appealing offers. “Crypto starts with Fundlandfx”, “Your crypto savings are secured with Fundlandfx, “Start earning with Fundlandfx – they look rather credible. To heat up users and make them proceed to step 3, crooks say that retrieving the promoted bonus requires registration. And as nothing questionable happens at this point, unexperienced users happily keep on – especially since the bonus appears to be right behind the corner.
This is the last stage when it is possible to skip the scam without any losses. Before you register using your personal info, frauds will not earn even a penny from your presence on the website.
Step 3: Data Gathering
This is where the main fraud action begins. As I just mentioned, frauds bait folks for registration with bonuses. And all the personal data needed for it – email, username, crypto wallet address – are valuable for user identification. Only by gathering this info and selling it further into the Darknet, crooks can earn quite a penny. Nonetheless, their plans go much further.
As it turns out, the claimed bonus is not available to use right away. To make at least cryptocurrency purchases on the platform with it, the user should top up the account with the equivalent sum. At this point, the final stage of the scam kicks in.
Step 4: Requesting funds
It is obvious that any cryptocurrency operations require you to have funds on your account. In the case of Fundlandfx, users are also compelled to top up to get the bonuses. And this is what creates the majority of the cash flow to this scam website. By topping up the account, users hope to get the committed gift (usually $500-1000 in USDT), and may start trading on this website hoping to use all the transferred funds and withdraw them.
This, however, is where the issues start to surface. When keeping an eye on the actual cryptocurrency wallet vs what the website says, you can notice that no transactions are done whatsoever. And then, when you’d try to retrieve the money from your account, the scam is finally uncovered to the user.
Step 5: Escaping from Funds Withdrawal
Needless to say that fraudsters have zero intentions to send you money. Though to make the denial look more realistic, they’ve elaborated a whole pack of reasons to decline the transfer-out request. Most of them repeat what KYC regulations say, but in this case they are here exclusively to make the wireout impossible.
By asking for your personal info, deceivers just stall hoping for you to understand that you’ve been scammed and stop contacting them. If you don’t – well, there are numerous other checks you should go through before getting your grand back. And each of these checks will reveal more and more info of yours, which – you guessed it right – will be then traded on the Darknet. Never reveal your real info to strangers!
Signs of Scam
I gathered several facts that point at the scammy nature of the Fundlandfx.ltd. Actually, there are a lot of scams that fall under the same points, so they are pretty much universal.
- False Celebrity Sponsorship. Fundlandfx often resorts to fake endorsements from celebrities such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mr. Beast, and Mark Zuckerberg. This fraudulent tactic extends to claiming partnerships with reputable companies like Coinbase, Binance, or MetaMask, despite lacking any genuine affiliations.
- Cryptocurrency-Only Payments. Fundlandfx.ltd exclusively accepts payments in cryptocurrencies, rejecting traditional bank transfers and other methods. This approach not only masks the company’s identity but also eliminates the possibility of seeking refunds.
- Dubious Company Information. Fundlandfx raises suspicion by withholding essential ownership, location, and registration details. Furthermore, the absence of legitimate contact information and the recent establishment of domain and social media pages intensify skepticism.
- Unsubstantiated Hype. Fundlandfx.ltd employs groundless hype tactics, fabricating events like securing contracts with Coinbase or receiving endorsements from Elon Musk. These manipulative techniques aim to instill false confidence and encourage further investments.
- Potential Pyramid Scheme. The scam relies on a structure resembling a Ponzi scheme, leveraging a referral system spread through social media. However, only initial participants benefit, often at the expense of subsequent investors.
- Implausible Claims. Promising returns of 50-100-200%, Fundlandfx preys on the desire for quick profits. Yet, the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market makes such gains highly unlikely, definitively labeling Fundlandfx as a scam.
What Should I do as a Victim?
If you had to deal with Fundlandfx site and fell victim to that scam, there are still some steps to take. They will make further scam attempts harder, and also boost the knowledge about that scam among folks.
- Report the scam to authorities. Search for local authorities responsible for financial frauds, and also notify wallet providers and social networks via their tech support. It is essential to make the further operations of these scammers much harder.
- Tell your close friends. That step is similar to reporting to the authorities, and has similar effects. By posting info about scam crypto service, you decrease the pool of people they can fool.
- Get evidence. Screenshot or save all the information related to the website. URL, screenshot of a main page, login window, EULA, account top-up menu, wallet addresses – all these things may be useful for authorities to find the scammers.
- Check whether you can ask for a refund. As I’ve said above, crypto payments do not fall under refund policies in most banks. Nonetheless, in some circumstances, it is still possible. Never lose hope until you actually confirm it is gone.
- Make your mistake your lesson. Financial losses are always a reason for frustration, but let’s imagine it was a pay for scam revealing courses. Remember the key features of these crypto scam sites, the way they attract people and what they promise. In the future, you will easily recognize a trap of spending no money.
Scan your system for possible malware infections
Beware of cross scams! Scam actors can use your trust to make you download some stuff or interact with certain documents. It may be a trap that installs malware to your system. There are no moral barriers or limits for these scoundrels.
Throughout the duration of the scam, its masters may get in touch with you with specific documents. Alternatively, they may suggest you to set up “cryptocurrency wallet applications” or “browser extensions” to facilitate access to your cryptocurrency savings. As we earlier determined, these scammers have no plan of returning your money. So, what do these emails and browser plugins represent? Correct – this is another element of the scam designed to throw you into willingly running harmful applications onto your computer.
Both plugins and files attached to email messages can act as a carrier for diverse malicious software. In this case, I anticipate the presence of spyware and stealers among all forms of malicious programs. While it is not mandatory for scammers to distribute malware, the probability is always greater than zero. As stated, their conscience is of no concern, and their dignity is already seriously marred. They have nothing to give up and strive to boost revenues.
