Friday, January 12, 2024

Lost Life Savings of RM300,000 After Investing In Triumph FX Scheme

 This story was shared by a retiree who lost her life savings to an alleged Forex investment scheme called Triumph FX. 


My story is not the usual sad story of how one day I discovered my bank account was empty. However, I feel it’s important to share this story as it could have happened to anyone.

I had saved up nearly RM500,000 by retirement age

5 years ago, I retired from my job at a Malaysian bank which I’d held for over 30 years. While my paycheck was a humble sum, I had been diligent in my savings from my early 20s. 

Over the years, I’d managed to accumulate a little under RM500,000 for my retirement. I was proud of the amount I’d saved since I come from a lower income background. 

That being said, I always had the intention of growing my retirement fund. 

Although the amount would have served me well in a small town, I was now living in the city with my adult kids and their young children. 

I wanted to be the grandmother that takes them out and showers them with gifts, rather than having to depend on my kids for an allowance in my old age. 

I was approached by a family member with an investment opportunity

3 years into my retirement, I thought I had found the perfect opportunity. 

My younger cousin had approached me, talking of this investment that he has been doing. It was a form of Forex (foreign exchange) where brokers would trade on gold, silver, and other global currencies. 

He told me he had been getting returns of 7% on average each month. This rate of return was unheard of! 

Of course I had my doubts. So before I made the plunge, I did as much research as I could on my own. 

I read widely about Forex’s reputation for high risk, high reward and how to spot a Forex scam. I even attended many virtual meetings held by the investment company, located in Cyprus and the UK. 

I started with a small investment as I had my doubts 

A 7% return had me both excited and scared, but I saw the returns that my cousin was getting and I couldn’t deny that it looked good. It was 7% monthly, and in 10 cycles (about a year) I would gain around 70% return. 

I decided to take the plunge and invest the minimum amount, which was USD 1000. At that time, with the exchange rate it was about RM4200. 

Within one cycle, I saw my return come back into the account, and I got around USD 70. I tried to withdraw the money, and it took a few working days, but it arrived in my bank account, minus the service charges. 

I was amazed, and I started to get excited.

To avoid giving in to greed, I told myself I wouldn’t invest any more money for another 7 months. I would only grow my investment through the initial amount. 

As the returns started coming in from that initial investment, I would either withdraw them in certain months, or compound them, making my returns even higher. 

In those months, I would often treat my family to lavish dinners and gifts, as I was getting generous returns in USD. 

After 7 months, I put in USD 20,000 in my Triumph account 

After the first 7 months, my returns were steady and I felt more confident in this, so I decided to add more money into that account. Over the span of the next couple of months I would add in an additional RM300,000. 

It started with USD 20,000, and when I saw the returns plus the compound interest, I confidently added up to RM300K. 

I never withdrew most of the money that I earned from it, as I wanted the compound rate to grow. 

Every month, I would reinvest the earnings back into the selected fund, and watch as the numbers on my screen grow. It was exhilarating and exciting. 

My husband and I were already planning the world trip we would take in 2024, aligning with a stopover in Paris for the Olympic Games. 

I was adamant to earn as much before that so we could enjoy ourselves without financial worry. I felt we deserved that after working hard for more than 30 years. 

Triumph froze all withdrawals while they changed everything to cryptocurrency

One day, in December 2022, Triumph FX announced that they were going to change to a new system in a month. They were switching to cryptocurrency. 

Not only was there no heads up for us investors, but they also froze all withdrawals until the new system was in place. 

This meant that those of us who were unsure of the new cryptocurrency system could not take our money out. 

I asked my cousin about it, as he had substantial money in the fund. He assured me it was a positive change as the world was changing to a crypto world, and this was the future of investment. 

If I’m honest, I am not very tech savvy. I grew up in a different era, and I never fully understood cryptocurrency. I still don’t. 

At this point, there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t withdraw anything, but I could still access the account and it showed that all the money was still there, making new trades each week. 

It all changed in December when too many investors pulled out


When December came, and the new Triumph coin system was introduced, my whole world fell apart. 

At its launch, there was a correction to its price, from 1.00 USD to 0.60 USD. As a result, many investors panicked and sold their TFX holdings. This triggered a domino effect: The more investors pulled out, the lower the price dropped.

Each coin was now only valued at USD 0.20. My investment was now worth 20% of its original value. 

If I were to withdraw it, it would be worth RM60,000, down from RM300,000. 

I tried to understand the new system, and see what could be salvaged.

Among the others that were doing this investment, there were those who had advised to wait till the price of the coins increased. 

“There were too many coins in the market,” they said, “Just be patient and it will slowly increase again.” 

However, things went from bad to worse. Within a few months, the price of each coin dropped even more, as more investors were pulling out, and the coins became cheaper. Now my investment was worth even less. 

By this time, I had lost all hope. I waved goodbye to the world trip I had planned.

All I’m left with is anger 

There’s nothing much left of my investment, and I’ve given up. Now I’m filled with anger, at Triumph, at cryptocurrencies, and at myself – for making the decision to put in more than half of my entire retirement savings. 

I still spend my days wondering how I could have lost so much money in such a short amount of time. Now, I’m left with less than RM150,000. 

I know this won’t get me far, especially in this day and age. In a hard to swallow truth, it seems like I would have to depend on my kids after all as I get older. 

Source: https://inreallife.my/how-i-lost-my-life-savings-of-rm300000-after-investing-in-triumph-fx-scheme/


Sunday, January 3, 2021

CoAssets Crowd Funding Fraud - Getty Goh?

Hundreds of CoAssets' retail investors were left reeling in early December 2020 when it came to light that the Singapore-based alternative lending platform had transferred US$30 million (S$39.9 million) of its borrowings to a little-known debt recovery firm Sunfits.

CA Funding is "currently non-operational and insolvent", with loan recovery "extremely challenging".

Aggrieved investors have since filed police reports against CoAssets' co-founders Getty Goh (who was the former group CEO) and Seh Huan Kiat, and have grouped together on social media channels such as Telegram to pursue legal action. 

Source:  3Jan2021  https://www.straitstimes.com/business/investors-left-in-the-lurch-as-investment-platform-coassets-runs-into-trouble



Saturday, May 18, 2019

Ponzi scam Leong Lai Yee jailed for 14 years

Finally one get caught Leong Lai Yee

who ran 'unprecedented' $35m ponzi scheme jailed for 14 years


https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/housewife-jailed-for-cheating-53-people-of-more-than-35-million

Question: The court heard she later ran out of money and surrendered herself at the Singapore embassy in Bangkok on Nov 2, 2017. She was arrested when she returned to Singapore two days later. *should be Nov 5, 2017 then.

Why she only sentenced to jailed on 17May19 after 6 months?



Around 60 people are claiming to have been duped by woman over 'sweet' property deals



Lee Song Teck

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Will you still fall for 6% returns per month?


Maxim Trader  9Jan18

6 to 8% monthly Scam


Monday, November 14, 2016

Premium Membership

The blog has moved to facebook page now at https://www.facebook.com/meetup.singapore/

Due to privacy issue, the new posting now can no longer be made public and only available to our premium members. 

If you find the SGTradingCourses information is beneficial and useful, then the new premium website has much more for you. You can join as a premium member by contributing a one off nominal subscription fee S$75 for the maintenance of the website.

Premium Membership S$75 (one off). Note that you need to have an gmail ac to access. After payment done send detail to meetupsing@gmail.com with your receipt capture and gmail ac.


What is available there (and many more):
http://sgseminar.blogspot.sg/ (which you will be authorised to access after payment)

Trading with Precision by Wong Kon How  17Nov15

Concept of Price by Marcus Tay 17Oct15

High Probability Trading Workshop by Jeff Sun  11Oct15

Walking with Fire by Daryl Guppy  29Sep15

BK Forex Confirm & Send using RSI & MACD 28Sep15

Trading with an edge by Donovan Ang 28Jun15

Understanding the Market Trends by GM Teoh

Developing Trading Strategy by John Kyvetos Oanda

Elliot Wave by Kelvin Wong City Index 13Jun15

Automated Support Resistance Channel (ASRC) by Peter Lim

Getting Set for a Period of Risk Off by Nicholas Teo

Trading with the Right Strategies by Kathy Lien

Trading Success by Ray Barros

OptionPundit by Manoj Kumar

Leon Tey Trigger Point System

Q2 Market Outlook by Dr Tee Ein55 市场乐观指数策略

many more ....

To access sign up at below paypal button at S$75 (one off)

p/s:  You must have a gmail ac and make a contribution to access the premium blog site.

Scam Alert:
Dragon Fruit? Golden Farm Holding? http://itgfd.com/index.php/en/

Beware of Utoken offered by Ufun.

 https://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/beware-ufun-utoken-investment-scam-victims-engage-debt-collector-get-their-money-back

http://www.makemoneyexpert.com/online/network-marketing/reviews/ufun-utoken/
http://ufuninvesting.com/


Sunday, October 30, 2016

Scam - Oil Bunkering Charter Fine Ventures 4May2017

Oil Bunkering Scam - Charter Fine Ventures

More than 100 investors from Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia parked in excess of US$20 million.
According to the brochure, investors could expect to break even after 8.3 months for all plans. Under a 15-month investment plan with monthly payouts of 12 per cent, a US$600,000 sum would generate monthly returns of US$72,000. This translates to a return of 180 per cent and total returns of US$1.08 million or a net profit of US$480,000, after 15 months.


http://www.straitstimes.com/business/investors-cry-foul-over-firms-oil-bunkering-scheme

CFSM sent letters to investors in 2015 and 2016 attributing the delays in monthly payouts to reasons such as "major fluctuations" in global markets and the "sliding of oil prices". Investors never hear from them after that. 


==================================================================

Binary Option Scam   Dec-2016

When a binary option is purchased on broker's platform, a contract is created that gives the buyer (known here as the investor) the right to buy an underlying asset at a fixed price, within a specified time frame wih the seller (broker). The option must be held until maturity (even if that is five minutes away); unlike regular options it cannot be sold before then.

The basic premise for the binary options site uses is at a specific time, say 1:25 p.m, you can put down perhaps $100 that XYZ stock will either increase or decrease in price within five minutesby 1:30 p.m. If you are wrong, you get $15 back. If you are right, you win about $70.

Mathematically, the site has an edge and you must be right 55% of the time in order for your bet to have a neutral expected value. With some understanding of probability, the online gambling markets, and how these sites work. Very few people outside of professional traders can beat the trading sites consistently for good money. 

For starters, this sort of thing can quickly become addictive, especially to market junkies. Although the amounts bet may be small, the total can quickly add up if many trades are done in a day. It wouldn't take long for things to get out of hand. Secondly, no one, no matter how knowledgeable, can consistently predict what a stock or commodity will do within a short time frame. As such, you will never win over longer term.








Binary Options Trading Scam

The scam starts before the investor even opens their brokerage account!
Many new binary option traders get hooked by a video about binary trading signals, or a binary options robot.

The Scam Works Like This:

  1. A fake company opens a website that looks like a legitimate binary options broker.
  2. They create a trading signals software that promises 100% accuracy, and some write 100% guarantee.
  3. They advertise their trading system under multiple names, with fake testimonials.
  4. When you join the scam, you quickly lose your initial deposit of $250.
  5. You then get a phone call from a “senior broker” asking you to invest $5000.
Below are reviews of many different binary signals software. You should first see BlackBoxRobot.com.


http://www.straitstimes.com/business/invest/binary-options-trading-a-risky-bet-say-experts

At least 30 people, including finance executives and retirees, have made complaints over losses in trading of binary options, with one person US$150,000 (S$216,000) out of pocket, the police said yesterday.

These investors have lost more than $1 million to unregulated trading platforms, police had said on Wednesday. The complaints began escalating in May, with officers believing victims were lured into the risky trades by websites - mostly unregulated entities claiming to be based in places such as Britain, Cyprus and Hong Kong - promising high returns and other rewards.

Police issued a warning on Wednesday, advising investors to check lists compiled by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to find out which investment service providers are regulated.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/police-advise-caution-on-binary-options-trading

Police yesterday advised the public to be careful when trading online in binary options, noting that there has been a sharp rise in complaints involving such trading.

In binary options trading, investors try to predict if the price of a financial product - shares or currencies, for instance - will be above or below a specified price at a specified point in time, ranging from a few minutes to a few months in the future.

They receive a fixed amount of money if the prediction is correct, or lose the investment otherwise.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/police-warn-of-rise-in-online-scams-involving-binary-options-over-1-million

SINGAPORE - There has been a "sharp rise" in complaints involving online trading in binary options, the police said in a news release on Wednesday (Dec 14).

To date, the Commercial Affairs Department has received more than 30 reports from investors who have lost more than $1 million to unregulated binary options trading platforms.

According to the police, most of the investors were local Chinese men aged between 31 and 50, and included finance professionals and retirees.




Sports Arbitrage Betting Scam
20 say they lost S$1m in investment scam  Oct2016
Victims were told the betting programe was legal as bets were not placed in Singapore.

Bank employee Jeffrey Tan considers himself to be savvy in making financial investments.
But last December, the 30-year- old began putting $20,000 in an offshore sports arbitrage betting company and went on to lose half of it.
He also persuaded about six friends and his parents to invest about $200,000 in all. They lost all their money.
"I felt so guilty for dragging them in that I tried to kill myself," he said, showing The Straits Times a letter from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he was hospitalised for depression after taking an overdose.
He claims to have fallen victim to a sports betting syndicate run by 33-year-old Singaporean Alvin Ang Jun Bin, who claimed to be representing Isle of Man-registered offshore betting company Keystone Trading in Singapore. He has made a police report against Mr Ang.
Police confirmed that more than 20 reports have now been lodged against Mr Ang. The alleged victims, mostly in their 20s and early 30s, have set up a WhatsApp chat group to share information.
Their losses are estimated to total more than $1 million, according to fellow victim Lau Cheng Yi. The 22-year-old, who runs a food and beverage business, lost about $55,000 in cash and three luxury watches valued at $72,000 in total.
"He promised returns of 2 to 10 per cent every month," said Mr Lau. "I did not get a single cent and he is now uncontactable."
Mr Lau said he met Mr Ang in March at a roti prata restaurant in Upper Bukit Timah. "He came in a Nissan GTR sports car and was wearing Louboutin shoes and a Rolex watch," Mr Lau said.
Attracted by the promise of "risk-free returns", Mr Lau handed over his Audemars Piguet Las Vegas watch worth more than $30,000 on the spot. A day later, Mr Ang opened an online account for Mr Lau at the Keystone Trading website with 20,000 credits to his name.
Over two more months, he progressively invested more money after being persuaded. By June, he had put in $127,000.
He sensed something was amiss that month when the website was down. He met Mr Ang at the void deck of his Bangkit Road Housing Board flat. He said Mr Ang claimed that his boss - "Sky" - had run away with the money and promised to look for him to return it.
Other victims said Mr Ang assured them the betting programme was legal as the bets were not placed in Singapore, but through Keystone Trading's offices located in Shenzhen, China, and the United States.
Mr Ang's mobile line was disconnected and he did not reply to messages to his phone.
When reporters visited his HDB flat in Bangkit Road, his father said he moved out last year and came home only occasionally.
Asked if his son was overseas, he said: "I will also avoid people if I were him. Why you ask so many questions?"
Police did not have figures for investment scams specifically. There were a total of 5,150 cheating cases from January to September this year, while the whole of last year saw 6,560 cases, up from 3,898 in 2014.
Mr Tan is now coping with his depression, but the episode has taught him not to be lured by promises of easy money. "I paid a price for learning this," he said.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 17, 2016, with the headline '20 say they lost $1m in investment scam'. Print Edition | Subscribe

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Q4 Quarterly Outlook by Nicholas Teo KGI

Q4 Quarterly Outlook by Nicholas Teo KGI at SGX auditorium 15Oct16 10am to 12pm