Chris Hattingh, Candice Donadel, Jacques Marais, Jenny Brandt, and Hercules Viljoen are reportedly behind the latest iteration of a South African gifting scam, now operating as New Earth Economy Global. This scheme, which began as Gift of Legacy in November 2021, collapsed in July.
Gift of Legacy was a direct successor to the Kindred Hearts gifting scam. After its failure, the operators did not cease their activities but instead attempted two reboots. The first reboot, operating briefly under the name Color Our World Global, used the domain colorourworld.global. This domain was registered in May 2022, as Gift of Legacy was experiencing its collapse. Social media profiles for Color Our World Global appeared around July 2022. The website for this venture appears abandoned today.
A month prior to the debut of Color Our World Global, the domain neweartheconomy.global was registered on June 19th. Color Our World Global itself was apparently abandoned around early October. New Earth Economy Global became the official name for the third reboot of the gifting scheme. The reason for this specific branding choice remains unclear.
The website for Color Our World Global once featured a page that openly identified the same administrators as Gift of Legacy. This page has since been removed from the New Earth Economy Global website. Current online presences for New Earth Economy Global, whether its website or social media, offer no information about its operators. Instead, the scheme's promoters are employing a "decentralized" narrative.
According to statements on the New Earth Economy Global website, the platform is not owned by any corporation or individual. It claims to be decentralized and peer-to-peer, drawing inspiration from "sacred economics" and community support. However, further examination of the site reveals this claim to be a ruse. The site instructs interested parties to watch a video and fill out a form. An "admin team" member then contacts the individual to assist with setup.
Chris Hattingh, a former promoter of the Mirror Trading International Ponzi scheme, is considered a primary beneficiary of Gift of Legacy. In a Facebook post on December 19th, Hattingh acknowledged a "core 5" team of administrators behind the scam. He stated, "As one of the 'Core 5' (co-creator of GL). I would like to thank each and every one of you for your commitment and dedication over the last year! GL will be 1 year old in 3 weeks time." Hattingh further claimed the Core 5 had worked around the clock for the past year.
Despite these claims, New Earth Economy Global has failed to gain traction. Website traffic data from SimilarWeb indicates minimal activity, below the threshold for tracking. Hattingh himself has admitted to being less active in group calls and virtual meetings for the past two months. He is now reportedly also promoting "stem cell rejuvenation patches."