Polinur, a cryptocurrency investment scheme, has surfaced using metaverse buzzwords to attract victims, mirroring the tactics of a recently collapsed Ponzi operation believed to be run by the same actors. The operation began in June 2022, and its anonymity is a primary concern. The company's website offers no information on ownership or management. Its domain was registered privately on April 24th, with the site launching two months later.
The company claims incorporation in Hong Kong as "Polinur Me Limited," an attempt to appear legitimate. This is a common tactic for fraudsters. Shell company registrations can be created quickly with fake details and hold no weight in fraud investigations.
Further examination reveals Russian connections. Polinur utilizes Jivo, a Russian customer support platform, according to the website's code. This same platform was used by GrenMiner, another Ponzi scheme that collapsed shortly before Polinur's launch. The overlapping infrastructure strongly suggests the same operators are rebranding.
The Russian link is further solidified by a fraud warning issued by the Central Bank of Russia on July 6th regarding Polinur. The pattern suggests Russian scammers are behind this investment fraud, disguising it with metaverse terminology.
Polinur's investment model is a classic Ponzi scheme. Investors provide funds and are promised daily returns that compound to unrealistic figures. The "Hermes" tier offers 1.4% daily on investments between $20 and $49,999. The "Apollon" tier promises 0.1% every hour for investments up to $1 million. These rates translate to approximately 36% annually on the lower end, with compounding returns that are mathematically impossible through legitimate investment.
There are no actual products or services offered by Polinur. Affiliates cannot sell tangible goods; their sole activity is marketing Polinur membership to recruit new investors.
The compensation structure is a clear indicator of a Ponzi scheme. Polinur has five affiliate ranks: Investor, Partner, Leader, Best Leader, and Star of Meta. Each rank requires recruiting members who have invested specific amounts. Achieving $200,000 in recruited investments elevates an affiliate to "Star of Meta." Commissions are paid through a unilevel structure, where new recruits and their subsequent recruits are placed directly below the recruiter.
Funds from new investors are used to pay commissions to earlier participants. The scheme is designed to pay early investors with money from later ones. Such schemes inevitably collapse when recruitment slows, which is a predictable outcome. At that point, most participants lose their entire investment. Only those at the top typically profit, having siphoned off funds.
The metaverse terminology serves as a superficial layer. Polinur is not investing in metaverse development or creating any related assets. It is simply collecting money from investors with promises of returns that defy basic financial principles.
Investors should exercise extreme caution when a company withholds information about its ownership and management, or fails to clearly state its product or service. Polinur exhibits all the characteristics of a fraudulent operation.
On July 6th, the Central Bank of Russia issued a fraud warning about Polinur.