Eathan Cheng, cited as the founder of Statum Global, appears only in connection with the company, despite claims of prior success in cryptocurrency. Statum Global Limited was incorporated in Hong Kong on October 12, 2018, according to documents on its website.
This lack of a verifiable digital footprint for Cheng raises immediate questions, especially for an individual supposedly already established in the crypto business. The Statum Global website domain was registered on August 13, 2018, using an address in Tibet that appears fraudulent. While the company claims Cheng operates it as a "family business in the PRC", Alexa data shows Italy (23%), Russia (17%), and the Netherlands as the primary sources of website traffic. These discrepancies suggest the true operators likely reside in one of these European nations.
Statum Global offers no retail products or services. Instead, its affiliates market only membership in the scheme itself. The entire model centers on encouraging new investments from participants.
Affiliates invest funds into several tiers, each promising substantial returns. The "Mining" tier takes $10 to $200, advertising a 122.5% return after 15 days. "Eco Business" investments from $200 to $1000 promise 133% back in 30 days. Higher tiers include "Premium," offering 178% on $1001 to $5000 over 60 days, and "Renewable Energy," which promises 150% on $1000 to $5000, also within 60 days. These returns are paid from new investor money.
The compensation plan operates on a unilevel structure, paying referral commissions down fifteen levels. An affiliate sits at the top, with personally recruited members on Level 1. Any recruits by Level 1 members form Level 2, and so on.
Commissions are paid as a percentage of funds invested across these levels. A base rate provides 7% on Level 1, 3% on Level 2, and 1% on Level 3. Affiliates can increase their commission rates by achieving "Status" tiers. "First Status" requires a personal investment of at least $500 and convincing others to invest $10,000, which then pays 7% on Level 1, 4% on Level 2, 2% on Level 3, and 1% on Levels 4 and 5. "Second Status" demands a $1500 personal investment and $40,000 in downline investment, increasing commissions to 8% on Level 1, 4% on Level 2, 2% on Level 3, 1% on Levels 4 and 5, and 0.1% on Levels 6 and 7. Such multi-level payout structures are typical of pyramid schemes.
The absence of genuine products, combined with reliance on recruitment and new investment to pay earlier investors, defines a Ponzi scheme. Regulators worldwide, including the SEC in the United States and the FCA in the UK, frequently issue warnings against such high-yield investment programs that lack transparency and verifiable business operations.