SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A Singapore-registered firm is under investigation after allegedly failing to pay investors who have pumped money into its cryptocurrency investment schemes.
Reports have been filed against InvesableAI with the Singapore police, and with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Incorporated in the Republic on June 19, 2023, InvesableAI is believed to have promised investors quick returns on cryptocurrency investments that banked on the use of artificial intelligence technology.
Its founders claimed to have sought a licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and, on the firm’s now-defunct website, said it was a trustworthy business because “we are a registered company”, with a separate webpage showing its address in Singapore.
It is a “live” company or a business that is still in operation, according to Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) records.
Checks by The Straits Times on the details of InvesableAI’s Acra records revealed several discrepancies, including in the company’s registered address, the nationality and address of a foreign director, and the identity of a Singaporean director.
In response to queries, an Acra spokesperson said: “Acra is unable to comment due to ongoing investigations.”
Meanwhile, the FBI and SEC said they could neither confirm nor deny that they were investigating the matter.
Several of the reports lodged with the FBI and SEC, and seen by ST, show that more than 4,000 people have invested money in InvesableAI.
The total sum allegedly sunk into the business by all investors is unclear, but a smaller group of about 150 investors have counted losses of at least US$1.5 million (S$2 million).
One of the investors, a 46-year-old woman, said she trusted the firm because it promised transparency and accessibility for investments in alternative currencies.
The woman, an American, pumped more than US$15,000 into InvesableAI on July 13, 2023, but about two months later, the firm informed her and other investors that withdrawals would be paused “temporarily”.
In a Sept 17 e-mail to investors seen by ST, the firm said there was extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency market, and asked for 40 days to recover losses.
It also offered refunds within a week to those who wanted them.
The e-mail was signed by Mr Lee Dalton, who is identified on the firm’s website as its founder and chief executive.
Six months later, investors said they have yet to get their money back.
The American woman, who holds a Master of Business Administration degree and lives in California, said: “I wish I had known how to do trades on my own, instead of depending on others. It was a bad decision… but InvesableAI seemed to hit all the marks when it came to its legitimacy.
“It being based in Singapore was assuring because of the stringent guidelines that are required there.”
Source: The Star
