Fraud Exposed: Macedonians Exploit "American Patriots" with Expensive Trump Cards from Veles

The Basic Public Prosecutor's Office for the Prosecution of Organized Crime and Corruption in North Macedonia is investigating a case of online sale of cards featuring the likeness of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Following the publication of an investigative story by Radio Free Europe (RFE) detailing the internet mechanism through which dozens of Macedonians, primarily from the city of Veles, extracted money from U.S. citizens, the prosecutor's office announced that a preliminary investigation had been launched. "This is a substantial case. It was initiated after an anonymous report, and that report is being financially monitored, in fact, we are tracking the financial flows of money. It is a fairly complex case involving a corpus of actions," stated the Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office.

They also highlighted the possibility of involving international legal assistance, "but we have not reached that stage yet."

"We currently have orders, and when we obtain some results, we will enter the phase of international assistance. Part of this preliminary investigation is connected to a case already in the trial phase," added the Prosecutor's Office.

After months of investigation, journalists from Radio Free Europe uncovered an online scam orchestrated by individuals from the town of Veles in Macedonia. "Make sure to write that you are given specific instructions on how to deceive Americans," reads one message in Macedonian from a closed Telegram channel, accessible only with the administrator's approval, where "sellers" from Veles are present.

RFE journalists found 88 websites that were active at the time of their investigation, offering various products, as indicated, to "American patriots."

How the scam works

The matrix is seemingly simple. Americans are presented with a story that products featuring Trump's likeness purchased today will be worth millions upon his return to the presidency as the 45th President of the United States.

In reality, completely worthless cards, coins, stickers, stamps, and numerous similar products are being sold, with promises that "after Trump's return to the helm of the U.S., it will be money in circulation." The story of a quick financial return on investment is propagated through various internet channels, most often those supporting the former U.S. president.

Radio Free Europe infiltrated a closed group on Telegram through which Macedonian sellers of fake debit cards communicated. They followed digital traces, but two days after RFE published the story, the content of most Telegram channels was deleted.

Simultaneously, a large number of Macedonian citizens selling cards or coins featuring Donald Trump's likeness withdrew their products from the CopeCart platform through which sales were conducted. Veles, with just over 45,000 inhabitants, became known before the 2016 U.S. elections when global media revealed that more than 100 political websites promoting false news favoring Donald Trump's policies were created there. These sites used content from extremely conservative blogs and advertised them through Facebook, generating millions of views monthly.

Through the new fraudulent scheme, an invented monetary system called TRB (Trump Rebate Banking system) is now being advertised, with the story being propagated that people who own TRB products will receive significantly higher returns for their investment.

The prices of fake cards being sold reach several thousand dollars each.

Data from the Macedonian Public Revenue Office show that in the last two years, 98 individuals from Veles, aged up to 35 years, reported income from the United States totaling more than $11 million.

Reportedly, the majority of these earnings were derived from marketing and internet services.

reporter24news.com