Defion.co Review: Unearthing a Scam

Welcome to our DEFI Review in which we investigate the website currently found at defion.co.

Did Defion.co scam you? Please let us know by commenting below.

On May 26, 2023, a New Jersey, USA person who reported losing $420,000 filed the following complaint with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) regarding a cryptocurrency scam:

I encountered someone online who was teaching me how to trade with cryptocurrency on the Defion.co website. Initially, I transferred small amounts and managed to make some money. Subsequently, I transferred larger amounts from my 401K. After making a considerable profit, I began to withdraw some to set aside for taxes. I was able to make one withdrawal, but then they froze my account. They told me I needed to pay them a 22% tax and that they would report it to the IRS to unlock my account. However, they wouldn’t allow me to use the funds in my account. They don’t have a contact phone number, and no one responds to emails. The chat line keeps repeating the same message, insisting that I must pay taxes.

The method I used to fund the account involved wiring money from my bank account to a Coinbase account. From there, I transferred it in crypto USDT to a wallet on the Defion.co website. They provided me with a wallet to pay the taxes, and it may be traceable.

The woman who was teaching me how to trade is still in contact with me. She acts as if there’s nothing wrong and advises me to pay the taxes. However, this situation is starting to sound like a scam.

I have retained most of the texts from this woman and the chat line on the Defion website. I have not been able to identify the owners of the website or locate any phone numbers. I’m not even sure of the woman’s real name or her address in Los Angeles. I’m uncertain about the next steps to take.

They provided the following information about the scammer:

• Location: Los Angeles, CA
• Email: kokooyee520@gmail.com
• Telephone: (951) 394-1747 (a Riverside County, California, USA number)
• Website: https://www.defion.co
• Business name Defion.co

So is Defion a SCAM?

Defion.co Review

Defion.co was registered on December 5, 2022, for one year through NameCheap, Inc. Cloudflare and a Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf protect the domain.

According to Semrush, their Authority Score is 2% based on 3 backlinks from 2 referring domains, none inspiring much trust: badip.ru and scam-detector.com. We’ll return to those and more later on.

The website does not appear to get much traffic and the little traffic seems to be mainly from the US.

Two defion.co pages are indexed on Google, defion.co and m.defion.co, the latter being a mobile version.

Already we see some information about BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, and BCH/USDT values and percentages, as well as a mention that participation in DEFI financial locking activities has a potential annual profit rate of up to 125% and inviting friends to register for sharing USDT bonuses.

This suggests that “DEFI,” as defion.co refers to itself, is a trading platform.

The Homepage

We have seen this kind of website so many times, making us wonder if the scammers all buy their templates from the same place or if the same people are behind so many of them…

For example, a menu item that says “Pledge Loan” can also be found on BitnetDex (bitnetdexs.com) and Defieo (defieo.co).

Wait. I knew defion.co was familiar.

A quick search reveals that bitnetdexs.com has a resemblance to defion.co while defieo.co is an outright clone.

So if defieo.co is a scam, this probably means that defion.co is also a scam, right? Still, let’s continue with our brief Defion review.

According to defion.co, DEFI Chain is a digital asset trading platform that provides the opportunity to participate in DEFI financial locking activities with a potential annual profit rate of up to 125% and invites users to register and share millions of USDT bonuses with friends.

The text emphasizes the platform’s safety and reliability, with 5 years of experience in digital asset financial services and expertise in a distributed architecture and anti-DDoS attack systems. It mentions the platform’s global ecological layout, including localized transaction service centers in various countries, aiming to create a blockchain ecosystem with multiple business forms. The platform strives to prioritize user satisfaction, offering an advanced compensation mechanism and an investor protection fund.

The text promotes DEFI as a global digital asset trading platform available on multiple platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows.

However, when we clicked on the iOS app download button nothing happened, but we were able to download the Android version (an APK file). Be very careful and never install APK files from providers you do not absolutely trust.

About

The About page highlights DEFI’s 7-year journey in providing blockchain services and technology and channel construction. It describes the different phases the company has experienced, including a period of steady growth from 2013 to 2016, a period of wealth accumulation in the first half of 2017, and the current period characterized as the cold winter since the second half of 2018. DEFI has gained a reputable position in the industry with numerous successful partnerships.

The text expresses DEFI’s search for service providers who face difficulties and share a similar vision. Over the years, DEFI has successfully resolved problems for dozens of service providers. They invite potential partners to engage in conversation.

It emphasizes that introducing someone to a business signifies trustworthiness and reputation, and DEFI aims to be a trusted partner in business relationships.

The text highlights DEFI’s adaptive approach to different customer requirements, product characteristics, and varying goals at different times. It positions DEFI as a solution provider, ready to address a variety of problems and be present wherever needed.

Under the title “Customer Service,” they have two links:

• Download – contains the Android APK file
• Standard Fees

Their contact information is an email address: deficsr@outlook.com.

They also offer a live chat.

Defion Reviews

In addition to starring in several lists of scam websites, there are a few relevant defion.co reviews. In this section, we look at some of them.

On the BBB (Better Business Bureau), the following complaint was filed on June 8, 2023, by a person from Iowa, USA who reported losing $500 for this cryptocurrency scam:

The scammer asked me to engage in options trading on the defion.co website. Initially, everything appeared to be going smoothly until I attempted to withdraw funds from my account. Suddenly, my account was locked, and despite numerous email attempts, I received no response. Furthermore, the live chat agent named “Emily” would disconnect the chat session as soon as they became aware of the nature of my problem.

They report the following details about the scammer:

• Location: Beverly Hills, CA- 90210
• Telephone: 1 (323) 723-4197 (a Los Angeles, California, USA number)
• Website: https://defion.co/

Scamwatcher.org

The review highlights several disturbing facts about defion.co, including questionable services, lack of regulation, lack of transparency, and the creation of unrealistic expectations.

It mentions that defion.co is an unregulated investment platform, which can be unreliable and pose a risk to investors’ funds.

It also mentions potential issues with withdrawals.

Otvet.mail.ru

There is a question about making money on “defion” and a link to another review on valeto.ru, in which the website is claimed to be a scam.

Users provide answers indicating that it is indeed a scam.

Valeto.ru

A review on the Valeto internet portal discusses a new type of scam involving the website defion.co. The scam targets Russians through social media platforms like Instagram, VKontakte, or Odnoklassniki.

The scammers pose as foreign girls and engage in conversations to gain trust. They then share a link to defion.co and convince victims to invest at least $10 in cryptocurrency.

The review warns that defion.co is a scam and advises against transferring any money to them. It highlights the lack of a Russian interface on the website and emphasizes that no legitimate business will offer to make money without any effort.

The article concludes with comments from readers affirming that it is indeed a scam.

Scam-detector.com

The website m.defion.co is flagged as high-risk and potentially fraudulent. It has a trust rank of 0.5 out of 100, indicating a low level of trustworthiness. The website is associated with the Trading industry but is deemed suspicious by Scam Detector.

It has a low popularity score. The proximity to suspicious websites is rated at 25 out of 100, and the overall threat profile is 34 out of 100. The website’s phishing score is 34 out of 100, the malware score is 28 out of 100, and the spam score is 32 out of 100. The VLDTR® tool and other fraud-prevention companies have identified high-risk activity related to phishing and spamming. It is advised to stay away from this website.

Defion Review on joesandbox.com

Defion.co was flagged as potentially malicious by Avira URL Cloud for phishing. Several URLs associated with Defion were also flagged as phishing.

Moreover, various JavaScript and image files on defion.co were flagged as potential phishing sources.

Some URLs and files were detected as potentially malicious by antivirus software.

Overall, the reputation of defion.co was assessed as “low” by Joe Security LLC.

Defion Review on sa-gi.net

The Fraud Consultation Navi platform appears to be a Japanese user-focused site where individuals can report and review experiences they’ve had with different organizations, particularly those suspected of fraudulent activity. One such organization mentioned in the text you’ve provided is “DEFI” and its associated websites.

Users have posted their experiences with DEFI, which appear to be negative. Multiple entries have been made:

• A review from 22/05/09 indicates a user’s inability to withdraw from https://www.defi2.ai/
• Other entries dated 22/07/04 and 23/01/16 mention two other web addresses associated with DEFI: https://www.defi20.ai/#/ and https://www.defion.co/#/ and https://m.defion.co/#/

These comments suggest that DEFI may be related to investment or financial services, given the user’s comment about withdrawal issues. The exact nature of DEFI and what it offers is not explicitly mentioned, however.

Defi2.ai & defi20.ai

Defi2.ai was registered on October 25, 2021, through NameCheap and is protected by Cloudflare and Withheld for Privacy ehf.

Defi20.ai was registered on February 23, 2022, through NameCheap and is protected by Cloudflare and Withheld for Privacy ehf.

Neither of the domains is online nor indexed on Google.

Defi20.ai Reviews

Scamadviser.com

There are two defi20.ai reviews on scamadviser.com:

One of the biggest scams in DEFI: Never invest or trade with them, as they are unregulated and can lead to bankruptcy within a matter of weeks or even days. They are scammers.

A total stranger engaged me in a financial conversation over text message to promote this site. Fortunately, I didn’t use it, but they were incredibly convincing. I’m disappointed that I even allowed it to happen, and upon reflection, it’s clear that it was a scam.

Scam-detector.com

On scam-detector.com, there are additional defi20.ai reviews.

On June 25, 2022, George sought feedback from others who have dealt with Defi20-ai. He specifically inquired about their experience with customer service, mentioning a person named Ricky. George stated that his account had been frozen, preventing him from withdrawing his coins or conducting trades, unless he paid the IRS 21% of his profits. He found it unusual that the IRS tax had to be paid to an external wallet, and he questioned the legitimacy of this requirement. George offered to pay the taxes from his DEFI 20-ai wallet but was told it couldn’t be done. He suspected a scam, especially due to the absence of a phone number and clear location information.

As a response, May Atallah, on June 29, 2022, issued a warning to anyone reading, advising them to be cautious when dealing with DEFI 20.ai. May claimed that the platform would take users’ money and lock them out of their accounts if they failed to pay the alleged IRS tax to an external wallet. May labeled it a total scam and urged others to run away from it.

George, on July 11, 2022, expressed his frustration and concerns regarding his account with DEFI 20.ai. He mentioned that he was unable to transfer funds from his account to his Coinbase account and accused the system of blocking him from making any transactions. George questioned the legitimacy of the platform. He also mentioned a customer service representative named Ricky, who allegedly instructed him to transfer money from an external wallet to pay taxes.

Defion Review Conclusion

In conclusion, our comprehensive investigation into Defion.co indicates alarming signs that the platform could indeed be a fraudulent scheme. The website has numerous red flags, including evidence of cloned content, a lack of transparency, unresolved user complaints, potential phishing, and malware links.

Various reviews and comments from users and cybersecurity platforms point towards its high-risk nature and potential for scam activities. More alarmingly, similar issues persist with related platforms, defi2.ai and defi20.ai, leading us to believe that they might be operated by the same individuals or group.

Unregulated cryptocurrency platforms pose a significant risk to investors’ funds and personal information. The scenario reported by the user in New Jersey, coupled with the experiences shared on various review platforms, raises doubts about Defion’s legitimacy. Issues with withdrawals, the absence of a clear location, and demands for tax payments to external wallets are all suggestive of scam tactics.

While cryptocurrency trading and investment can be a lucrative avenue, it’s crucial to proceed with caution, especially when dealing with platforms that lack regulation and transparency. As always, we recommend our readers do their own due diligence and be aware of the risks associated with investing in such platforms.

It’s always safer to deal with regulated, reputable platforms that provide clear information about their operations and have a demonstrable track record. We hope this review helps you make an informed decision about engaging with Defion.co and similar platforms.

Note: Please do not confuse defion.co with defion.nl and defion.com, sites that appear to be legitimate.

If you are a victim of online scams, please let us know by commenting below and if you have lost a significant amount of money, do not lose hope. We can help you recover your funds!