Welcome to our Reina Options Investment in which we investigate the website currently found at reinaoptionsinvestment.com.
On March 22, 2023, we came across the following Better Business Bureau report by a person from Alaska, USA, who claims to have been scammed for $3,000 by a cryptocurrency scam known as Reina Options Investments. They write:
I had been following Reina Options investments for over a year, and they contacted me about making an investment. They wanted an investment of $1000 to start off with, but I told them I didn’t have it and had to save up.
They contacted me a couple of months later and said $500 would be a good starting amount, so I could see what they do and how fast my investment can grow. I gave them $500, and a few days later, it tripled. They then started asking for more, and I got sucked in.
At the time, I was in a vulnerable and desperate state and needed the money. They funneled the money through Crypto.com and a trading website called Binary24Trading. They wanted a 20% commission that was supposed to come out of my profits.
When I asked for my investment back, they wanted me to pay $6000 out of pocket to get my profit and investment. That was when I knew that I had made a big mistake.
So what is Reina Options investments, and is it a SCAM?
Reina Options Investment Review
The domain reinaoptionsinvestment.com was registered on October 9, 2020, for 4 years through NameCheap, Inc.
Their Semrush Authority Score is 6% and they have 3 backlinks from 2 referring domains, but none of them from any trustworthy websites.
According to ReinaOptionsInvestment.com, Reina Alberto is an award-winning professional money manager who offers managed accounts for high-net-worth individuals. She claims to have 10 years of experience in profitable trading and that her investment philosophy is based on Nobel Prize-winning academic research.
Reina Options Investment offers managed accounts for individuals and corporations with a portfolio size ranging from $50k to 5M.
ReinaOptions Investment is also known for its partnership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, promoting gender equity and women empowerment. (We could not find any mention of “Reina” on cherieblairfoundation.org.)
There’s a Testimonials page on the site, which shows that Reina’s clients have given positive reviews, however, the images of “the customers,” seem to be fake and were taken from other websites.
She writes: “As a fully regulated and entrusted broker, I can help you achieve your goals on your terms, not someone else’s.” However, no proof of regulation is provided.
Since she’s in the US, we need to be able to confirm her regulation at brokercheck.finra.org, but she is not listed there and, therefore, not regulated.
On LinkedIn, Reina Alberto is an Account Manager at Reina Option Investment, a successful alternative investment manager with assets under management of $2 billion that uses quantitative trading applied to capital markets globally.
Links to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from the website do not work. However, we do find an Instagram profile of Reina Alberto who is described as an entrepreneur, investor, account manager, portfolio manager, professional binary trader, and crypto expert. The profile has 125 posts, 54.4k followers, and 707 followers. The post includes hashtags such as “happy new year,” “success,” “cash out,” and mentions locations like Dubai, Miami, Silicon Valley, and Madrid.
Contact Information
Reina offers a contact form and a live chat widget that reaches the WhatsApp number +1-(424) 349-1699, as reported in the BBB complaint we opened with. (424 is a Los Angeles, California, USA area code.)
The complaint mentions that the scammer’s location is Pacific Palisades, CA 90272, while the website lists a specific address: 16040 W Sunset Blvd UNIT 308, Los Angeles, CA 90272, US. This appears to be a residential address, according to Google Maps.
On November 25, 2020, they started posting a “weekly analysis,” but that seems to have lasted only 3 weeks. They even left the sample WordPress comments on their first blog post.
Reina Options Investment Reviews
We could find no ReinaOptionsInvestment reviews.
Complaints We Received
On December 14, 2023, we received the following complaint regarding a scam involving Reina Options Investment as well as another platform, Binary 24 Trades (Binary24Trades.com):
Reina stated that the minimum deposit required for her to trade was $1,600 AUD. I transferred this amount via BTC (cryptocurrency) to the binary24trades platform. I was informed that I would be able to withdraw profits in 10 days. On the sixth day, she suggested I upgrade from the starter investment to a portfolio, but did not mention the costs involved. She assured me that I would still be able to withdraw profits on the tenth day. However, on the seventh day, she insisted that I send $10,000 AUD to the platform so that the trading robot could execute more trades. Lacking the funds, I sent my last $2,900 AUD and informed Reina that she had not disclosed the costs associated with the upgrade. I reminded her that she knew from the start that my investment limit was $1,600 AUD, which she had previously affirmed was sufficient. Today, on the eighth day, I have requested the platform to cease trades and expressed my need to withdraw my modest profits, as I have rent to pay. Reina initially indicated that I would be able to withdraw the total profit on the tenth day. However, both Reina and the platform are now demanding an additional $7,000 AUD before releasing any profits. Despite my pleas, they refuse to return even the initial amount I sent. I have begged for at least $4,500 AUD to be withdrawn, excluding the profits, but they have denied any withdrawal requests.
The situation described here exhibits several classic signs of an investment scam:
- High Initial Investment Request: Requiring a substantial initial investment, like $1,600 AUD, is a common tactic in scams to secure a significant amount of money upfront.
- Promise of Quick, High Returns: The guarantee of being able to withdraw profits in a short period (10 days) is a red flag. Legitimate investments typically do not offer quick, guaranteed profits, especially in such a short timeframe.
- Pressure to Upgrade or Invest More: The scammer pressured for additional funds ($10,000 AUD) under the pretense of enabling more trades by a trading robot. This is a tactic to extract more money from the victim.
- Lack of Transparency About Additional Costs: Not disclosing the costs associated with upgrading the investment plan is deceptive and is a tactic to lure the victim into a false sense of security.
- Changing Terms and Conditions: Initially stating that the initial investment was sufficient, then later demanding more money is a tactic to keep the victim investing more in the hope of recouping their funds.
- Refusal to Return Funds or Allow Withdrawals: Not allowing the withdrawal of profits or even the initial investment is a clear sign of a scam. This creates a situation where the victim continues to pay in the hope of getting their money back.
- Creating a Sense of Urgency: Insisting on immediate additional investment is a tactic to prevent the victim from thinking critically or seeking advice.
Overall, these signs strongly suggest that this is a scam designed to continually extract money from the victim with the false promise of future profits. It’s a classic example of a “too good to be true” investment scheme.
Bottom Line
We opened this review with a complaint by a person who had been following Reina Options investments for over a year and eventually invested $500 after being convinced by the company. The investment tripled, and they were asked to invest more, but when they asked for their investment back, they were told they needed to pay $6000 out of pocket to receive their profit and investment. They realized they had made a mistake.
There are a few red flags that make us believe Reina Options Investments is a SCAM.
If Reina OptionsInvestment has scammed you, please let us know by commenting below.
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