On July 2023, we received the following complaint about File-coinfo.com from a person who reported being scammed for almost $60K:

Received a notification on Viber about fast profits through Bitcoin investment via Filecoins Foundation app. Made 10 BTC deposits totaling $58,130.15 between Dec 23, 2022, and Jan 14, 2023. Despite showing profits, withdrawal was blocked, demanding a $26k profit tax upfront. Realized it was a scam. Filed claims at IC3.com, FTC, CFTC, and Coin Dispute Network with no resolution.

Previously, we received another complaint about file-coinfo.com and cutt.ly/coinapp from a person who reported being scammed for $37K:

ICE’s Crypto Club claims to provide crypto trading advice using DFINITY/Filecoin trading software via a WhatsApp group with 98 participants. The group falsely claims affiliation with Mr. Glenn Hutchins and showcases high returns with around 80% accurate strategies. The initial registration was done through m.file-coinfo.com.

If this group has scammed you, please share your story.

Domain Analysis

The domain file-coinfo.com is notably new and lacks significant organic or paid search traffic, as evidenced by its Semrush domain rank of 0. This suggests that it hasn’t established a credible presence in search engines, indicating a potential risk factor for users relying on organic trust signals.

There is no data available for organic search traffic or keywords for file-coinfo.com. This absence of organic visibility can be a red flag, as legitimate sites typically build a history of keywords and traffic over time. The lack of organic presence implies that search engines haven’t actively engaged or recognized the domain, which is atypical for a genuine investment platform.

File-coinfo.com has a total of five backlinks from two referring domains. These backlinks are all ‘nofollow,’ meaning they do not pass authority or trust signals from the referring sites. The backlinks originate from two sources: xploredomains.com and uplinke-increase-da-dr-tf.za.com. Both sources are questionable and not recognized as reputable websites, further undermining its legitimacy.

The backlinks for file-coinfo.com are predominantly text links with the same anchor text, ‘file-coinfo.com. ‘ This indicates a lack of diversity in anchor usage, which is often a sign of low-quality link-building practices. The consistency in anchor text points to an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings, a common tactic among scam sites.

No substantial indexed pages were found, further suggesting that search engines have not crawled or recognized the domain. This lack of indexing is another significant red flag, implying poor site structure or low trust levels.

File-coinfo.com Reviews

File-coinfo.com has been identified as a fraudulent trading platform that misleads investors into believing they are participating in legitimate cryptocurrency investments. Various reputable sources have flagged the site as a scam, emphasizing its lack of trustworthiness and the deceptive tactics employed to lure victims.

The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) describes the scam as a “Fraudulent Trading Platform,” where “the Scammer develops a fraudulent website or application and convinces victims to deposit funds to the platform under the guise of providing victims access to a unique investment opportunity.” Multiple complaints and analyses from various scam detection websites support this classification.

ScamAdviser and Scam Detector both give file-coinfo.com low trust scores, indicating high-risk activity. ScamAdviser points out the site’s lack of positive reviews or credible sources backing its legitimacy.

Victims have reported significant financial losses and difficulties in recovering their funds. One victim’s experience shared on DFPI details how they were misled by artificial gains displayed on the platform, only to be faced with additional fee demands when attempting to withdraw their money. This tactic is consistent with what DFPI describes as an “Advance Fee Scam,” where upfront payments are requested under false pretenses of future returns.

Moreover, the DFPI warns about imposter websites, noting that “Imposter websites are one of the most commonly reported scams. The companies or websites listed may sound similar to the names of other companies or websites that also operate in the marketplace”. This warning is pertinent to file-coinfo.com, as it appears to create a semblance of legitimacy by mimicking genuine investment platforms.

Bottom Line

File-coinfo.com has all the hallmarks of a sophisticated scam designed to exploit unsuspecting investors. Its lack of organic search visibility, dubious backlinks, and numerous negative reports from reputable sources indicate its fraudulent nature.