OmegaPro co-Founder arrested in Turkey charged with $4 billion Ponzi scheme

• Andreas Szakacs, the OmegaPro co-founder, was arrested in Turkey.
• Authorities have traced $160M in crypto transactions and seized computers and cold wallets.
• A Dutch investor has reported losing $7M  with and over 3,000 others losing $103M in the alleged fraud.

Andreas Szakacs, the co-founder of OmegaPro arrested in Turkey, is facing serious allegations of orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme.

OmegaPro, a firm that claimed to invest in cryptocurrency and forex, reportedly defrauded investors out of a staggering $4 billion before its collapse in late 2022, coinciding with the notorious fall of the FTX exchange.

Computers and 32 cold wallets recovered

Szakacs, who adopted the name Emre Avci after obtaining Turkish citizenship, was apprehended by Turkish authorities following a significant investigation into OmegaPro’s activities. The arrest came after an anonymous tip-off prompted a series of raids across Istanbul.

Authorities seized computers and 32 cold wallets linked to Szakacs, although he reportedly did not provide the necessary access codes to these digital assets.

Investigators have traced $160 million in cryptocurrency transactions to his operations.

Impact of OmegaPro’s alleged fraudulent activities

The allegations against OmegaPro surfaced earlier in the year when regulatory bodies in different countries including France, Belgium, Spain, and Argentina issued warnings about the company’s fraudulent practices.

Szakacs has vehemently denied the accusations, asserting that his role was confined to finance and marketing, not fraud.

However, the scale of the alleged scheme has led to widespread scrutiny and regulatory reassessment in the global cryptocurrency sector.

Abdul Ghaffar Mohaghegh, a Dutch national who lost $7 million in the scheme, has claimed to represent over 3,000 investors who collectively lost more than $103 million.

This extensive network of affected individuals highlights the far-reaching impact of OmegaPro’s alleged fraudulent activities and underscores the urgent need for enhanced regulatory measures to protect investors in the crypto market.

The case has prompted a global reassessment of cryptocurrency regulations. In response, countries are considering new legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within the crypto sector.

As investigations continue and more details emerge, the fallout from this case could significantly reshape the landscape of financial technology and investor safeguards.

Turkey, in particular, is moving to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework designed to prevent similar schemes in the future.