Fortune To Misfortune! 29,000 Bitcoins Stolen By Mirror Trading International Company Owner

The boss of Mirror Trading International took away thousands of Bitcoins through a Ponzi scheme. (TimesofIndia)

JAKARTA – Johann Steynberg, owner of Mirror Trading International, has been arrested by the authorities for committing fraudulent Ponzi schemes against thousands of people from around the world. Steynberg, who was recently arrested in Goiania, Brazil, has promised returns of up to 10 percent to his victims. It is estimated that more than 29.000 Bitcoins were stolen by the company.

According to the official message, the arrests were made in collaboration with the Brazilian Federal Police and Interpol. This is one of the largest arrests in the country. Previously, the authorities had also arrested Claudio Oliveira from the Banco Bitcoin group. Oliviera is accused of being the cause of the disappearance of 7,000 Bitcoin owned by investors in 2019.

The police received information stating that Johann Steynberg was in Brazil after fleeing South Africa in 2020. Steynberg fled after Mirror Trading International's platform collapsed.

According to the Commander of the Rapid Intervention Group, Raimundo Coelho Pinto Júnior, the intelligence search lasted about a month. After that, the police managed to find Johann Steynberg, confiscate several fake identities, electronic equipment, several notes with important information, credit cards, laptops, and other valuables.

“Our police officers started a thorough search of the suspect and after intensive work carried out for about a month, it was possible to identify and approach the subject… The Federal Police and Interpol [the unit in Brasília] are aware of our investigation. So we made an approach, the subject was submitted to Inspector PF for fulfillment of an international arrest warrant and prosecution for the crime of forgery.”

For your information, Mirror Trading International (MTI) introduces itself as an investment platform that promises high returns as users invest more money.

The platform was founded in South Africa in 2019 and promises a guaranteed return of around 10 percent per month. At its peak, it had 170,000 customers worldwide with more than $1 billion in assets under management.

When customers started reporting that MTI had blocked their balances, the authorities launched an investigation following repeated complaints. Johann Steynberg disappeared shortly after, which led to an Interpol warning. On New Year's Eve last year, Brazilian police and Interpol managed to apprehend Steynberg and put him behind bars.