We’ve uncovered a significant investment scam involving a website called DPEI MAX and Richard’s Investment Club, operating through websites like dpeimax.vip, dpeimax.top, and vendpei.com.
Victims have reported losses exceeding $250,000 through this fraudulent scheme, which promises high-return investments and primarily uses cryptocurrency as the payment method. Ethereum (ERC-20) tokens were the currency of choice, and all transactions occurred within the past week.
If this operation has contacted you or if you have already transferred funds to any of these domains, you are at significant risk of losing your investment. We urge you to avoid further dealings with this group and recommend reporting your case to the authorities immediately. Recovering funds from scams like this can be incredibly challenging, so acting swiftly and remaining cautious is crucial.
Domain Analysis: dpeimax.vip
The domain in question, dpeimax.vip, raises multiple red flags indicative of fraudulent activity. Registered only in May 2024 through Gname.com Pte. Ltd., a registrar known for hosting questionable domains, its brief registration history suggests this is likely a temporary domain created to support short-term scam operations. The domain’s status is set to “clientTransferProhibited,” which means the domain cannot be transferred to another registrar easily—often a tactic to prevent ownership changes after being flagged for illicit activities.
Based in Nei Mongol, China, the registrant organization is listed as “hai nan xiao lian you ze ren gong si,” a name with no verifiable business records, further adding to suspicions. The site is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Portland, Oregon, and its IP address, 35.161.139.254, links back to an AWS EC2 server, which is a common hosting choice for websites involved in scams due to its flexible, scalable, and anonymous infrastructure.
When analyzing traffic data, dpeimax.vip ranks extremely low, with a global ranking of #18,248,485 and negligible visits. The site recorded only 647 visits last month, and the bounce rate of over 43% coupled with an average visit duration of just 38 seconds suggests that users quickly realize the site’s lack of credibility and leave. Most traffic comes from direct visits, hinting at a lack of organic search visibility and suggesting that victims are targeted through direct communications, such as phishing emails or fraudulent ads.
The site’s low visibility and reliance on direct traffic, coupled with its questionable registration and hosting setup, strongly suggest it is not a legitimate business but part of a broader scam network.
Domain Analysis: dpeimax.top
The domain dpeimax.top, like its counterpart, shows significant red flags that suggest fraudulent intent. Registered on May 6, 2024, through Gname.com Pte. Ltd., it shares the same short registration period and registrar as other scam websites, with an expiration date of May 6, 2025. The domain status is marked as “clientTransferProhibited,” which limits its ability to be transferred, a common feature of domains linked to fraudulent schemes aiming to avoid detection and accountability.
The registrant information points to “hai nan xiao lian you ze ren gong si,” a company based in Nei Mongol, China, with no verifiable business history. This mirrors the pattern often seen in fraudulent websites that leverage anonymous or unverifiable registrant details to operate under the radar.
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The site is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Portland, Oregon, on IP address 35.161.139.254. AWS is a common choice for scammers due to its scalability and anonymity. The reverse DNS lookup links the site to Amazon’s cloud infrastructure, further indicating its use of sophisticated hosting solutions that provide easy setup and quick dismantling of operations if necessary.
Traffic data reveals very low global engagement, with a rank of #20,057,498 and just 671 visits last month, most of which are from the United States. The high bounce rate of 42.49% and the low pages-per-visit ratio of just 1.02 suggest that visitors do not find the site credible and leave quickly. With no significant organic search traffic or keyword rankings, the site likely relies on direct links or targeted campaigns to lure victims.
All these factors strongly suggest that dpeimax.top is part of a more extensive scam network operating under temporary, low-visibility domains.
DPEI MAX Review (Dpeimax.vip, Dpeimax.top, and similar websites)
The content gathered from dpeimax.vip and dpeimax.top reveals several significant red flags that strongly suggest these domains are part of a scam operation. Both domains share remarkably similar structures, raising immediate suspicion. The websites have been registered through Gname.com Pte. Ltd., a registrar commonly associated with temporary and fraudulent websites, with identical registration dates of May 6, 2024, set to expire by May 2025. Both sites are hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) infrastructure, specifically in Portland, Oregon, under the same IP address (35.161.139.254), further reinforcing the likelihood that these are clone websites.
The registrant organization listed is “hai nan xiao lian you ze ren gong si,” and it is based in Nei Mongol, China. This organization appears to have no verifiable background, adding to the risk of dealing with these domains. Furthermore, both websites exhibit nearly identical metadata, scripts, and structural elements, such as CSS and JavaScript files, including references to the same image assets, like the launch logo, all pointing to a coordinated effort to duplicate the sites for fraudulent purposes.
No legitimate contact details, such as email addresses or phone numbers, are provided across either domain, which is highly suspicious for an entity supposedly offering financial services. Additionally, the absence of verifiable regulatory information, such as licensing details, indicates this operation is fraudulent.
Images of stock market interfaces and other financial data displayed on the websites seem designed to mimic legitimate financial platforms. Still, the lack of transparency, the cloning of domains, and the use of unverifiable organization details strongly indicate a sophisticated scam targeting unsuspecting investors.
DPEI MAX Reviews
DPEI MAX has garnered significant attention across various platforms, with numerous reports indicating it is a scam operation. According to the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), DPEI MAX operates without authorization, making providing or promoting financial services in the UK illegal. The FCA warns explicitly consumers to avoid dealing with DPEI MAX, as it may be actively targeting individuals in the UK through several URLs, including dpeimax.vip, dpeimax.top, and vendpei.com.
DPEI MAX’s contact information, as listed on the FCA warning page, includes the following:
- Telephone Numbers: 618468872, 661183166
- Mobile Numbers: 07863635269, 07490689355, 07480673971, 07466580646, 074727555640, 07404825897, 07465295449
- Websites: vendpei.com, dpeimax.top, dpeimax.vip
The FCA advises avoiding interaction with these contact details as DPEI MAX is not authorized to provide financial services and is suspected of engaging in scam activities.
User feedback from different sources highlights the same pattern of fraudulent activity. On Scam Detector, one user reported that DPEI MAX manipulates the US stock markets through pump-and-dump schemes. They explain that individuals are coerced into joining WhatsApp groups, where they are pressured to deposit funds into the platform. As one reviewer, Colin, states, “You will never get your funds back.” This aligns with other user experiences on platforms like ScamAdviser, where a reviewer named Santhosh details how users are lured with promises of profit but cannot withdraw their funds once deposited.
Furthermore, discussions on Reddit reveal similar user experiences. One commenter, OonepieceO, strongly warned, “This app is a scam. They took all my funds. Don’t invest in it, please; I’ll beg you if I have to.” Another Reddit user mentioned how they had warned their aunt to stop using the platform due to its questionable legitimacy, but unfortunately, she had already invested.
Vendpei Review
Another clone mentioned in the FCA warning is the URL vendpei.com, also titled DPEI MAX.
The domain vendpei.com raises numerous red flags and has been flagged by multiple financial authorities, further indicating that this website is highly likely to be involved in fraudulent activities. According to the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), vendpei.com is not authorized to provide or promote financial services in the UK. Despite this, it appears to be actively targeting investors by masquerading as a legitimate trading platform. The FCA advises individuals to avoid interacting with the website and warns of its potential involvement in scams.
Further complicating the website’s credibility, vendpei.com is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS) under the same IP address as other known scam websites, which suggests a coordinated operation across multiple cloned domains. The site also shows very low organic traffic, with a poor authority score of 5 and no significant ranking keywords, making it even more suspicious.
The website has also misappropriated trademarks from other companies, such as Doo Financial, as noted by Doo Financial’s public statement that vendpei.com is in no way affiliated with their operations, despite using their branding.
These elements strongly indicate that vendpei.com is part of a larger fraudulent network, and potential investors should avoid this platform.
Complaints We Received Regarding Dpeimax & Vendpei
We received a complaint from a victim regarding a significant investment scam. The victim reported losing more than $250,000 through an operation called Richard’s Investment Club #631. The fraud primarily involved cryptocurrency, specifically Ethereum (ERC-20) tokens, as the payment method. The victim made his last transfer within the past week, indicating that the scam is still active. The funds were transferred through cryptocurrency platforms, which are often harder to trace and recover.
The victim reported this complaint after no longer being able to access his funds despite initial promises of high returns. Unfortunately, the scammers have not replied, and the victim is still attempting to recover his money.
On September 25, 2024, we received the following complaint:
I was added to a WhatsApp group in May, where various investing “tips” and “tip-offs” about companies to invest in on the secondary market were shared. I was able to invest in these companies using eToro (the platform I was already using for the secondary market). These investments went well, and the expected profits were made, just as I had been informed.
My broker and his PA informed the group that he was part of a two-stage competition and that our votes were crucial in helping him secure a $1 billion prize fund in the stock market. After manually voting, members of the group helped him succeed in the semifinals. A few weeks later, he was confirmed as the winner of the finals. The second stage was based on the profits individuals in the group made. He promised the group members that he would help them achieve financial freedom with his prize winnings.
After a few trades in the secondary market, I was encouraged to create a profile on another platform where I could trade on the primary market—’DPEI MAX.VIP.’ I was cautious and began trading with small amounts. These trades were yielding the predicted returns, and quickly. I trusted my broker because he had not been wrong about any of the previous trades I had made (approximately nine). I then tested the withdrawal process before investing larger amounts. I successfully withdrew $200 from a capital of $4k with ease and no additional fees. With this in mind, I proceeded to invest more money and make larger trades over the next two months. My account capital grew to $2.6 million from an initial investment of approximately £300k.
I made a verbal agreement to pay my broker 10% of the trades, and we discussed how I could pay him in crypto. However, specific details about the withdrawal process were not shared. He said he would “speak more about this once $1 million in profit was made.” I believed him, as I had invested successfully multiple times before, following the same approach each time. Problems then arose with withdrawals and hidden costs from external wallets.
The Bottom Line Regarding DPEI MAX & Vendpei.com
Based on the evidence we’ve reviewed, DPEI MAX, operating through domains like dpeimax.vip, dpeimax.top, and vendpei.com, is part of a sophisticated scam network. The websites exhibit numerous red flags, including unverifiable registrant information, cloned site structures, and a history of defrauding victims through cryptocurrency investments. With victims reporting substantial losses, combined with warnings from the FCA and other authorities, it is evident that this operation is not legitimate. We strongly advise against engaging with these platforms, as recovery of funds is unlikely once transferred. Proceed with extreme caution and report any suspicious activity to the proper authorities.
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