HotNews No. 145: Antares Trade – MLM Crypto Ponzi Scam

The Central Bank of Russia has issued a warning regarding an investment fraud related to the Antares Trade recovery Ponzi scheme.

According to the warning published on October 17, 2025:
A new scam called Antares Trade recovery has been set up on the domain “antarestrade.live”, privately registered on September 18, 2025.

The previous version, Antares Trade, was a notorious MLM crypto Ponzi run by serial fraudster Alexey Zhirovkin. Zhirovkin, a Russian national, launched Antares Trade in 2020. The scheme collapsed in August 2021, prompting an Alcore Trade reboot, which lasted until May 2022, when Zhirovkin relaunched Antares Trade 2.0, which lasted only a few weeks before collapsing again.

Zhirovkin ran his Ponzi schemes from the Dominican Republic as the fictional CEO “Alex Richter.” After 2022, Zhirovkin relocated to Turkey, where he lived until mid-2025. Turkish authorities arrested him in late May 2025 and deported him to Russia, where Russian authorities filed criminal charges for fraud before he reinvented himself as an MLM crypto “bro.”

Given this history, it is highly likely that the new Antares Trade recovery Ponzi is connected to the original Antares Trade Ponzi schemes.

Although the new scam is relatively “low-effort,” with a template website, stolen content, and fictional executives using stolen photos, it promises consumers returns of up to 13% every 48 hours. So far, there appears to be no MLM component to the scam.

While Antares Trade recovery claims ties to Singapore and the UK, all evidence points to connections with Russia.

Important: potential investors should exercise caution and consult legal and financial experts before participating, as this is an international scam that is difficult to resolve through legal channels.

Your DefendMe Team