At the point when a scam appears to be over, it often enters its most dangerous phase.
In the case of GSPartners, investors outside North America have been promised refunds for quite some time. However, even more than a year after those promises were made, there is still no verified evidence that such refunds have actually been paid.
Instead, a familiar pattern is emerging.
Through presentations and webinars, investors are being offered a choice – either request a refund or “transfer” their funds into new products and platforms, such as DAO1 or the so-called Global Fund.
At first glance, this may appear to be a legitimate option – either withdraw your money or continue forward.
In practice, however, the situation looks very different.
The “refund” option is typically limited to the difference between what was invested and what has already been withdrawn, while any so-called “profits” are disregarded, as they never existed as real financial returns.
On the other hand, the alternative option allows existing balances – including fictitious “earnings” – to be transferred into a new system, under a different name and with new promises.
In other words, instead of exiting the scheme, investors are being moved into its next version.
This model is not new.
In practice, fraudulent platforms often rebrand, introduce new products, and present a “reset,” while the underlying structure remains the same – sustaining the system through new inflows and retaining existing participants.
It is particularly important to note that these phases often rely on a sense of urgency – presenting the situation as a “last chance” either to recover funds or avoid losing everything.
In reality, such decisions are often made under pressure and without clear insight into where the money is actually going.
The conclusion is simple: if a refund is conditioned on transferring funds into a new system or accepting new “products,” it is very likely not a real refund, but a continuation of the same scam.
For that reason, the most important step in such situations is to recognize the pattern and avoid making decisions under pressure.
Your DefendMe Team