Name and Shame

Meliorate Limited

We are investigating Meliorate Limited for allegedly attempting to conceal critical reviews and adverse news from Google by improperly submitting copyright takedown notices. This includes potential violations such as impersonation, fraud, and perjury.

Meliorate Limited

PARTIES INVOLVED: Meliorate Limited

ALLEGATIONS: Perjury, Fraud, Impersonation

INCIDENT DATE: 24 Feb 2023

INVESTIGATED BY: Ethan Katz

TOOLS USED: Lumen, FakeDMCA, SecurityTrails

CASE NO: 9044/A/2024

CRIME TYPE: Intellectual Property Scam

PUBLISHED ON: 26 Nov 2024

REPORTED BY: FakeDMCA.com

JURISDICTION: USA

A summary of what happened?

Meliorate Limited is a company that purports to offer trading services across various financial markets, including forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, and commodities. However, multiple sources have raised significant concerns regarding its legitimacy and business practices.

Key Concerns and Allegations Against Meliorate Limited:

  1. Lack of Regulation:
    • Meliorate Limited is not registered with any recognized financial regulatory authority, such as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Operating without proper licensing raises serious concerns about the company’s legitimacy and adherence to financial regulations.
  2. Misrepresentation of Services:
    • The company claims to offer high leverage on its binary options platform. However, experts note that leverage is not applicable in binary options trading, suggesting that such claims are misleading and designed to deceive inexperienced investors.
  3. Negative Client Feedback:
    • Clients have reported issues such as non-payment of profits, unresponsive customer support, and unauthorized charges. These complaints are prevalent across various online forums and review platforms, indicating systemic problems within the company’s operations.
  4. Attempts to Suppress Negative Information:
    • Investigations reveal that Meliorate Limited has attempted to remove critical information from the internet by submitting fraudulent Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices. This tactic suggests an effort to censor unfavorable content and raises ethical concerns about the company’s transparency.
  5. Unverified Trading Platform Claims:
    • The company promotes its proprietary trading platform but lacks independent verification regarding the platform’s functionality and security, casting doubt on its reliability.

The combination of operating without regulatory oversight, misleading service claims, negative client experiences, and attempts to suppress critical information suggests that Meliorate Limited may not be a trustworthy trading platform. Potential investors are advised to exercise extreme caution and conduct thorough due diligence before engaging with Meliorate Limited or similar unverified entities.

 

Meliorate Limited Fake DMCA

 

 

 

Analyzing the Fake Copyright Notice(s)

Our team collects and analyses fraudulent copyright takedown requests, legal complaints, and other efforts to remove critical information from the internet. Through our investigative reporting, we examine the prevalence and operation of an organized censorship industry, predominantly funded by criminal entities, oligarchs, and disreputable businesses or individuals. Our findings allow internet users to gain insight into these censorship schemes’ sources, methods, and underlying objectives.

 

 

 

What was Meliorate Limited trying to hide?

Meliorate Limited‘s attempts to hide unfavourable content through the misuse of copyright notices while allegedly engaging in perjury present serious legal concerns. These actions suggest a calculated attempt to manipulate legal systems to suppress free speech, a fundamental violation of copyright law principles and an abuse of legal processes. The use of such tactics not only undermines the integrity of copyright protection but also potentially constitutes perjury, further entangling Meliorate Limited in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Meliorate Limited may be trying to remove from the internet –

Investigative Report: Meliorate Limited – Allegations, Complaints, and Concerns

Meliorate Limited, a company claiming to offer financial trading services across forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, and commodities, has drawn significant criticism for its operational practices and lack of transparency. Numerous allegations and complaints suggest that the firm engages in deceptive tactics, leading to financial losses for clients. This report investigates the adverse claims against Meliorate Limited, shedding light on its operations and impact on unsuspecting investors.


1. Background of Meliorate Limited

A. Company Overview

Meliorate Limited promotes itself as a comprehensive trading platform, offering services to retail and institutional investors. The company highlights the following features:

  • Trading opportunities across major financial markets.
  • Access to a proprietary trading platform.
  • Allegedly competitive spreads and high leverage.

B. Claims of Legitimacy

Despite its marketing, Meliorate Limited operates without registration or oversight by recognized financial regulators. The lack of regulatory credentials raises red flags about its adherence to industry standards and legal compliance.


2. Regulatory Concerns

A. Lack of Licensing

Meliorate Limited is not registered with any major financial regulatory bodies such as:

  • The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.
  • The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
  • The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Operating without regulatory approval means the company is not bound by investor protection rules, leaving clients vulnerable to unethical practices.

B. Misleading Claims About Regulation

The company has been accused of falsely claiming regulatory approval or legitimacy in certain jurisdictions. Such misrepresentation is a significant red flag in the financial services industry, as it undermines client trust and violates consumer protection laws.


3. Misleading Business Practices

A. False Advertising

Meliorate Limited advertises high leverage on its binary options trading platform. However, experts note that leverage is not applicable to binary options, exposing the company’s lack of transparency and understanding of financial instruments.

B. Unclear Terms and Conditions

  • Opaque Fee Structure: Clients report being charged hidden fees, including withdrawal fees and “management charges,” that were not disclosed during account setup.
  • Ambiguous Payout Policies: Many users state they were unable to withdraw profits despite fulfilling the company’s stated conditions, suggesting deliberate obstruction.

4. Customer Complaints and Allegations

A. Non-Payment of Profits

  • Systematic Denial of Withdrawals: Numerous clients have reported difficulties withdrawing funds, with Meliorate Limited imposing arbitrary conditions or simply ignoring withdrawal requests.
  • Fraudulent Claims: Some users allege that their accounts were drained of funds following repeated withdrawal attempts, pointing to potential fraudulent activity.

B. Aggressive Sales Tactics

Meliorate Limited’s representatives are accused of using high-pressure sales tactics to convince clients to deposit more money. Reports indicate:

  • Promises of “guaranteed profits” and “risk-free trades.”
  • Continuous calls and emails urging further investments, even when clients expressed concerns about their initial deposits.

C. Poor Customer Support

  • Unresponsiveness: Many clients describe customer service as unhelpful or unresponsive, particularly when dealing with withdrawal issues.
  • Deflection of Accountability: Customer service representatives often redirect inquiries without providing meaningful resolutions.

5. Trading Platform Concerns

A. Proprietary Platform

Meliorate Limited claims to offer a proprietary trading platform. However:

  • No Independent Verification: There is no evidence that the platform has been audited for security, reliability, or functionality.
  • Technical Issues: Clients report platform malfunctions, including delayed trade executions and discrepancies in pricing, leading to financial losses.

B. Lack of Transparency

Unlike reputable brokers that provide access to established platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5), Meliorate Limited relies on a closed ecosystem. This lack of transparency raises concerns about potential manipulation of trade outcomes.


6. Reputation in the Industry

A. Negative Online Reviews

  • Recurring Themes: Common complaints include unauthorized charges, denial of withdrawals, and unresponsive customer support.
  • Testimonies: Clients have described the company as a “scam broker” and shared experiences of significant financial losses.

B. Warnings from Watchdog Sites

Multiple online watchdog platforms have flagged Meliorate Limited as a high-risk or fraudulent entity. These warnings emphasize:

  • The company’s lack of regulation.
  • Its history of client disputes and unresolved complaints.

7. Allegations of Fraudulent Behavior

A. Attempts to Suppress Criticism

Reports indicate that Meliorate Limited has attempted to suppress negative reviews and critical information online. This includes:

  • Filing fraudulent Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices against critical reviews.
  • Pressuring review sites to remove unfavorable content.

B. Connection to Other Scams

Analysts suspect that Meliorate Limited may be linked to other fraudulent entities, given similarities in their operational tactics and client complaints. These potential connections underscore a broader pattern of unethical behavior.


8. Legal Implications

A. Vulnerability of Clients

Operating without regulation means that clients have limited legal recourse in disputes with Meliorate Limited. Many victims struggle to recover funds due to the company’s opaque policies and lack of accountability.

B. Potential Violations

If allegations are proven, Meliorate Limited may be in violation of:

  • Consumer protection laws for false advertising and misleading claims.
  • Financial regulations prohibiting unlicensed trading activities.

9. Broader Implications for Investors

A. Risks of Unregulated Brokers

Meliorate Limited serves as a cautionary tale for the dangers of engaging with unregulated brokers. Key risks include:

  • Loss of funds due to unethical practices.
  • Lack of investor protection or compensation in cases of fraud.

B. Importance of Due Diligence

Investors are reminded to verify the regulatory status, operational transparency, and reputation of brokers before depositing funds.


10. Conclusion: A Broker to Avoid

Meliorate Limited exhibits numerous red flags that point to systemic issues and unethical practices. The combination of misleading claims, negative client experiences, and lack of regulatory oversight strongly suggests that the company may not operate in good faith.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Lack of Regulation: Operating without licensing undermines the company’s legitimacy and exposes clients to significant risks.
  2. Client Exploitation: High-pressure sales tactics and denial of withdrawals indicate a pattern of exploiting unsuspecting investors.
  3. Opaque Operations: The absence of transparency in terms of fees, payouts, and platform reliability raises further concerns.

Recommendation: Investors should avoid Meliorate Limited and prioritize engaging with brokers regulated by reputable authorities such as the FCA, ASIC, or CySEC. Transparency, accountability, and consumer protection should always be top priorities when selecting a trading platform.

 

 

 

How do we counteract this malpractice?

Once we ascertain the involvement of Meliorate Limited (or actors working on behalf of Meliorate Limited), we will inform Meliorate Limited of our findings via Electronic Mail.

Our preliminary assessment suggests that Meliorate Limited may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Meliorate Limited, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Meliorate Limited to provide details regarding their communications with the agency or expert, as well as the identification of the individual(s) responsible for executing these false DMCA notices.

Failure to respond in a timely manner will necessitate a reassessment of our initial assumptions. In such an event, we will be compelled to take appropriate legal action to rectify the unlawful conduct and take the following steps –

 

 

Since Meliorate Limited made such efforts to hide something online, it seems fit to ensure that this article and sensitive information targeted online by these events get a lot more exposure and traffic than what it would have received originally

We hope this becomes an excellent case study for the Streisand effect…The key idea behind the Streisand effect is that efforts to restrict information can backfire, often causing the information to gain more attention than it would have otherwise. This effect is widespread in the digital age, where users quickly notice and spread censorship efforts on social media and other platforms. Trying to suppress something can unintentionally lead to it becoming more visible, which Meliorate Limited is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for Meliorate Limited

Under Florida Statute 831.01, the crime of Forgery is committed when a person falsifies, alters, counterfeits, or forges a document that carries “legal efficacy” with the intent to injure or defraud another person or entity.

Forging a document is considered a white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also include passing along copies of documents that are known to be false. In many states in the US, falsifying a document is a crime punishable as a felony.

 

 

Additionally, under most laws, “fraud on the court” is where “a party has sentiently set in motion some unconscionable scheme calculated to interfere with the judicial system’s ability impartially to adjudicate a matter by improperly influencing the trier of fact or unfairly hampering the presentation of the opposing party’s claim or defense.”  Cox v. Burke, 706 So. 2d 43, 46 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (quoting Aoude v. Mobil Oil Corp., 892 F.2d 1115, 1118 (1st Cir. 1989)).

Is Meliorate Limited Committing a Cyber Crime?

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Meliorate Limited have gone to extreme lengths to fraudulently claim copyright ownership over a negative review in the hopes of taking it down.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. Meliorate Limited is certainly keeping interesting company here….

CompanyNames Fake DMCA

The DMCA takedown process requires that copyright owners submit a takedown notice to an ISP identifying the allegedly infringing content and declaring, under penalty of perjury, that they have a good faith belief that the content is infringing. The ISP must then promptly remove or disable access to the content. The alleged infringer can then submit a counter-notice, and if the copyright owner does not take legal action within 10 to 14 days, the ISP can restore the content.

Since these platforms are predominantly based in the U.S., the complaints are typically made under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires online service providers and platforms to react immediately to reports or violations. Big Tech companies rarely have systems in place to assess the merit of each report. Instead, all bad actors need to do is clone a story, backdate it, and then demand the real thing be taken down.

 

Reputation Agency's Modus Operandi

The fake DMCA notices we found always use the “back-dated article” technique. With this technique, the wrongful notice sender (or copier) creates a copy of a “true original” article and back-dates it, creating a “fake original” article (a copy of the true original) that, at first glance, appears to have been published before the true original.

Then, based on the claim that this backdated article is the “original,” the scammers send a DMCA to the relevant online service providers (e.g. Google), alleging that the ‘true’ original is the copied or “infringing” article and that the copied article is the “original,” requesting the takedown of the ‘true’ original article. After sending the DMCA request, the person who sent the wrong notice takes down the fake original URL, likely to make sure that the article doesn’t stay online in any way. If the takedown notice is successful, the disappearance from the internet of information is most likely to be legitimate speech.

As an integral part of this scheme, the ‘reputation management’ company hired by Meliorate Limited creates a website that purports to be a ‘news’ site. This site is designed to look legitimate at a glance, but any degree of scrutiny reveals it as the charade it is.

The company copies the ‘negative’ content and posts it “on the fake ‘news’ site, attributing it to a separate author,” then gives it “a false publication date on the ‘news’ website that predated the original publication.

The reputation company then sent Google a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice claiming the original website infringed copyright. After a cursory examination of the fake news site, Google frequently accepts the notice and delists the content.

 

 

In committing numerous offences, Meliorate Limited either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Meliorate Limited, ignorance does not excuse this wrongdoing.

Fake DMCA notices have targeted articles highlighting the criminal activity of prominent people to hide their illegal behavior. These people, which include US, Russian, and Khazakstani politicians as well as members from elite circles including the mafia and those with massive financial power, are all connected – and alleged corruption ranging from child abuse to sexual harassment is exposed when exploring evidence found at these URLs. It appears there’s a disturbing level of influence being exerted here that needs further investigation before justice can be served. FSMSmart is certainly keeping interesting company here.

 

The Reputation Laundering

Rogue Reputation agencies use spurious copyright claims and fake legal notices to remove and obscure articles linking clients to allegations of tax avoidance, corruption, and drug trafficking. Most of these reputation agencies are based offshore, mainly in Russia, India, and Eastern Europe, and they do not worry about complying with US-based laws.

The content in all of the articles for which the fraudulent DMCA notices have been sent relates to allegations of criminal allegations, including corruption, child abuse, sexual harassment, human trafficking and financial fraud against businesses and individuals with ultra-high net worth.

 

 

In addition to the misuse of the DMCA takedown process, there is a notable absence of enforcement concerning perjury violations. The statutory requirement related to perjury is designed to deter copyright holders from submitting fraudulent or knowingly false takedown requests, as they may face legal consequences for making false declarations under penalty of perjury. However, to date, there have been no known instances of any individual being prosecuted for perjury in connection with the submission of false DMCA takedown notices.

This lack of enforcement has emboldened copyright holders to exploit the DMCA takedown process to suppress dissent, criticism, or other unfavorable content, without fear of legal repercussions.

Some of the people and businesses who have employed this tactic to remove legitimate content from Google illegally include a Spanish businessman-turned-cocaine-trafficker, Organised crime, an Israeli-Argentine banker accused of laundering money for Hugo Chávez’s regime, a French “responsible” mining company accused of tax evasion, child molesters and sexual predators. Meliorate Limited is in great company ….

What else is Meliorate Limited hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Meliorate Limited] + {Negative Keyword, such as Scam, Fraud, Complaints, Lawsuit, Sanction, etc} on Google. It’s likely if you scroll down to the bottom of this Google search results, you’ll stumble upon this Legal Takedown notice (pictured below)

 

 

To make such an investigation possible, we encourage more online service providers to come forward and share copies of content removal requests with industry experts and researchers. If you have any information on Meliorate Limited that you want to share with experts and journalists, kindly email the author directly at [email protected].

All communications are strictly confidential and safeguarded under a comprehensive Whistleblower Policy, ensuring full protection and anonymity for individuals who provide information.

Authorities we may contact and share this report with for further actions

GOOGLE LEGAL HEAD

Halimah DeLaine Prado

NEWS DESK

Washington Post & NY Times

The above decision-makers and authorities will be provided a comprehensive dossier of our findings, including anonymously submitted evidence and tips. We invite journalists to contact us to receive a copy of our complete investigation here

Credits and Acknowledgement

16/10/2024

Many thanks to FakeDMCA.com and Lumen for providing access to their database.

Photos and Illustrations provided by DALL-E 3 – “a representation of Meliorate Limited censoring the internet and committing cyber crimes.”

  • We’ve reached out to Meliorate Limited for a comment or rebuttal regarding this investigation. It will strongly suggest they were behind the takedown attempt if they remain silent.

    • Our investigative report on Meliorate Limited‘s efforts to suppress online speech is significant, as it raises serious concerns about its integrity. The findings suggest that Meliorate Limited has engaged in questionable practices, including potential perjury, impersonation, and fraud, in a misguided attempt to manage or salvage its reputation.

    • We intend to file a counternotice to reinstate the removed article(s). While this particular instance is relatively straightforward, it is important to note that, in other cases, the overwhelming volume of automated DMCA takedown notices can significantly hinder the ability of affected parties to respond—especially for those not large media organizations.

    • You need an account with fakeDMCA.com and Lumen to access the research data. However, accounts are not widely available since these non-profit organisations manage large databases that could be susceptible to misuse. Nevertheless, they do offer access to non-profits and researchers.

    • It’s unclear why U.S. authorities have yet to act against these rogue reputation agencies, whose business model seems rooted in fraudulent practices.

  • We’ve reached out to Meliorate Limited for a comment or rebuttal regarding this investigation. It will strongly suggest they were behind the takedown attempt if they remain silent.

About the Author

16/10/2024

The author is affiliated with Harvard University and serves as a researcher at both Lumen and FakeDMCA.com. In his personal capacity, he and his team have been actively investigating and reporting on organized crime related to fraudulent copyright takedown schemes. Additionally, his team provides advisory services to major law firms and is frequently consulted on matters pertaining to intellectual property law. He can be reached at [email protected] directly.

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