CyberCriminal.com

Mario Nawfal

We are investigating Mario Nawfal 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.

Mario Nawfal

PARTIES INVOLVED: Mario Nawfal

ALLEGATIONS: Perjury, Fraud, Impersonation

INCIDENT DATE: 04 Jun 2024

INVESTIGATED BY: Ethan Katz

TOOLS USED: Lumen, FakeDMCA, SecurityTrails

CASE NO: 4572/A/2024

CRIME TYPE: Intellectual Property Scam

PUBLISHED ON: 25 Nov 2024

REPORTED BY: FakeDMCA.com

JURISDICTION: USA

A summary of what happened?

Mario Nawfal is an entrepreneur and social media influencer known for hosting popular Twitter Spaces discussions. Despite his prominence, he has faced several serious allegations:

Financial Misconduct and Embezzlement:

  • Allegations by Former Associates: Chet Long, a retired U.S. Air Force analyst and former advisor to Nawfal, accused him of embezzling funds from a company where Nawfal served as CEO. Long also claimed that Nawfal discussed tax evasion strategies. These allegations were reported to the FBI and SEC. Additionally, Frank Heijdenrijk, former Chief Marketing Officer of International Blockchain Consulting Group, alleged that Nawfal owed him $60,000 in unpaid compensation and accused him of embezzlement.

Use of Bots and Inflated Engagement:

  • Artificial Audience Inflation: Investigations suggest that Nawfal employed services to artificially inflate his Twitter engagement using bots. Evidence indicates that he collaborated with Winn Solutions, which provided at least 570 bot accounts to boost interactions on his Twitter Spaces. This practice raises questions about the authenticity of his online influence.

Questionable Business Practices:

  • Dubious Crypto Dealings: Nawfal has been linked to questionable cryptocurrency ventures, including promoting and profiting from initial dex offerings (IDOs) and other crypto-related schemes that have been criticized for lacking transparency and potentially misleading investors.

Federal Investigations:

  • FBI and SEC Scrutiny: Reports indicate that the FBI and SEC are reviewing complaints against Nawfal related to financial misconduct and other alleged wrongdoings. While Nawfal denies these allegations, stating he has an “impeccable record,” the investigations suggest ongoing federal scrutiny.

Threats of Legal Action Against Critics:

  • Silencing Detractors: Nawfal has reportedly threatened legal action against individuals who have publicly criticized his business practices, including YouTube personalities and former associates, which some perceive as attempts to suppress dissent and avoid accountability.

These concerns have cast a shadow over Nawfal’s reputation, prompting calls for greater transparency and accountability in his business dealings and online activities.

 

Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal trying to hide?

Mario Nawfal‘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 Mario Nawfal in legal accountability. Let’s examine the information Mario Nawfal may be trying to remove from the internet –

Investigative Report: Examining Allegations and Concerns Surrounding Mario Nawfal

Introduction

Mario Nawfal is a prominent entrepreneur, crypto advocate, and social media influencer known for hosting highly popular Twitter Spaces on topics ranging from finance to technology. Despite his high-profile online presence, Nawfal has faced significant scrutiny over allegations of financial misconduct, unethical business practices, and potential manipulation of his online influence. This report compiles and examines the key concerns, allegations, and adverse reviews that have emerged from public sources, former associates, and investigative journalism.


Section 1: Financial Misconduct and Embezzlement Allegations

Accusations by Chet Long

Chet Long, a retired U.S. Air Force analyst and former advisor to one of Nawfal’s companies, has been a vocal critic, accusing Nawfal of embezzling funds. Long stated that while serving as CEO of a company, Nawfal misused company funds for personal gains. Additionally, Long alleged that Nawfal devised strategies to evade taxes, which could constitute a violation of federal tax laws. These claims have reportedly been submitted to the FBI and the SEC for investigation.

Claims by Frank Heijdenrijk

Frank Heijdenrijk, formerly the Chief Marketing Officer at International Blockchain Consulting Group (IBC), also leveled accusations against Nawfal. He alleged that Nawfal owed him $60,000 in unpaid compensation and claimed that the entrepreneur had embezzled corporate funds. According to Heijdenrijk, Nawfal’s actions created a toxic business environment and left several employees and contractors without fair compensation.

Pattern of Unpaid Debts

Reports suggest that Nawfal has a history of unresolved financial disputes, with several former employees and partners alleging unpaid wages and broken agreements. This pattern raises questions about his leadership and credibility in business.


Section 2: Manipulation of Online Influence

Allegations of Bot Usage

Investigations have uncovered evidence suggesting that Nawfal used bots to inflate engagement metrics on his Twitter Spaces. A report by The Deep Dive revealed that Nawfal collaborated with Winn Solutions, a company specializing in bot-driven social media engagement. At least 570 bot accounts were allegedly linked to Nawfal’s Twitter Spaces, artificially boosting participant numbers and interaction levels.

Implications for Credibility

The use of bots undermines the authenticity of Nawfal’s online presence and calls into question the legitimacy of his influence. By manipulating engagement metrics, Nawfal has potentially misled advertisers, sponsors, and his audience about the reach and popularity of his discussions.


Section 3: Questionable Business Practices in the Crypto Sector

Dubious Crypto Ventures

Nawfal has been linked to various cryptocurrency projects that have come under scrutiny for lack of transparency. These include:

  1. Promotion of Initial DEX Offerings (IDOs): Nawfal’s companies have promoted IDOs, which are a form of fundraising in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. Critics argue that these ventures often lack adequate due diligence and have resulted in significant losses for investors.
  2. Conflict of Interest: Allegations have surfaced suggesting that Nawfal profited disproportionately from these projects, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest and exploitative practices.

Reputation in the Crypto Community

Several crypto-focused media outlets, including Protos, have questioned Nawfal’s ethics and credibility in the blockchain sector. Complaints range from promoting questionable projects to engaging in high-risk ventures without providing sufficient disclosures to investors.


Section 4: Federal Investigations

FBI and SEC Scrutiny

The FBI and SEC are reportedly investigating multiple complaints against Nawfal. The investigations are believed to focus on:

  • Allegations of financial improprieties.
  • Misrepresentation of business activities.
  • Tax-related violations.

While Nawfal has denied any wrongdoing, describing himself as an entrepreneur with an “impeccable record,” the existence of federal probes highlights the severity of the accusations.


Section 5: Public Perception and Negative Reviews

Reputation Management

Despite these allegations, Nawfal has actively cultivated an image of success and innovation, leveraging social media platforms to amplify his voice. However, public reviews and commentary reveal a mixed perception:

  • Positive Reviews: Supporters praise his engaging discussions and insights on finance and technology.
  • Negative Reviews: Critics point to his alleged financial misconduct, bot usage, and questionable ethics as reasons for skepticism.

Impact on Social Media

The use of bots and allegations of unethical practices have tarnished Nawfal’s reputation in some circles. Critics argue that his prominence on platforms like Twitter is a product of manipulation rather than genuine influence.


Conclusion

Mario Nawfal is a polarizing figure whose rise to prominence has been marred by serious allegations and controversies. From accusations of financial misconduct and unpaid debts to the use of bots for social media manipulation, Nawfal’s practices have drawn scrutiny from former associates, regulatory bodies, and investigative journalists. While investigations by the FBI and SEC are ongoing, the concerns raised by multiple parties highlight the need for greater transparency and accountability in his business dealings.

This report underscores the importance of thorough vetting for influencers and entrepreneurs operating in high-risk sectors like cryptocurrency. As the investigations unfold, Nawfal’s legacy will likely depend on the outcomes of these inquiries and his ability to address the allegations against him.

 

 

 

How do we counteract this malpractice?

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

Our preliminary assessment suggests that Mario Nawfal may have engaged a third-party reputation management agency or expert, which, either independently or under direct authorization from Mario Nawfal, initiated efforts to remove adverse online content, including potentially fraudulent DMCA takedown requests. We will extend an opportunity to Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal is finding out the hard way.

Potential Consequences for Mario Nawfal

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 Mario Nawfal Committing a Cyber Crime?

Faced with these limitations, some companies like Mario Nawfal 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. Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal 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, Mario Nawfal either premeditated actions or were unaware of the consequences. Despite hiring an agency to make Google disregard any negative information about Mario Nawfal, 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. Mario Nawfal is in great company ….

What else is Mario Nawfal hiding?

We encourage you to ‘Dork‘ Google by searching for keyword combinations such as [Mario Nawfal] + {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 Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal censoring the internet and committing cyber crimes.”

  • We’ve reached out to Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal‘s efforts to suppress online speech is significant, as it raises serious concerns about its integrity. The findings suggest that Mario Nawfal 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 Mario Nawfal 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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