Binary Options ‘Recovery Expert’ Pleads Guilty in US Court
Austin Smith, the CEO of Wealth Recovery International, worked for a binary options firm Numaris Communications
After local authorities banned binary options in 2017, many Israelis were left looking for work.
As we all know, finding a job in a new industry can be tough.
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And that’s probably what inspired many ex-binary options workers to conjure up a new way of making money; working as a binary options recovery agent.
Having successfully tricked people into handing over large sums of cash, these people decided to go back for more, charging exorbitant fees so that they could act as ‘legal experts’ working to recover lost funds for victims of binary options scams.
Now the leader of one of these recovery firms has been arrested in the United States.
Austin Smith is alleged to have run Wealth Recovery International. Documents released by the US Justice Department indicate that Smith even made one man, who he had defrauded himself, then pay $125,000 in commission fees for his ‘wealth recovery’ services.
Smith, who was arraigned on Thursday, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
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An American-Israeli, Smith was released to his parents’ custody after posting $300,000 bail.
The charges against him stem from his work in the binary options field. Working with Yukom CEO Lee Elbaz, who is also on trial in the US, Smith admitted to defrauding investors while working for binary options firm Numaris Communications.
He is likely to be joined in court by one of his compatriots, Yair Hadar.
Arrested as he attempted to leave the US in January, Hadar worked for BigOption from 2014 to 2016.
According to the US Justice Department, Hadar used the pseudonym ‘Steven Gold.’
The former binary options employee faces wire fraud charges and will be arraigned on the 21st of March.
Both Smith and Hadar’s cases stem from Elbaz’s trial. Since being arrested in September of 2017, a number of ex-binary options workers, all of them Israeli, have been arrested by US authorities in connection to the ex-Yukom CEO’s case.
Now for Israel to arrest Veronica Birman who worked closely with Austin Smith and Wealth Recovery International scamming many people wh believed that they could recover funds lost through Binary Options. If they need help and information, let me know and I can give them a list of people who lost money to Veronica Birman. The Israeli Law Society has decided nt to do anything about the complaints lodged with them, while Veronica is an admitted attorney.
It is not the first time that I read this, she is not helping and just taking money!!!!
You’re so right. She’s just another scammer
Agree totally
Yes, she scammed me a lot of money too. Lots of empty promisses.
I was scammed by Birman and Smith. I have filed with the USDOJ for reparation as part of the Lee Elbaz case which Austin Smith is tied up with. I suggest you all do the same.
Coming a bit late here . Are you able to report any progress with the USDOJ ? Do you consider it is still worth filing with the department and how is this done? I am a $10000 victim who lives in the U.K. and not familiar with the US justice system.
Sorry to hear that Ian. You can file a Victim Impact Statement here: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns
Is there a way that Birman Law scam victims can go after her themselves?
You’ll have to find her first. She went to work for a company called Giraldo Law in Cyprus at giraldolaw.com, but I’ve noticed the website has been suspended.