V.A.S: The Crypto Asset Platform That Sparks Distrust with Unrealistic Returns and Blocked Withdrawals

In mid-2024, a company self-proclaimed as “V.A.S Cryptocurrency Buying and Selling” emerged in the market with proposals that immediately raised suspicion among fraud experts. Founded by Lauri Vargas and allegedly based in Uruguay, VAS positioned itself as an innovative operator in the cryptocurrency investment segment. However, more detailed analyses revealed extremely concerning characteristics indicating a possible Ponzi scheme combined with a pyramid structure.

Yield Offers That Defy Financial Reality

VAS built its main attraction around investment plans with absurd promises. It offered fixed returns of 5% daily profit for investments ranging from R$200 to R$500,000. These percentages are not only unsustainable in the volatile crypto market but also in any legitimate financial operation. A consistent daily yield of this magnitude simply does not exist without catastrophic risk or without new capital inflows funding payments to earlier participants.

This pattern is typical of financial scams, where initial investors’ gains depend solely on the money from new recruits, not on real or sustainable business operations.

The Pyramid Mechanics: Recruitment in Nine Levels

To drive the exponential growth necessary to sustain its false promises, VAS implemented a unilevel recruitment system. Investors were encouraged to recruit new participants up to nine hierarchical levels, with tiered commissions decreasing as depth increased: 10% at the first level, gradually reducing to 1% at the ninth level.

This clearly pyramid structure forces relentless pursuit of new members to generate revenue, a hallmark of fraud. When the pool of potential recruits runs out—and it always does—the system collapses, leaving most participants with total losses.

Signs of Collapse: Withdrawal Blocks and Administrator Exclusion

Less than two weeks after its launch, the first signs of serious trouble appeared. Administrators of VAS’s official social media group began to be excluded without explanation. An administrator named Hanna Laile shared on her Instagram Story her experience of being removed from the admin group, simultaneously reporting the impossibility of making withdrawals. Her account had been blocked, and she was awaiting a response from the company’s leadership and technical support—a response that never came.

The simultaneous exclusion of multiple administrators and withdrawal blocks are classic markers of a fraudulent scheme’s collapse. When operators realize the system is falling apart, they often lock user accounts and eliminate potential whistleblowers from within the structure.

Digital Disappearance: YouTube Channel and Website Deactivated

As suspicion grew, VAS began deactivating its communication channels. The company’s YouTube channel, which regularly streamed live sessions with the president to answer investor and recruiter questions, was taken down. Similarly, its website became inaccessible. These moves suggest a strategic escape in the face of mounting pressure and questions.

Deactivating communication channels amid fraud allegations is another recognizable pattern of collapsing operations. Instead of addressing concerns, operators simply disappear.

Professional Warning: Perspective of a Pyramid Hunter

This article is analyzed and validated by O Ceifador, one of Brazil’s leading pyramid scheme investigators. His experience in tracking and exposing financial scams lends credibility to the recognition of the classic Ponzi and pyramid characteristics present in VAS.

All elements are present: impossible return promises, multi-level recruitment structure, withdrawal blocks, exclusion of internal verifiers, and disappearance of communication channels. These are not coincidences or mismanagement—they are the standard script for the collapse of a financial fraud.

Investors who identify VAS or similar schemes in their networks should report to the relevant regulatory authorities and warn potential victims about the risks.