Third party impersonation scam

Fraud scheme in which a third party claims to have invested on someone's behalf at a Crypto Exchange and is asking for fees to release the funds through an alleged AMINA Bank account

In this article, we will outline how the fraud scheme is usually structured, who the alleged involved parties are and which roles they play. Also, we share examples of the forged supporting documents, communications and other fake documents.

Please note: This is our current view of this scheme. AMINA Bank is usually involved at a later stage, hence we cannot attest to exactly how the first steps of the scam works. Given the information we have, this is a likely scenario:

Sequence of the scam:

A third party institution (examples for such institutions currently are "VEX Group" and "Pacific Group") approaches the victim and convinces them to pay the third party, for the funds to be "invested" on the victim's behalf at a Crypto Exchange (e.g. Coinbase or Blockchain.com).
This third party then informs the victim, that in order to convert the alleged crypto assets into fiat currency, a bank account at AMINA Bank was opened on their behalf. For this, forged account opening documents and correspondence between the AMINA CEO and executives from other third parties are sent to the victim as "proof".
Subsequently, the victim is asked to pay a fee to "release" the funds from AMINA Bank and to get payed out.

Key Takeaways

All of the supporting documents, correspondence, identification documents and account opening documents you see in this article are 100% forged and fake. They do not originate from AMINA Bank or any of its past, present or future employees.
AMINA Bank does not hold funds for non-identified third parties (the victim in this scenario) and will therefore never ask for fees to release withheld funds.
The only way to open an account with AMINA Bank is to be in direct contact with AMINA Bank and to be legally identified according to Swiss Banking regulation.
AMINA Bank's domains are @aminagroup.com (previously @seba.swiss). All other domains, such as @aminasupport.com or @amn.support, are NOT associated with AMINA Bank and are operated by impersonaters and fraudsters.
AMINA Bank does not deliver out any cash phisically to clients or third parties via any courier (e.g. Brink's).
Please be careful and consider the information above. If you suspect foul play or if any of the parties mentioned contacts you, contact your local authorities.

Fraudulent Documents

_{This article has been prepared by AMINA Bank AG (“AMINA”) in Switzerland. AMINA is a Swiss licensed bank and securities dealer with its head office and legal domicile in Switzerland. It is authorized and regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (“FINMA”). This document is published solely for educational purposes; it is not an advertisement nor a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any financial investment or to participate in any particular investment strategy. This article is for publication only as permitted by applicable law. It is not directed to, or intended for distribution to or use by, any person or entity who is a citizen or resident of or located in any locality, state, country or other jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability or use would be contrary to law or regulation or would subject AMINA to any registration or licensing requirement within such jurisdiction. No representation or warranty, either express or implied, is provided in relation to the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the information contained in this document, except with respect to information concerning AMINA. The information is intended as general information. AMINA does not undertake to update or keep current this information. This article may not be reproduced, or copies circulated without prior authority of AMINA. AMINA accepts no liability whatsoever for any claims or lawsuits from any third parties arising from the use or distribution of this article.}