DANNY DE HEK
Scammers rely on silence. We make noise.
Welcome to the Avengers Anti-Fraud Alliance, led by Danny de Hek, a New Zealand investigative journalist whose work exposing scams, Ponzi schemes, MLMs and financial fraud has been featured by The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian, ABC Australia, RNZ and others.
This podcast takes you inside real investigations.
We follow the money, identify the people behind fraudulent operations, examine corporate records, court documents, blockchain transactions, marketing material, leaked communications and digital evidence — then put what we find into the public record.
Some investigations begin with a victim contacting me. Others start with an anonymous tip, a suspicious Zoom meeting, a cryptocurrency wallet, a court filing, or an Avenger somewhere in the world saying: “Danny, you need to look at this.”
The Avengers Anti-Fraud Alliance brings together researchers, whistleblowers, victims and ordinary people who are tired of watching scammers operate without scrutiny.
Patreon helps fund that work and gives supporters a closer look behind the investigations — including updates, evidence, developing stories and material that doesn't always fit into a YouTube video.
I don't accept payment to remove investigations. I don't sell reputation management. And when someone I investigate disagrees with my reporting, I give them the opportunity to respond.
The objective is simple:
Investigate. Analyse. Expose. Protect.
If you're a victim, whistleblower or you've discovered something that deserves investigating, get in touch.
Scams thrive in darkness. The Avengers turn on the lights.
DANNY DE HEK
The Floodgates Have Opened — The Pink Flamingo Moment in the Goliath Ventures Collapse
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The last few weeks have been different. Not louder, not more dramatic — just heavier. My inbox has shifted from casual questions to detailed confessions. People who stayed silent for months are now reaching out, often late at night, often shaken, finally realising that what they were promised is not coming back. The floodgates didn’t burst all at once. They cracked. And now the water is rushing through.
THE SILENCE BEFORE THE BREAK
For months, investors were told to wait. Banking delays. Audits. MSB approvals. The same phrases repeated until they lost all meaning. People clung to hope because hope was easier than accepting that trusted friends, sponsors, and “directors” may have played a role in what was happening. Silence became a coping mechanism. If you didn’t ask too many questions, maybe the payments would resume.
THE INTRODUCERS
What stands out now is how many people entered Goliath through personal relationships. Family friends. Romantic partners. Long-time acquaintances. Sponsors weren’t strangers — they were people you trusted enough to hand over life-changing sums of money. Many of those same names have since vanished from the website, scrubbed from public association, quietly stepping away while investors were left exposed.
THE MOVING GOALPOSTS
The stories follow a familiar pattern. Initial investments at manageable levels. Promised percentages that sounded sustainable — until they weren’t. Minimums raised without warning. “Grandfathered” exceptions that never materialised. Accounts shifted between names. Percentages reduced. Exit requests acknowledged, then ignored. And always, the reassurance that this was temporary.
THE MSB EXCUSE
When payouts stopped completely, a new phrase entered the conversation: MSB. For many investors, it was the first time they’d heard it. Questions were brushed off. “Google it.” “Legal can’t explain.” What should have been transparency became deflection. The excuse wasn’t designed to inform — it was designed to stall.
THE SELECTIVE PAYOUTS
As most people waited, a few quietly got paid. Not because of contracts, but because of proximity, influence, or silence. This is where hope turns to anger. When one person gets their principal back while others are told to be patient, the illusion of fairness collapses. Selective payouts are not a sign of stability. They are a sign of triage.
THE ANONYMITY PROBLEM
Almost everyone asks the same thing: can this stay private? I understand the fear. But anonymity without action only protects the people who caused the damage. Investigators don’t act on feelings or fragments. They act on paper trails. Contracts. Transfers. Messages. Timelines. Silence doesn’t reduce harm — it concentrates it.
THE HUMAN COST
Behind every email is a family argument, a relationship strained, a retirement plan quietly erased. These are not reckless gamblers. They are ordinary people who trusted someone they knew. The shame keeps them quiet longer than it should. And that delay is exactly what allows these schemes to keep breathing.
WHY THIS MOMENT MATTERS
This is the point where outcomes are decided. Not by promises, but by evidence. Not by waiting, but by documenting what actually happened. The floodgates are open now because too many people are seeing the same pattern at the same time. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
The Avengers Anti-Fraud Alliance is a community supporting independent investigations into scams, Ponzi schemes, MLMs, crypto fraud and the people behind them.
Led by New Zealand investigative journalist Danny de Hek, the Avengers help uncover information, connect victims, analyse evidence and expose schemes that deserve public scrutiny.
We investigate. We expose. We protect.
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