Josif Kruti, a resident of the city of Divjaka, has told A2 CNN details of how hundreds of his fellow citizens fell prey to the online pyramid scheme, where they were lured by so-called agents to invest in the TXEX platform, with the promise that profits would double.
"I heard about these schemes a year ago. It started to be talked about in Divjaka and people were discussing it among themselves, and people who knew us because my wife and I have been teachers for 30 years. At first, this online initiative seemed a bit surprising and strange to us. My wife and I had a bitter experience during the years 96' - 97' and for this reason we didn't even dare. Even when they told us that it was very easy, with an identity card you can register. We never dared, although we also had pressure from the boy, in a good sense, because we don't know how to earn money without work, without sweat. Even the boy's friends or friends talked about investing money in these online pyramid schemes. I didn't know them as former students, young guys who have graduated and are quite educated, and when we discussed it in coffee chats, I would say: "Hey guys, how dare you, how are you doing" - and they would tell me in a joking way: "Hey, press officer, a million wasn't a waste, it's being earned somewhere." Two or three friends and relatives begged for my name, so that we could register it, what you have is certain, but we never accepted," Kruti confessed.
He further revealed that there were at least four people acting as agents to lure people, mostly their relatives, to initially invest in this pyramid scheme and then attract other people with word of mouth and the promise of quick profits.
"There were three or four main agents operating. Or they invited their people, convincing them that I was winning, I'm sure, the profit increases quickly. Even for me, from March, there was a strong discussion at a table, someone said 4 million old lek is coming, it won't be a waste. Someone else didn't dare, some others threw massively. On the other hand, I learned that in the last week when it was going to close, 2-3 of my friends said we threw two million and we were burned. Someone else threw 4 million, I threw all my savings. It took a kind of drop and touch. They said that you can win quickly, in a month or two, it's enough to follow a certain schedule, to apply, to be there, to open the program itself. I know they became like drunks after that at a certain schedule. And they would sit, leave every job, and sit at that schedule where they would see how the money was going," Kruti revealed to A2cn.
According to Kruti, the initial entry into the scheme was made with amounts ranging from 1 million to 4 million old lekë, and the investment was carried out through bank branches.
"Those who promoted were from a variety of professions. Employees in Divjaka, farmers, economists, even those with higher education and from the field of education, teaching. They even begged me to try with a million with mine and I refused. There are opportunities in bank branches and the bank then transferred them to the address of the TXEX scheme, as far as I know. The lek seems to be in the bank. I don't know here or in Kosovo. I know that they said lek is transferred. The amount would come online and it would often be shown and then the lek would be transferred," said Kruti.
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