OneCoin Ponzi scheme fans gamed reviews on TrustPilot and Quora

The DFRLab could not identify whether the reviews came from either automated or inauthentic accounts because of the design of the TrustPilot user interface. The October 2019 spike in five-star ratings, however, indicated an abnormal influx of favorable reviews just as OneCoin’s public relations and legal woes mounted. The possibility remains that the influx for both ratings and reviews was organic, though the timing and extreme bias was highly suspicious.

Quorauthentic behavior

On question-and-answer forum Quora, the DFRLab found profiles posting favorably about OneCoin that exhibited signs of inauthentic behavior, such as no profile pictures, no biographical information, inconsistent posting times, and an exclusive interest in OneCoin-related discussions.

One of the profiles was “Alicia Gordez,” a self-described “Cryptocurrency Expert and Investor” who exclusively answered questions about OneCoin. No profile picture or other social media accounts on other platforms could be linked to this account, though Quora’s only policy on misrepresentation is a sparse answer regarding sockpuppeting that does not address profile photos or accuracy of profile details. The Alicia Gordez account was active from January to March 2018 and seems to have been most prolific during OneCoin’s booming days.

Another account, “Gabriel Pillaih,” had responded to only two questions, both about OneCoin and had no profile picture and a very low follower count.

Many other accounts presented themselves as subject-matter experts on cryptocurrency and yet only commented on the viability or value of OneCoin. The DFRLab could not confirm the identity of the individuals, as searches on other social media platforms returned no similar or matching results.

Conclusion

As OneCoin’s legal challenges mounted, the company’s pyramid marketing scheme garnered significant attention. Its digital marketing tactics, however, received considerably less scrutiny.

On two sites — TrustPilot and Quora — the DFRLab found evidence of inauthentic activity in reviews and discussions related to OneCoin. While there was no direct evidence tying these inauthentic profiles and reviews to OneCoin employees or evidence of automated activity on either platform, the profiles and favorable reviews nonetheless served to boost trust for the OneCoin brand as it faced a multibillion-dollar scandal.