Evercode Lab, a St. Petersburg based software company, is the parent company, of fraudulent cryptocurrency exchange, ChangeNow.io
The story of a user getting scammed by ChangeNow.io has been the subject of debate on a number of cryptocurrency forums. It all started weeks ago when user ni23457 mistakenly used ChangeNow.io to exchange 100 bitcoin cash for 11 Bitcoins. It was his intention to use Changelly, the well-known legitimate cryptocurrency exchange.
Surprisingly, ChangeNow.io, which advertises anonymous transactions, flagged the transaction, froze the funds and demanded that ni23457 submit personal identification documents.
Ni23457, who was eager to have the transaction go through, and weary of handing over his personal information to individuals illegally operating a business in Russia, hurriedly used a random picture from the internet for the identity verification.
However, the operators of ChangeNow.iorefused to release the user’s funds even after he re-sent the documents they were demanding. They have since been giving one flimsy excuse after the other to continue to illegally hold ni23457’s Bitcoin cash.
First, they claimed they were conducting investigations. Ni23457 refuted this claim by showing evidence that proved that he owned the coins for over 4 years (He controlled the address’ private keys even before the August 2017 bitcoin cash hard fork). He added that there was basically no investigation a company operating illegally could carry out beyond studying the blockchain.
The worst part of this excuse was that ChangeNow.io claimed it did not know when the investigations would be concluded.
At another point in time, they demanded a video call which ni23457 declined to partake in.
Also noteworthy, is the fact that the key figures behind ChangeNow.io exchange, took steps to remove any information online that linked them to the exchange. Roman Lapin, the CEO, made changes to his LinkedIn and angel.io profiles to delete all information that linked him to the exchange.
Ni23457 backed this assertion with screenshots of his profiles on LinkedIn and angel.io, before and after they were altered. More evidence was included in his Reddit post providing updates on the case.
The crooks also removed the last page of their ICO whitepaper because it was the page with their names. Ni23457 did well to provide a link to the original copy with the last page. It is from the same whitepaper that ni23457 learned that Roman Lapin and Sergey Sokratilin were the key persons running the cryptocurrency exchange.
It has to be said, that these are not actions that honest leaders of a legitimate organization would take. The dishonest men are clearly trying to cover their tracks.
The Involvement of Evercode Lab Ltd.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the “parent” company, Evercode Lab, appears to be unconcerned about the fraudulent activities of ChangeNow.io.
There is a reason to believe that the exchange operates out of the premises of Evercode Lab Ltd. in St. Petersburg. This is because the CEO of ChangeNow.io exchange doubles as the founder of Evercode Lab. The exact address is St. Petersburg, Ligovsky prospect, 50, building 13, office 28, +7 812 646-96-32.
A new development is that the Evercode Lab and ChangeNow.io staff fled from their registered office in St. Petersburg three weeks ago. Strangely, the person handling their office telephone number +7 812 646-96-32, refuses to give out information on the whereabouts of their new offices. It is believed these are attempts to hide from the Russian police.
It is ironic that criminals who are running away from authorities are currently playing “international crypto police” with someone’s funds.
The fraudsters have been commenting on the Reddit posts made by ni23457 with the same old empty excuses, instead of putting the matter to bed by returning funds that do not belong to them. The latest is that the coins have been moved into cold storage and would be returned when the issue is resolved.
ni23457 has said that he is committed to fighting for justice and the return of his 100 bitcoin cash. He added that he plans to continue to do so without any dirty tactics. All information on the criminals he shared were public information of theirs available on social media (before they were removed).
I am wondering on what grounds the author calls changenow a fraud. The problem is that the author did not tell us the key fact, ni23457, trying to avoid KYC, sent a fake ID twice. That is what caused his problem. It's funny to read about the "dirty tactics", given that ni23457 decided to resort to exactly this method. One person collected all the facts of his actions aimed at undermining the reputation of changenow, which can be read here: https://medium.com/@arennathan9/changenow-scam-or-review-how-ni23457-blackmails-the-exchange-978c483ef81a
And finally the main thing. The exchange returned the user's funds in mid-October,after receiving legal confirmation. That refutes all allegations. The only problem with n123457 is the desire to remain anonymous by submitting a fake.