A Texas agency lately charged with conspiring to distribute artificial opioids in america is on the middle of an unlimited community of corporations within the U.S. and Pakistan whose staff are accused of utilizing on-line advertisements to rip-off westerners searching for assist with logos, ebook writing, cellular app improvement and brand designs, a brand new investigation reveals.
In an indictment (PDF) unsealed final month, the U.S. Division of Justice stated Dallas-based eWorldTrade “operated a web-based business-to-business market that facilitated the distribution of artificial opioids equivalent to isotonitazene and carfentanyl, each considerably stronger than fentanyl.”
Launched in 2017, eWorldTrade[.]com now options a seizure discover from the DOJ. eWorldTrade operated as a wholesale vendor of shopper items, together with garments, equipment, chemical compounds, cars and home equipment. The DOJ’s indictment contains no extra particulars about eWorldTrade’s enterprise, origins or different exercise, and at first look the web site may seem like a respectable e-commerce platform that additionally simply occurred to promote some restricted chemical compounds.
A screenshot of the eWorldTrade homepage on March 25, 2025. Picture: archive.org.
Nonetheless, an investigation into the corporate’s founders reveals they’re related to a sprawling community of internet sites which have a historical past of extortionate scams involving trademark registration, ebook publishing, examination preparation, and the design of logos, cellular functions and web sites.
Data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) present the eWorldTrade mark is owned by an Azneem Bilwani in Karachi (this identify is also within the registration data for the now-seized eWorldTrade area). Mr. Bilwani is maybe higher often called the director of the Pakistan-based IT supplier Abtach Ltd., which has been singled out by the USPTO and Google for working trademark registration scams (the principle workplaces for eWorldtrade and Abtach share the identical tackle in Pakistan).
In November 2021, the USPTO accused Abtach of perpetrating “an egregious scheme to deceive and defraud candidates for federal trademark registrations by improperly altering official USPTO correspondence, overcharging utility submitting charges, misappropriating the USPTO’s logos, and impersonating the USPTO.”
Abtach supplied trademark registration at suspiciously low costs in comparison with respectable prices of over USD $1,500, and claimed they might register a trademark in 24 hours. Abtach reportedly rebranded to Intersys Restricted after the USPTO banned Abtach from submitting any extra trademark functions.
In a observe revealed to its LinkedIn profile, Intersys Ltd. asserted final yr that sure rip-off corporations in Karachi have been impersonating the corporate.
FROM AXACT TO ABTACH
Lots of Abtach’s staff are former associates of the same firm in Pakistan known as Axact that was focused by Pakistani authorities in a 2015 fraud investigation. Axact got here below legislation enforcement scrutiny after The New York Instances ran a front-page story in regards to the firm’s most profitable rip-off enterprise: Tons of of websites peddling pretend faculty levels and diplomas.
Individuals who bought pretend certifications have been subsequently blackmailed by Axact staff posing as authorities officers, who would demand extra funds below threats of prosecution or imprisonment for having purchased fraudulent “unauthorized” educational levels. This observe created a steady cycle of extortion, internally known as “upselling.”
“Axact took cash from at the least 215,000 folks in 197 international locations — one-third of them from america,” The Instances reported. “Gross sales brokers wielded threats and false guarantees and impersonated authorities officers, incomes the corporate at the least $89 million in its ultimate yr of operation.”
Dozens of high Axact staff have been arrested, jailed, held for months, tried and sentenced to seven years for numerous fraud violations. However a 2019 analysis transient on Axact’s diploma mills discovered none of these convicted had began their jail sentence, and that a number of had fled Pakistan and by no means returned.
“In October 2016, a Pakistan district decide acquitted 24 Axact officers at trial because of ‘not sufficient proof’ after which later admitted he had accepted a bribe (of $35,209) from Axact,” reads a historical past (PDF) revealed by the American Affiliation of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
In 2021, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Company (FIA) charged Bilwani and almost 4 dozen others — a lot of them Abtach staff — with working an elaborate trademark rip-off. The authorities known as it “the largest cash laundering case within the historical past of Pakistan,” and named numerous companies primarily based in Texas that allegedly helped transfer the proceeds of cybercrime.
A web page from the March 2021 FIA report alleging that Digitonics Labs and Abtach staff conspired to extort and defraud shoppers.
The FIA stated the defendants operated numerous web sites providing low-cost trademark providers to clients, earlier than then “ignoring them after getting the funds and later demanding extra funds from shoppers/victims within the identify of up-sale (extortion).” The Pakistani legislation enforcement company stated that about 75 % of consumers obtained pretend or fabricated logos because of the scams.
The FIA discovered Abtach operates at the side of a Karachi agency known as Digitonics Labs, which earned a month-to-month income of round $2.5 million via the “extortion of worldwide shoppers within the identify of up-selling, the sale of faux/fabricated USPTO certificates, and the sustaining of phishing web sites.”
In accordance the Pakistani authorities, the accused additionally ran numerous scams involving book publication and brand creation, whereby clients are subjected to advance-fee fraud and extortion — with the scammers demanding extra money for supposed “copyright launch” and threatening to launch the trademark.
Additionally charged by the FIA was Junaid Mansoor, the proprietor of Digitonics Labs in Karachi. Mansoor’s U.Okay.-registered firm Maple Options Direct Restricted has run at the least 700 advertisements for brand design web sites since 2015, the Google Advertisements Transparency web page studies. The corporate has roughly 88 advertisements working on Google as of immediately.
Junaid Mansoor. Supply: youtube/@Olevels․com College.
Mr. Mansoor is actively concerned with and selling a Quran research enterprise known as quranmasteronline[.]com, which was based by Junaid’s brother Qasim Mansoor (Qasim can also be named within the FIA felony investigation). The Google advertisements selling quranmasteronline[.]com have been paid for by the identical account promoting numerous rip-off web sites promoting brand and net design providers.
Junaid Mansoor didn’t reply to requests for remark. An tackle in Teaneck, New Jersey the place Mr. Mansoor beforehand lived is listed as an official tackle of exporthub[.]com, a Pakistan-based e-commerce web site that seems remarkably just like eWorldTrade (Exporthub says its workplaces are in Texas). Curiously, a search in Google for this area reveals ExportHub at the moment options a number of listings for fentanyl citrate from suppliers in China and elsewhere.
The CEO of Digitonics Labs is Muhammad Burhan Mirza, a former Axact official who was arrested by the FIA as a part of its cash laundering and trademark fraud investigation in 2021. In 2023, prosecutors in Pakistan charged Mirza, Mansoor and 14 different Digitonics staff with fraud, impersonating authorities officers, phishing, dishonest and extortion. Mirza’s LinkedIn profile says he at the moment runs an academic know-how/life coach enterprise known as TheCoach360, which purports to assist younger children “obtain monetary independence.”
Reached by way of LinkedIn, Mr. Mirza denied having something to do with eWorldTrade or any of its sister corporations in Texas.
“Furthermore, I’ve no data as to the businesses you’ve got talked about,” stated Mr. Mirza, who didn’t reply to follow-up questions.
The present disposition of the FIA’s fraud case towards the defendants is unclear. The investigation was marred early on by allegations of corruption and bribery. In 2021, Pakistani authorities alleged Bilwani paid a six-figure bribe to FIA investigators. In the meantime, attorneys for Mr. Bilwani have argued that though their shopper did pay a bribe, the fee was solicited by authorities officers. Mr. Bilwani didn’t reply to requests for remark.
THE TEXAS NEXUS
KrebsOnSecurity has discovered that the folks and entities on the middle of the FIA investigations have constructed a big presence in america, with a robust focus in Texas. The Texas companies promote web sites that promote brand and net design, ghostwriting, and educational dishonest providers. Many of those entities have lately been sued for fraud and breach of contract by indignant former clients, who claimed the businesses relentlessly upsold them whereas failing to supply the work as promised.
For instance, the FIA complaints named Retrocube LLC and 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC, two entities that share a road tackle with eWorldTrade: 1910 Pacific Avenue, Suite 8025, Dallas, Texas. Additionally included at that Pacific Avenue tackle is abtach[.]ae, an online design and advertising and marketing agency primarily based in Dubai; and intersyslimited[.]com, the brand new identify of Abtach after they have been banned by the USPTO. Different companies registered at this tackle market providers for brand design, cellular app improvement, and ghostwriting.
A listing revealed in 2021 by Pakistan’s FIA of various entrance corporations allegedly concerned in scamming people who find themselves on the lookout for assist with logos, ghostwriting, logos and net design.
360 Digital Advertising and marketing’s web site 360digimarketing[.]com is owned by an Abtach entrance firm known as Abtech LTD. In the meantime, enterprise data present 360 Digi Advertising and marketing LTD is a U.Okay. firm whose officers embody former Abtach director Bilwani; Muhammad Saad Iqbal, previously Abtach, now CEO of Intersys Ltd; Niaz Ahmed, a former Abtach affiliate; and Muhammad Salman Yousuf, previously a vice chairman at Axact, Abtach, and Digitonics Labs.
Google’s Advertisements Transparency Heart finds 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC ran at the least 500 advertisements selling numerous web sites promoting ghostwriting providers . One other entity tied to Junaid Mansoor — an organization known as Octa Group Applied sciences AU — has run roughly 300 Google advertisements for ebook publishing providers, selling confusingly named web sites like amazonlistinghub[.]com and barnesnoblepublishing[.]co.
360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC ran roughly 500 advertisements for rip-off ghostwriting websites.
Rameez Moiz is a Texas resident and former Abtach product supervisor who has represented 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC and RetroCube. Moiz informed KrebsOnSecurity he stopped working for 360 Digital Advertising and marketing in the summertime of 2023. Mr. Moiz didn’t reply to follow-up questions, however an Upwork profile for him states that as of April 2025 he’s employed by Dallas-based Vertical Minds LLC.
In April 2025, California resident Melinda Will sued the Texas agency Majestic Ghostwriting — which is doing enterprise as ghostwritingsquad[.]com — alleging they scammed her out of $100,000 after she employed them to assist write her ebook. Google’s advert transparency web page reveals Moiz’s employer Vertical Minds LLC paid to run roughly 55 advertisements for ghostwritingsquad[.]com and associated websites.
Google’s advert transparency itemizing for ghostwriting advertisements paid for by Vertical Minds LLC.
VICTIMS SPEAK OUT
Ms. Will’s lawsuit is only one of greater than two dozen complaints over the previous 4 years whereby plaintiffs sued one in every of this group’s net design, wiki modifying or ghostwriting providers. In 2021, a New Jersey man sued Octagroup Applied sciences, alleging they ripped him off when he paid a complete of greater than $26,000 for the design and advertising and marketing of a web-based mapping service.
The plaintiff in that case didn’t reply to requests for remark, however his criticism alleges Octagroup and a myriad different corporations it contracted with produced minimal work product regardless of subjecting him to relentless upselling. That case was determined in favor of the plaintiff as a result of the defendants by no means contested the matter in court docket.
In 2023, 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC and Retrocube LLC have been sued by a lady who stated they scammed her out of $40,000 over a ebook she wished assist writing. That lawsuit helpfully confirmed a picture of the workplace entrance door at 1910 Pacific Ave Suite 8025, which featured the logos of 360 Digital Advertising and marketing, Retrocube, and eWorldTrade.
The entrance door at 1910 Pacific Avenue, Suite 8025, Dallas, Texas.
The lawsuit was filed professional se by Leigh Riley, a 64-year-old profession IT skilled who paid 360 Digital Advertising and marketing to have an organization known as Proficient Ghostwriter co-author and promote a sequence of books she’d outlined on spirituality and therapeutic.
“The principle purpose I employed them was as a result of I didn’t perceive what I name the method for writing a ebook, and I do know there’s lots of advertising and marketing that goes into publishing,” Riley defined in an interview. “I do know nothing about that stuff, and these guys have been convincing that they might deal with all elements of it. Till I found they couldn’t write a rattling sentence in English correctly.”
Riley’s well-documented lawsuit (not linked right here as a result of it options quite a lot of private data) contains screenshots of conversations with the ghostwriting group, which was always assigning her to new writers and editors, and ghosting her on scheduled convention calls about progress on the undertaking. Riley stated she ended up writing a lot of the ebook herself as a result of the work they produced was unusable.
“Lastly after months of promising the books have been printed and on their manner, they present up at my doorstep with the flawed title on the ebook,” Riley stated. When she demanded her a refund, she stated the folks serving to her with the web site to advertise the ebook locked her out of the positioning.
A dialog snippet from Leigh Riley’s lawsuit towards Proficient Ghostwriter, aka 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC. “Different corporations as soon as they have you ever cash they don’t even reply or do something,” the ghostwriting group supervisor defined.
Riley determined to sue, naming 360 Digital Advertising and marketing LLC and Retrocube LLC, amongst others. The businesses supplied to settle the matter for $20,000, which she accepted. “I didn’t have cash to rent a lawyer, and I figured it was time to chop my losses,” she stated.
Riley stated she might have saved herself quite a lot of headache by doing a little primary analysis on Proficient Ghostwriter, whose web site claims the corporate relies in Los Angeles. In accordance with the California Secretary of State, nevertheless, there isn’t a registered entity by that identify. Reasonably, the tackle claimed by talentedghostwriter[.]com is a vacant workplace constructing with a “house out there” signal within the window.
California resident Walter Horsting found one thing comparable when he sued 360 Digital Advertising and marketing in small claims court docket final yr, after hiring an organization known as Vox Ghostwriting to assist write, edit and promote a spy novel he’d been engaged on. Horsting stated he paid Vox $3,300 to ghostwrite a 280-page ebook, and was upsold an Amazon advertising and marketing and publishing package deal for $7,500.
In an interview, Horsting stated the prose that Vox Ghostwriting produced was “juvenile at finest,” forcing him to rewrite and edit the work himself, and to accomplice with a graphical artist to supply illustrations. Horsting stated that when it got here time to start advertising and marketing the novel, Vox Ghostwriting tried to additional upsell him on advertising and marketing packages, whereas dodging scheduled conferences with no follow-up.
“They’ve a a refund assure, and once they wouldn’t refund my cash I stated I’m taking you to court docket,” Horsting recounted. “I attempted to serve them in Los Angeles however discovered no such workplace exists. I talked to a salon subsequent door they usually stated another person had lately proven up desperately on the lookout for the place the ghostwriting firm went, and it seems there are a path of corpses on this. I lastly tracked down the place they’re in Texas.”
It was the identical workplace that Ms. Riley served her lawsuit towards. Horsting stated he has a court docket listening to scheduled later this month, however he’s below no illusions that profitable the case means he’ll be capable of accumulate.
“At this level, I’m doing it out of delight greater than truly anticipating something to return to luck for me,” he stated.
The next thoughts map was useful in piecing collectively key occasions, people and connections talked about above. It’s necessary to notice that this graphic solely scratches the floor of the operations tied to this group. For instance, in Case 2 we will see point out of educational dishonest providers, whereby folks could be employed to take on-line proctored exams on one’s behalf. Those that rent these providers quickly discover themselves topic to impersonation and blackmail makes an attempt for bigger and bigger sums of cash, with the specter of publicly exposing their unethical educational dishonest exercise.
A “thoughts map” illustrating the connections between and amongst entities referenced on this story. Click on to enlarge.
GOOGLE RESPONDS
KrebsOnSecurity reviewed the Google Advert Transparency hyperlinks for almost 500 totally different web sites tied to this community of ghostwriting, brand, app and net improvement companies. These web site names have been then fed into spyfu.com, a aggressive intelligence firm that tracks the attain and efficiency of promoting key phrases. Spyfu estimates that between April 2023 and April 2025, these web sites spent greater than $10 million on Google advertisements.
Reached for remark, Google stated in a written assertion that it’s always policing its advert community for unhealthy actors, pointing to an advertisements security report (PDF) exhibiting Google blocked or eliminated 5.1 billion unhealthy advertisements final yr — together with greater than 500 million advertisements associated to logos.
“Our coverage towards Enabling Dishonest Conduct prohibits services or products that assist customers mislead others, together with advertisements for paper-writing or exam-taking providers,” the assertion reads. “Once we determine advertisements or advertisers that violate our insurance policies, we take motion, together with by suspending advertiser accounts, disapproving advertisements, and proscribing advertisements to particular domains when applicable.”
Google didn’t reply to particular questions in regards to the promoting entities talked about on this story, saying solely that “we’re actively investigating this matter and addressing any coverage violations, together with suspending advertiser accounts when applicable.”
From reviewing the advert accounts which were selling these rip-off web sites, it seems Google has very lately acted to take away numerous the offending advertisements. Previous to my notifying Google in regards to the extent of this advert community on April 28, the Google Advert Transparency community listed over 500 advertisements for 360 Digital Advertising and marketing; as of this publication, that quantity had dwindled to 10.
On April 30, Google introduced that beginning this month its advertisements transparency web page will show the fee profile identify because the payer identify for verified advertisers, if that identify differs from their verified advertiser identify. Searchengineland.com writes the adjustments are aimed toward growing accountability in digital promoting.
This spreadsheet lists the domains, advertiser names, and Google Advert Transparency hyperlinks for greater than 350 entities providing ghostwriting, publishing, net design and educational dishonest providers.
KrebsOnSecurity wish to thank the nameless safety researcher NatInfoSec for his or her help on this investigation.
For additional studying on Abtach and its myriad corporations in all the above-mentioned verticals (ghostwriting, brand design, and so forth.), see this Wikiwand entry.
