OneCoin victims can serve founder Dr Ruja Ignatova by “alternative means”, according to a US judge after it was revealed that a number of the defendants remain unserved. 30 people connected with the scam, including Dr Ignatova, were indicted by a California Federal Circuit Court judge in 2017, but many of these have not been issued with any kind of summons.
Court Approves Electronic Service
Being ‘served’ usually requires the physical handing of papers over to the individual in person, but in rare cases alternative means can be sought. Dr Ignatova is one of these cases, with the New York Southern District Court ruling that electronic means may be utilized, with plaintiffs allowed to consider serving via email and social media messaging, and by registered mail to the OneCoin headquarters in Dubai.
Plaintiffs must advise the court if any of the attempts are rejected – i.e. if the email bounces back. The court also ruled that service of Dr Ignatova will not be considered proper unless no such error is received. There is little hope that anything will come of the attempt, but at least lawyers are doing all they can to try and bring her to justice.
Australian OneCoin Group Shuts Down
There was better news for those fighting the OneCoin scam globally, as it was revealed last week that the operation in Cairns, Australia has been shut down:
Cairns victims were hit hard by Onecoin, glad it’s finally over. Thank you @TheCairnsPost for your help. pic.twitter.com/poUNIucOM1
— Jeffrey Rufino (@jeffreyrufino) January 24, 2020
The Cairns Post broke the story, stating that OneCoin leaders in the area posted a message in the members forum group admitting their belief that the project was indeed a scam, confirming the worst fears if the thousands in the area who invested in it.
The post described how the group’s operators had been “believers in the vision of OneCoin” since 2015, but that they had come to the realization that “the truth has been misrepresented to the one life-network [sic]”.
Given that the scam has raised approximately $4 billion since its inception five years ago and pretended all along that it is a legitimate enterprise in order to get more, this is quite an understatement.
