Department of Justice (Press Release) – Today, a North Carolina man was sentenced to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release for running a seven-year scheme where he victimized millions of elderly Americans by selling their personal information to Jamaican lottery fraud scammers. He was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $5,214,688.48.
According to court documents, Troy Murray, 57, of Hickory, North Carolina, devised a scheme where he organized, maintained, and sold lists containing the names, phone numbers, physical addresses, and, in some cases, ages and email addresses, of elderly Americans to individuals in Jamaica involved in lottery fraud schemes. From 2016 to 2023, Murray sold these lists to Jamaican scammers, who perpetrated lottery fraud on elderly American consumers, earning Murray hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
Murray was a prolific and well-known lead list broker for Jamaican scammers. To complete the transactions, scammers would typically call email, or text Murray for a list of names. Murray then provided a price per list, typically $500, for 100 to 300 names. Initially, Murray instructed scammers to provide payment via wire transfer; however, after multiple monetary wire transmission services blocked him from using their services, he instructed scammers to send him pre-paid gift cards to pay for the lists instead. Murray’s list broker service was so well known in Jamaica that that his pseudonym, “Steve Dixon,” was referenced by a Jamaican musical artist in a 2022 song lyric.
After receiving payment from the Jamaican scammers, Murray used the funds to purchase farm equipment, vehicles, and collectibles like bars and coins made of precious metals. Murray also sent money he made from the scheme to one of his sons to purchase personal property and pay for his business and living expenses.
During the scheme, Murray sent at least 22,000 lead lists to scammers. These lists contained the names and personal information of over seven million elderly Americans and garnered Murray over $5.2 million. Victim losses exceeded $9.5 million.
In January 2026, Murray pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.
Senior Litigation Counsel David Sullivan and Trial Attorney Ryan Norman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
Department of Justice (Press Release) – A federal jury in the Eastern District of New York convicted a New York woman today for her role in an $8 million health care fraud conspiracy.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Olga Popovych, 43, of New York, New York, was an office manager of several physical therapy clinics that paid cash kickbacks to ambulette drivers who recruited Medicare patients to bring to the clinics. As the evidence at trial showed, the defendant was personally involved with paying the ambulette drivers cash kickbacks. She also falsified medical records to indicate that physical therapists who were not actually at the clinic treated the patients. Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid these clinics over $8 million.
Witnesses testified at trial that the defendant exchanged text messages with her co-conspirators that discussed the payment of kickbacks through the use of code words. The evidence also showed that the defendant suspected that the clinics were being watched by law enforcement and took steps to conceal the scheme.
The jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters, 4 counts of health care fraud, and 3 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters. She faces a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years for each health care fraud conviction and 5 years for each false statements conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. for the Eastern District of New York; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle for the FBI New York Field Office made the announcement.
HHS-OIG and FBI investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Campbell and John Howard of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Trial Attorney Miriam Glaser Dauermann assisted in the prosecution.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Washington D.C., May 6, 2026 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged 21 individuals for their alleged involvement in a decade-long insider trading scheme that used information misappropriated from multiple global law firms and resulted in millions of dollars in illicit profits.
According to the SEC’s complaint, between 2018 and 2024, Nicolo Nourafchan, a mergers and acquisitions attorney based in Los Angeles, California, orchestrated a global scheme with his partner Robert Yadgarov, of Long Beach, New York. The complaint alleges that Nourafchan misappropriated material nonpublic information from his firm’s clients pertaining to more than twelve pending corporate transactions. The complaint further alleges that he or Yadgarov tipped that information to other scheme participants who agreed to kick back a portion of their trading profits, or who, in turn, tipped others who traded.
Nourafchan and Yadgarov allegedly recruited an additional corporate lawyer who also misappropriated material nonpublic information about additional deals and tipped that information to Nourafchan and Yadgarov.
“Today’s action highlights the SEC’s unwavering commitment to uncovering sprawling schemes, like the one alleged here, and holding individuals up and down the tipping chain accountable for their fraudulent conduct,” said Joseph G. Sansone, Chief of the Division of Enforcement’s Market Abuse Unit.
The SEC’s complaint, brought by the Division of Enforcement’s Market Abuse Unit and filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, charges the defendants with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.
In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced criminal charges against all of the defendants in this case.
The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, the FBI, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, the Mauritius Financial Services Commission, and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority.
Digital forensics firm says affidavit filed in Hadari Oshri court case “altered,” not authentic
AN IMPORTANT NOTE:On June 22, 2021, Hadari Oshri –Marc Lubaszka’s business partner– filed a civil harassment restraining order (CHRO) against Investor News reporter Aitana Vargas to stop the publication of her investigative series “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar crime,” and any subsequent installments or future media coverage. On August 3, 2021, Vargas filed an anti-SLAPP motion to strike Oshri’s CHRO petition. In a hearing held on September 13, 2021, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Doreen Boxer granted Vargas’s anti-SLAPP motion and denied Oshri’s civil harassment petition for failure to sustain the applicable burden of proof. CA’s powerful anti-SLAPP statute demands that the prevailing defendant be granted attorney’s fees for filing a frivolous case. The Israeli entrepreneur also declined to go on a recorded interview or provide statements via email.
By Aitana Vargas
It is a saga that appears to never see its end, and surely, there had to be new twists.
On May 11, 2021, serial entrepreneur Hadari Oshri filed a declaration with the Los Angeles Superior Court that included a notarized 3-page affidavit bearing the name and logo of Digital Forensics Corp. (DFC), an Ohio-based company offering a wide range of services, including cybersecurity, IP theft, forensic analysis and cyber blackmail, according to its website.
Oshri submitted the affidavit as evidence in her restraining order case against one of this reporter’s sources (a separate case from the anti-SLAPP case mentioned above). But DFC has maintained for years that the filed document was “altered.”
The 3-pager listed multiple email addresses, domains, and links to articles and referenced a report of findings dated April 5, 2021, allegedly produced by DFC. The report, however, was not attached to Oshri’s declaration and affidavit.
According to the affidavit, “Hadari Oshri (the “Client”), retained DFC services on or about February 23″, 2021 (DFC Case 287656).”
However, in a May 2022 email to this outlet, DFC stated that “Digital Forensics Corp (“DFC”) cannot provide any service details or company work product as we are bound to a non-disclosure provision with all of our clients. We can confirm, however, that the name in your email and in the affidavit (“Hadari Oshri”) is not a listed client of DFC.
It appears that the affidavit you provided in your email is not an original affidavit produced by our Company, as it has been altered. We are conducting a further investigation into this matter and cannot provide you with any further comments at this time.”
The company added: “It does not appear that our company has had any contact with the attorney referenced in your email.”
In a phone call on May 26, 2026, DFC, through attorney Jeromy Simonovic, reaffirmed its 2022 position that the affidavit is “not authentic,” but clarified that the notary stamp is real.
In an interview on the evening of April 30, 2021 –the date of the initial hearing and before any stipulation was entered–, the respondent had stated that Oshri’s attorney argued in court her client had paid $40,000 for the investigation conducted by DFC. Court records show that, during that hearing, the judge ordered both parties to exchange evidence. In the April 30th interview, the respondent said that Oshri’s attorney handed him the affidavit during that exchange.
The respondent filed a 251-page response with the court, rebutting Oshri’s claims and attaching documents tying Oshri to an alleged PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) scheme also involving businessman and gold investor Marc Lubaszka and his now-defunct Fly Private X.
Investor News previously reported Lubaszka is also linked to Buy Gold Brightly, whose publicly listed owner was rapper Dylan Raw (Dylan Rottkov).
A screenshot taken on December 15, 2020, of the now-defunct Fly Private X, formerly owned by Marc Lubaszka.A screenshot taken on May 17, 2021, of Buy Gold Brightly, formerly owned by Dylan Raw and linked to Marc Lubaszka.
From around 2021, Oshri and her attorney sought to suppress reporting on this issue. In 2021, her attorney sent this reporter and her source a written cease-and-desist demand regarding coverage. For years, this outlet has led the media’s investigative efforts into this matter.
Cyberattacks & suspicious leads
The affidavit is not the only document in Oshri’s legal battles to face scrutiny. It also isn’t the only time suspicious tips about Oshri landed in this reporter’s inbox.
On December 2, 2024, this reporter received an unsolicited email from an individual identified as Julia Lane, encouraging me to look into mushroom supplements sold by Gula World, Oshri’s latest business company. The sender used a Gmail account that did not match her stated name. When asked about her connection to Oshri, she replied:
“I don’t know her personally but through mutual connections.” No clients, no complaints or firsthand harm were provided.
The exchange indicated the emails were an attempt to induce this reporter to publish a story about Oshri without evidence or fact-checked claims of harm to anybody. I declined to pursue a story.
The suspicious December 2024 email fits a years-long pattern. Between the end of 2020 and 2023, this reporter, Investor News, aitanavargas.com and sources received fake leads, cyberattacks and phishing emails from fake accounts like ‘Alex Alex’ and ‘Michaela Lake,’ and others. Some contained tracking pixels.
Screenshot of Elitefashion.Fund captured on May 24, 2021. Elitefashion.fund is no longer active.
The night of December 31, 2020 (going into January 1, 2021), this reporter received an unsolicited Guerrillamail email from an alleged investor offering compensation for “researching” Elite Fashion Fund. The sender identified as Thomas A. Moffett, but this reporter was unable to verify his identity. Unrelated individuals matching this name died decades ago. The sender also listed a MN street address. No records show the sender is linked to the MN address provided in the email or point to any other similarly named individuals. Investor Newspreviously reported that Lubaszka has used pseudonyms and aliases in his personal and professional life in the past.
A social media search on June 13, 2021 revealed that Hadari Oshri identified as the Managing Director of Elitefashion.Fund on her Facebook account. The website (elitefashion.fund) is no longer active.
A screenshot of Hadari Oshri’s Facebook account captured on June 13, 2021. The URL and third parties were cropped on June 2, 2026.
In May 2022, Investor News received an unsolicited tip from an individual whose identity and email address this reporter was unable to verify.
Over 12 emails were exchanged regarding Oshri and Fly Private X, five of which contained email tracking software. The sender repeated unverifiable accusations. When asked to provide specific details, the sender stated: “it’s been so long and so much in life happened since then I honestly don’t remember the details of what she did.”
During the exchange, the sender claimed to have been in touch via text with an individual he described as “rude.” The phone number volunteered by the sender matched a number for Lubaszka.
“…he has this way of turning it around that by requesting the money owed its somehow extortion to get money from him,” the sender wrote.
In the exchange, the sender also asked this reporter: “Do you have anyone who has a legal case against them that can prove what they do?”
No information was provided to the sender.
As of June 25, 2026, due to image suppression efforts on Google, some of our documents and images are being moved and preserved on archive.org. Efforts are led by our partner outlet La Cronista, whose ranked archive on this investigative series involving Oshri, Lubaszka, Dylan Rottkov and Patrick Seller is also being replaced by Manga, sushi posts and irrelevant PPE content for searches naming Hadari Oshri.
Google search results for “Hadari Oshri La Cronista” as of June 25, 2026. Original investigative reporting has been replaced by anime content.Google search results for “Hadari Oshri PPE” as of June 25, 2026, no longer show images linked to her PPE operations on Facebook marketplace and multi-million-dollar POs linked to Alaa Hattab and Arael Doolittle.
As of June 26, 2026, search results both in Yahoo and DuckDuckGo show images and evidence posted by Investor News throughout the years as part of its investigative work into Oshri’s and Lubaszka’s alleged PPE schemes.
Yahoo search results for Hadari Oshri as of June 26, 2026, show Investor News as the leading authority on the PPE investigation she tried to suppress in the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021.DuckDuckGo search results for Hadari Oshri as of June 26, 2026, show Investor News as the leading authority on the PPE investigation she tried to suppress in the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021.
Aitanavargas.com, which also hosts parts of this investigation, was recently found to contain malware by GoDaddy, which is actively removing it and investigating the source of the intrusions. Repeated malware intrusions were reported between June 17, 2026, and June 25, 2026. A connection between these intrusions and potential suppression efforts has not been established.
On June 27, 2026, our partner outlet, La Cronista, was hit by a brute-force attack (342 hits in minutes). The source is now being investigated. This comes on the heels of intensive preservation efforts by Investor News and La Cronista of the years-long investigative series Investor News published on alleged PPE fraud by Oshri and Lubaszka. The brute-force attack came 24 hours after La Cronista created a page to preserve the original investigation and its accompanying records and documents. Today’s attack came some three weeks after La Cronista documented some 25 hits from Singapore.
On June 27, 2026, La Cronista was hit by a brute-force attack from Singapore after creating a page to preserve Investor News’s investigative series into alleged PPE by Oshri and Lubaszka.
*Oshri’s LA Superior Court Case # 21STRO01697. The parties signed a stipulation with a confidentiality clause.
**CLICK HERE TO VIEW HADARI OSHRI’S FILED DECLARATION AND AFFIDAVIT.The declaration and affidavit were filed by Hadari Oshri in LA Superior Court on 5/11/2021. Investor News has redacted third-party telephone numbers, email addresses and signatures to prevent doxxing and preserve privacy. All redactions are shown in solid black. No other changes were made. The unredacted document is publicly available via the court under case No. 21STRO01697.
***After this reporter survived in 2021 an anti–SLAPP motion against Ms. Oshri, as a matter of policy, this outlet no longer reaches out to Ms. Oshri and her then-attorney, John Tamborelli, for comment. But we remain fully committed to hearing and sharing their opinion should they decide to reach out to us by email. Email: aitana_investigations@protonmail.com
****This story will be updated as more information becomes available. This story was updated on June 7, 2026, to reflect additional information in the Cyberattacks and Suspicious Leads section, including the email exchanges in May-June 2022. The email address of Julia Lane and other third-party details have been redacted or omitted for privacy reasons. The Guerrillamail email was received the night of Dec. 31, 2020, going into January 1, 2021. Update on June 25-26, 2026, to reflect that image and document suppression attempts have been detected on Google, and we are now creating a permanent archive at archive.org. Last update on June 27, 2026, to reflect a brute-force attack on La Cronista.
For news tips and story ideas, please contact investigative reporter Aitana Vargas at aitana_investigations@protonmail.com.
Washington D.C., March 17, 2026 — The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today issued an interpretation clarifying how the federal securities laws apply to certain crypto assets and transactions involving crypto assets. This is a major step in the Commission’s efforts to provide greater clarity regarding the Commission’s treatment of crypto assets, and complements Congressional endeavors to codify a comprehensive market structure framework into statute. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) joined the interpretation to provide guidance that the CFTC and its staff will administer the Commodity Exchange Act consistent with the Commission’s interpretation.
“After more than a decade of uncertainty, this interpretation will provide market participants with a clear understanding of how the Commission treats crypto assets under federal securities laws. This is what regulatory agencies are supposed to do: draw clear lines in clear terms,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. “It also acknowledges what the former administration refused to recognize – that most crypto assets are not themselves securities. And it reflects the reality that investment contracts can come to an end. This effort serves as an important bridge for entrepreneurs and investors as Congress works to advance bipartisan market structure legislation, which I look forward to implementing with Chairman Selig in the near future.”
“For far too long, American builders, innovators, and entrepreneurs have awaited clear guidance on the status of crypto assets under the federal securities and commodity laws,” said CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig. “With today’s interpretation, the wait is over. Chairman Atkins and I are committed to fostering a regulatory environment that allows the crypto industry to flourish in the United States with clear and rational rules of the road. Today’s joint agency action reflects a shared commitment to developing workable, harmonized regulations for the new frontier of finance.”
The Commission interpretation:
Provides a coherent token taxonomy for digital commodities, digital collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins, and digital securities.
Addresses how a “non-security crypto asset”—which is a crypto asset that itself is not a security—may become subject to, and how it may cease to be subject to, an investment contract.
Clarifies the application of federal securities laws to airdrops, protocol mining, protocol staking, and the wrapping of a non-security crypto asset.
Market participants—from innovators and issuers to individual investors—should review this interpretation to better understand the regulatory jurisdiction between the SEC and CFTC. The interpretation will be published on SEC.gov and in the Federal Register.
ADM credited for cooperation and significant remediation
Washington D.C., Jan. 27, 2026 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed settled charges against Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) and its former executives, Vince Macciocchi and Ray Young, and a litigated action against its former executive Vikram Luthar, for materially inflating the performance of a key ADM business segment, Nutrition, which ADM touted to investors as an important driver of the company’s overall growth.
The SEC’s complaint against Luthar alleges that he directed “adjustments” to Nutrition’s transactions with other ADM business segments when Nutrition was falling short of its operating profit targets for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. According to the complaint, the adjustments included retroactive rebates and price changes not customarily available to ADM’s third-party customers that were essentially one-sided transfers of operating profit to Nutrition, with the goal of making it appear that Nutrition was meeting the 15% to 20% per year operating profit growth Luthar and other ADM executives projected to investors.
The SEC’s settled order against ADM, Macciocchi, and Young finds that Macciocchi and Luthar led efforts to identify and structure adjustments for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and that Young negligently approved improper adjustments for fiscal years 2019 and 2021. These adjustments also included retroactive rebates and price changes, were targeted to specific dollar amounts to hit Nutrition’s operating profit goals or mask a shortfall, and were not provided to third parties, according to the order.
The SEC considered ADM’s cooperation and significant remedial measures in accepting its settlement offer. Specifically, the company conducted an internal investigation, voluntarily reported its findings to the staff, and provided the staff with additional analyses from an outside accounting expert. ADM’s remedial measures included implementing new internal accounting controls around intersegment transactions, amending its policies and procedures, and testing the effectiveness of its new controls, among other things.
The order creates a Fair Fund to distribute the ordered monetary relief to investors harmed by the violations.
“Transparent and honest disclosure are key to maintaining market integrity, so when ADM misled its investors, the SEC stepped in to protect them and the market,” said Judge Margaret A. Ryan, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “The SEC is steadfast in its commitment to rooting out fraud and holding accountable wrongdoers, while also engaging market participants constructively to ensure the right outcomes are achieved in a timely and fair manner. In this matter, we credit ADM’s cooperation and its efforts to avoid future accounting and disclosure violations.”
The complaint alleges, and the order finds, that the adjustments rendered ADM’s annual and quarterly reports false and misleading because the adjustments resulted in transactions inconsistent with ADM’s representation that intersegment transactions were recorded at amounts “approximating market.” Further, the order finds that ADM overstated Nutrition’s operating profit for fiscal years 2019, 2021, and 2022, the third quarter of 2019, and all quarters in 2021 as a result of the adjustments.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, charges Luthar with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, aiding and abetting ADM’s violations of the antifraud, reporting, books and records, and internal accounting control provisions of the federal securities laws, and failing to reimburse ADM for certain executive compensation as required. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, an officer and director bar, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and reimbursement of certain executive compensation to ADM pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
The SEC’s order finds that ADM, Macciocchi, and Young violated the antifraud, reporting, internal accounting controls, and books and records provisions of the federal securities laws, and that Macciocchi and Young caused certain of ADM’s violations. Without admitting or denying the findings, ADM, Macciocchi, and Young agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of the relevant provisions of the federal securities laws, and ADM has voluntarily undertaken to cooperate fully with the Commission in the litigation and any other proceedings related to the matters described in the order. ADM agreed to pay a $40,000,000 civil penalty, Macciocchi agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling $404,343 and a civil penalty of $125,000, and Young agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest totaling $575,610 and a civil penalty of $75,000. Macciocchi also agreed to a three-year officer and director bar.
Gold IRA Leads: How SMART Tech Delivers Exclusive Investors at a $45 CPL
By Staff Reporter · Updated August 18, 2025
In a sector where compliant, high-intent investors are notoriously difficult to reach, one company— Gold IRA Leads—is drawing attention for routinely delivering exclusive inquiries at approximately $45 cost per lead (CPL). This report examines the process, the technology, and the discipline behind that figure, and why the approach is gaining traction among gold and precious metals firms that have seen diminishing returns from traditional tactics.
What Are Gold IRA Leads?
Gold IRA leads are prospective investors who express active interest in transferring or rolling over qualified retirement funds into a self-directed Individual Retirement Account backed by physical precious metals. Unlike broad financial audiences, this group tends to skew older (often 45+), asset-aware, and intent-driven—more interested in wealth preservation than speculative trading. Because of the complexity and compliance sensitivity of rollovers, each inquiry carries a higher potential value but also requires more education and trust-building.
The company Gold IRA Leads focuses on generating these inquiries through live, inbound demand rather than recycling or brokering lists. The emphasis is on intent rather than volume: prospective investors who have engaged with educational content, opted in, and are ready to learn more.
Why Quality Gold IRA Leads Are Hard to Acquire
For years, gold and precious metals marketers leaned on aged data, list rentals, and aggressive call-center tactics. As privacy expectations and regulations evolved—and as investors grew weary of repeated contact from multiple companies—performance degraded. Conversion rates declined while acquisition costs rose. Moreover, non-compliant promotion in financial services can invite regulatory scrutiny, creating risk for both vendors and brands.
The net effect: a challenging acquisition environment where many firms pay high CPLs for indifferent results, struggle to attribute outcomes to channels, and face brand fatigue among the very investors they hope to reach.
Industry Costs & Benchmarks
CPLs in the broader precious-metals category vary widely by channel, funnel design, and brand strength. It is common to see costs above $80–$150 for campaigns that depend on generic search terms, wide targeting, or weak conversion experiences. Against that backdrop, a ~$45 CPL for exclusive, compliant Gold IRA leads stands out—especially when paired with measurable intent signals and transparent attribution.
It is not just the price point that matters, however; it is the consistency. An approach that reliably converts attention into qualified conversations at a sustainable CPL enables predictable pipeline planning, smarter media allocation, and more disciplined scaling.
Inside the SMART Tech Framework
Gold IRA Leads attributes much of its performance to a SMART framework—Segmentation, Messaging, Automation, Retargeting, and Tracking. While the acronym is simple, the implementation is rigorous and technical.
Segmentation: Finding the Right Investors
Audience models prioritize indicators correlated with rollover likelihood: age bands, retirement account status, geography, device patterns, and media consumption paired with time-of-day responsiveness. Instead of treating all prospects equally, the system builds cohorts that receive distinct creative and sequencing to reduce waste and surface intent earlier.
Messaging: Education Over Hype
The content strategy leads with education—tax implications, rollover timelines, custodial considerations, storage options—rather than promises of quick gains. Landing pages present balanced, plain-language explanations and steer clear of exaggerated claims. This tone both improves platform compliance and builds trust with a demographic that rewards clarity.
Automation: Real-Time Capture and Routing
Automation handles the critical middle mile: capturing inquiries, validating contact details, enriching with consented data where appropriate, and routing to the correct sales workflow.
Response SLAs are minutes, not hours. When a prospect opts in, the system acknowledges, sets expectations, and—if relevant—offers scheduling or provides compliant educational material while a representative prepares outreach.
Retargeting: Respectful, Multi-Touch Follow-Up
Many serious investors do not convert on the first visit. The framework therefore layers privacy-aware retargeting and permission-based channels (notably SMS and email) to re-engage visitors who reviewed materials but did not book. Messaging remains informational: updates on market mechanics, rollover checklists, and FAQs about custodians and storage.
Tracking: Attribution You Can Trust
End-to-end tracking with robust UTM standards, call-tracking, and first-party analytics gives clients visibility into where leads originate and how they progress. This transparency allows budget to be shifted toward proven segments and away from vanity metrics.
Compliance-First Acquisition
Marketing financial products requires care. The acquisition program intentionally bakes compliance into creative review, disclosures, consent capture, and data handling. Educational content is vetted for balance, advertising claims avoid projections, and opt-in flows record consent with time stamps. These practices protect investors and brands, and help maintain long-term deliverability in permissioned channels.
Exclusivity & Lead Integrity
A persistent complaint in this industry is recycled contacts marketed as “exclusive.” The Gold IRA Leads model routes each inquiry to a single client, which reduces consumer fatigue and improves conversion rates. Exclusivity also enhances sales morale: representatives can spend their time nurturing one-to-one conversations rather than competing against parallel pitches.
From Click to Call: Converting Silent Researchers
Older, high-asset audiences often prefer phone calls over web forms. During pilots, an AI-assisted front line filters routine questions, captures callbacks, and escalates complex inquiries to licensed professionals. SMS has proven especially effective for respectful nudges (“Would you like the rollover checklist?”) and for confirming appointment logistics. This reduces no-shows and preserves momentum once intent is signaled.
Why $45 CPL Matters: Unit Economics
Consider a simplified model. If a firm acquires 1,000 exclusive inquiries at $45 CPL, media spend totals $45,000. At a modest 10% appointment-set rate and a 25% close rate from appointments, 25 new accounts are opened. If the average funded amount yields even a conservative commission, the unit economics can be compelling—especially when compared to higher-cost, non-exclusive leads that demand heavier dialing and lower win rates.
Because tracking and segmentation are tight, learnings compound: high-yield segments receive more budget; creative variants that underperform are sunset; and follow-up cadences are tuned to minimize drop-off. The result is a pipeline that stabilizes rather than seesaws with every platform change.
Attribution, Tracking & Transparency
Clients receive granular reporting—lead source, campaign and ad group, landing experience, first-touch vs. last-touch contribution, call recordings where applicable, and appointment outcomes. For brands long accustomed to opaque lead brokering, this transparency is transformative. Budgets can be defended, forecasts refined, and compliance logs maintained without forensic guesswork.
Case Snapshots (Anonymized)
Mid-Market Metals Firm Replaces Aged Lists
Facing high abandonment and rising complaint rates from aged data, a mid-market firm piloted inbound-only traffic through the SMART framework. CPL fell below half of the prior average; booked consultations increased as SMS confirmations reduced no-shows.
Search-Heavy Advertiser Diversifies Channels
A company reliant on competitive search terms tested educational content with audience segmentation and retargeting. Time-on-page rose, form completion rates improved, and the booked-call-to-fund ratio climbed as prospects arrived better informed.
Appointment Integrity Through Confirmation Flows
Introducing opt-in SMS reminders and pre-call checklists cut appointment attrition. Representatives reported higher-quality conversations because prospects had reviewed rollover basics before the call.
How to Evaluate a Gold IRA Lead Vendor
Due-diligence prompts for teams:
Is the lead exclusive to your firm? How is exclusivity enforced?
What consent and disclosure language is captured at opt-in? Can you audit it?
What attribution granularity do you receive (UTMs, call logs, appointment outcomes)?
How are educational assets reviewed for balance and compliance?
What is the follow-up cadence (email/SMS), and can you customize content?
What segments and channels are producing the most efficient CPL and the best close rates?
How quickly are inquiries acknowledged, and what is the SLA to first human contact?
Firms that cannot answer these questions with documentation are likely guessing at performance. By contrast, the operating model at Gold IRA Leads centers on documentation, audit trails, and shared definitions of success.
FAQ: Gold IRA Leads
Are these the same as list purchases?
No. The focus is live, inbound demand. Prospects engage with educational materials and opt in; their inquiry is then routed to one firm. There is no recycling or reselling of the same contact across multiple providers.
What does “SMART Tech” actually mean in practice?
It refers to the integration of segmentation, educational messaging, automation for speed-to-lead, respectful retargeting, and end-to-end tracking. The value comes from coordination—each piece strengthens the others.
Is $45 CPL realistic across all channels?
Costs vary by market conditions and brand posture. The point is less about a universal number and more about a repeatable system that sustains competitive CPLs while improving readiness-to-convert.
How do SMS and calls fit into the funnel?
Many high-value prospects prefer direct conversations. Permission-based SMS confirms interest, shares checklists, and reduces appointment friction; calls address nuanced questions and build trust.
What should compliance-conscious brands watch for?
Clear disclosures, documented consent, balanced claims, and data-handling procedures. Ask to review sample landing pages and opt-in flows. Verify that vendor messaging aligns with your custodial requirements and risk tolerance.
The Bottom Line
In a crowded, compliance-sensitive market, Gold IRA Leads shows that disciplined execution can deliver both quality and efficiency. The SMART framework—segmentation, education-first messaging, automation, retargeting, and tracking—reduces waste while respecting investor preferences. For providers weighing whether to keep chasing aged lists or to rebuild around informed inbound demand, the results from this model make a persuasive case for change.
For readers interested in deeper operational details or pilot criteria, visit the official site: goldiraleads.com.
"Numbers And Finance" by kenteegardin is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.
Washington D.C. — The Securities and Exchange Commission this month charged audit firm BF Borgers CPA PC and its owner, Benjamin F. Borgers (together, “Respondents”), with deliberate and systemic failures to comply with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) standards in its audits and reviews incorporated in more than 1,500 SEC filings from January 2021 through June 2023. The SEC also charged the Respondents with falsely representing to their clients that the firm’s work would comply with PCAOB standards; fabricating audit documentation to make it appear that the firm’s work did comply with PCAOB standards; and falsely stating in audit reports included in more than 500 public company SEC filings that the firm’s audits complied with PCAOB standards.
To settle the SEC’s charges, BF Borgers agreed to pay a $12 million civil penalty, and Benjamin Borgers agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty. Both Respondents also agreed to permanent suspensions from appearing and practicing before the Commission as accountants, effective immediately.
“Ben Borgers and his audit firm, BF Borgers, were responsible for one of the largest wholesale failures by gatekeepers in our financial markets,” said Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “As a result of their fraudulent conduct, they not only put investors and markets at risk by causing public companies to incorporate noncompliant audits and reviews into more than 1,500 filings with the Commission, but also undermined trust and confidence in our markets. Because investors rely on the audited financial statements of public companies when making their investment decisions, the accountants and accounting firms that audit those statements play a critical role in our financial markets. Borgers and his firm completely abandoned that role, but thanks to the painstaking work of the SEC staff, Borgers and his sham audit mill have been permanently shut down.”
The SEC’s order finds that, among other things, the Respondents failed to adequately supervise and review the work of the team performing the audits and reviews; did not properly prepare and maintain audit documentation, known as “workpapers;” and failed to obtain engagement quality reviews, without which an audit firm may not issue an audit report. According to the SEC’s order, of 369 BF Borgers clients whose public filings from January 2021 through June 2023 incorporated BF Borgers’s audits and reviews, at least 75 percent of the filings incorporated BF Borgers’s audits and reviews that did not comply with PCAOB standards.
The SEC’s order further finds that, at Benjamin Borgers’s direction, BF Borgers staff copied workpapers from previous engagements for their clients, changing only the relevant dates, and then passed them off as workpapers for the current audit period. As a result, the order finds, BF Borgers’s workpapers falsely documented work that had not been performed. Among other things, the workpapers regularly documented purported planning meetings – required to discuss a client’s business and consider any potential risk areas – that never occurred and falsely represented that both Benjamin Borgers, as the partner in charge of the engagement, and an engagement quality reviewer had reviewed and approved the work.
The SEC’s order finds that the Respondents engaged in improper professional conduct and violated, and caused violations of, the antifraud, recordkeeping, and other provisions of the federal securities laws. Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings as to each of them, BF Borgers and Benjamin Borgers both consented to an order, effective immediately, pursuant to which they are ordered to pay civil penalties and are denied the privilege of appearing or practicing before the Commission as an accountant, as discussed above. In addition, they are censured and must cease and desist from committing or causing violations of the relevant provisions of the federal securities laws.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Taryn Lewis, Jake Schmidt, and Ann Tushaus of the Chicago Regional Office, and was supervised by Brian Fagel.
Los Ángeles, California – El día que Andrii Tupchii y su familia se subieron a un vuelo rumbo a EE. UU., lo hicieron con tanto alivio como pesadumbre en su interior: atrás quedaban los bombardeos y ataques del ejército ruso que llevan más de dos años destruyendo Ucrania, su país natal. El cambio de escenario y de cultura se vislumbraba difícil y necesario pero, a pesar de los obstáculos tanto previsibles como inesperados, el voleibol se ha alzado como una incomparable puerta de entrada a un país donde, poco a poco, la familia al completo está reconstruyendo su vida.
El currículum profesional de Tupchii es un testamento a una carrera plagada de logros como jugador y entrenador que ahora le permiten volcarse en la formación deportiva de decenas de jóvenes del Club United de Voleibol, situado en la ciudad californiana de Fountain Valley. Posee 18 años de experiencia como jugador y entrenador en siete países del mundo, una trayectoria a la que se suman sus conocimientos en varios idiomas, incluyendo el ucraniano, el inglés, las lenguas serbias y el ruso.
Desde septiembre de 2023, Tupchii dirige y entrena a los equipos masculinos de 14 y 16 años y es entrenador asistente de los equipos femeninos de 17 y 18 años. Cuenta que el voleibol goza de gran popularidad en EE. UU., una tendencia de la que se percató en los torneos locales que se celebran en California, los cuales atraen a un gran número de aficionados y jugadores en las categorías juveniles desde primera hora de la mañana hasta que cae el sol.
Pero, a pesar de la elevada población latina en California, estima que tan solo 2 de cada 12 niños se decantan por este deporte. En el United, sin embargo, cerca del 80% de los jóvenes pertenecen a minorías étnicas, de los cuales un 20% serían latinos o hispanos.
“En el club tenemos una familia latina cuyas cuatro hijas (de 10, 14, 15 y 16 años) compiten en cuatro categorías femeninas distintas para el United y juegan muy bien”, asegura Tupchii. “Están muy dedicadas al voleibol y algunas han ganado incluso torneos nacionales”.
La proyección profesional de estos jóvenes es difícil de augurar, pero según el deportista, algunos muestran ya habilidades que, al menos, los sitúan en el camino hacia una beca universitaria. Sostiene que, en general, cerca del 20% de los niños que incursionan en el voleibol a los 11 años gozan de una buena probabilidad de obtener becas universitarias.
Esta probabilidad también se extiende a su hija que, con 11 años, se encuentra entre la plantilla juvenil del club y parece haber heredado el talento paterno. “Tiene todas las posibilidades del mundo de convertirse en una gran jugadora”, vaticina.
Los inicios de Tupchii en el voleibol fueron tardíos en términos deportivos ––a los 14 años––, pero rápidamente aprendió que el espíritu de sacrificio y la disciplina pueden ser cruciales para forjar la personalidad a una edad temprana y sobreponerse a los problemas que la vida nos va presentando. A los 17 años dio el salto al deporte profesional, y con 23 años, una lesión de espalda estuvo a punto de apartarlo del voleibol de forma permanente. En aquel entonces, era el mejor jugador del Campeonato Nacional de Serbia y contribuyó a que su equipo lograra un segundo puesto en el torneo. Era octubre de 2022.
“Los médicos me dijeron que tenía que poner fin a mi carrera. Era toda una tragedia y no podía creerlo”, lamenta.
Tras buscar la ayuda de varios especialistas y someterse a un intenso proceso de rehabilitación, se recuperó, retomó los entrenamientos y regresó a la competición. “Estoy realmente muy orgulloso de mi decisión de no tirar la toalla a pesar de lo difícil que fue”, asegura.
Esta actitud le sirvió para acumular grandes conquistas deportivas a lo largo de los años, como proclamarse campeón de la Supercopa Nacional de Ucrania en 2021 con el VC Zhutuchi – PNU, el título más importante en Ucrania y el mayor logro en la historia del club.
Estos son los valores que ahora le inculca a los jóvenes a los que entrena en California, una pasión que ya fue cultivando en su etapa como jugador profesional y durante la cual participó como voluntario en jornadas de entrenamiento para niños mientras competía en las ligas profesionales en Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Catar, Turquía, Túnez, Francia, la República de Serbia y Arabia Saudí.
“Al acabar mi carrera profesional, siempre quise dedicarme a entrenar, compartir mi experiencia internacional y mis conocimientos”, explica. Y ahora, su mayor satisfacción es observar “la felicidad en los ojos de los niños” después de haberse aplicado en la cancha y ver los resultados de su tesón.
“Mira, entrenador, hice lo que me dijiste y hemos ganado”, relata Tupchii que le cuentan los pequeños.
“El impacto comunitario de la policía predictiva”, difundido por Investor News, se alza con un galardón
La corresponsal Aitana Vargas recibió anoche dos galardones del Club de Prensa de Los Ángeles (LA Press Club) en una gala que premió los mejores trabajos periodísticos del sur de California y que contó con la presencia de grandes personalidades del mundo del periodismo y del entretenimiento de Los Ángeles.
Vargas obtuvo un primer puesto en la categoría Reportaje en Profundidad por “El impacto comunitario de la policía predictiva“, un trabajo copublicado por Investor News,La Cronista, La Opinión, HispanicLA, Los Ángeles Press y la Universidad del Sur de California (USC, por sus siglas en inglés), que explora las potenciales consecuencias que pueden derivarse del uso de las tecnologías predictivas por parte de las fuerzas del orden en comunidades históricamente marginalizadas.
El trabajo premiado es la segunda entrega de una serie de dos partes producida con fondos de USC, y se apoya en testimonios de activistas, expertos y afectados para analizar las tecnologías predictivas y establecer una correlación entre la actividad policial y el bienestar individual y comunitario.
Se trata del segundo premio publicado por Investor News que Vargas recibe desde el año 2022. En aquella ocasión, la periodista obtuvo un galardón por su trabajo “A Special Report: The Harrowing Impunity of White-Collar Crime“, una serie de investigación que expone el presunto entramado corporativo creado en plena pandemia por la empresaria Hadari Oshri y Marc Lubaskza y que pretendía vender PPE inexistente.
En un intento por evitar la difusión de la serie, Oshri acudió a los tribunales y exigió que la periodista cesara sus investigaciones. La justicia falló en favor de la periodista, que se acogió a la Primera Enmienda de la Constitución estadounidense, la cual protege el derecho a la libertad de expresión.
Durante la velada de anoche en el histórico Hotel Biltmore, situado en el centro de Los Ángeles, Vargas recibió un segundo premio en la categoría Género y Sociedad por “Trans in High School” (Ser Trans en la Secundaria), un trabajo publicado en Palabra., una revista bilingüe de carácter nacional que pertenece a la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ).
La reportera también recibió un segundo lugar como Periodista del Año y un tercer puesto por “Safe to Learn”, un reportaje difundido por Palabra.
Los ganadores fueron seleccionados entre más de 2.300 trabajos.
El currículum profesional de Tupchii es un testamento a una carrera plagada de logros como jugador y entrenador que ahora le permiten volcarse en la formación deportiva de decenas de jóvenes del Club United de Voleibol, situado en la ciudad californiana de Fountain Valley. Posee 18 años de experiencia como jugador y entrenador en siete países del mundo, una trayectoria a la que se suman sus conocimientos en varios idiomas, incluyendo el ucraniano, el inglés, las lenguas serbias y el ruso. 