Since 2016, millions of Trump supporters have been deceived by a scam connected to Donald Trump. They were promised million dollars returns all from a small investment of just $299. All they needed to do, they were told, was trust in President Donald Trump and his campaign.
What began as false promises of wealth has since ended up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for hopeful individuals, some even lost their life savings trying to withdraw the ‘funds’ that were never real.
In recent months, victims and their families have turned to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit to share their stories, they described the hardships they faced after investing their life savings in what they believed were Trump-backed products called TRB (Trump Rebate Banking System).
“Last year, my father invested $1,500 into Trump bucks and Trump coins. He also invested money into a “TRB card”. You can find all these scams on proudpatriots.com. After the news of the scam came out, he’s just been in complete denial and thinks these will be will millions when the government crashes.” said a Reddit user.
TRB card and Trump bucks
byu/BreadGod0 inScams
“I am not able to cash out my TRB PRODUCTS I have used people on Telegram that seem to be scamming me. If, I had known that TRB was a scam to get my money I would not have gotten involved. If President Trump should happen to see this post I need help. I purchased over $18,000.00” – stated a user on X (formerly Twitter).
I am not able to cash out my TRB PRODUCTS I have used people on Telegram that seem to be scamming me. If, I had known that TRB was a scam to get my money I would not have gotten involved. If President Trump should happen to see this post I need help. I purchased over $18,000.00
— Theodore Ridenour (@tedridenour69) February 9, 2024
“For any of you who bought Trump coins, TRB bucks, and such alike. It was a scam. A secure source on telegram “SpecialQForces” identifies scammer as Phil Godlewski. And he made millions. Bought luxury homes with it. Just so you know.” stated another user on X (formerly Twitter).
For any of you who bought Trump coins, TRB bucks, and such alike. It was a scam. A secure source on telegram “SpecialQForces” identifies scammer as Phil Godlewski. And he made millions. Bought luxury homes with it. Just so you know.
— Redpill46 (@leand13000) August 18, 2023
Behind this massive scam is a small group of individuals operating from a city called Veles. This town in the Balkans has become famous for devising a very simple scam that has generated a fortune for some by exploiting the loyalty of American Trump supporters. While exact numbers are hard to find, it’s estimated that the profits from this scam are over $100 million.
How It All Started…
The small city in central North Macedonia, with a population of about 50,000, first found out about the potential profit it could make using Donald Trump’s name back in 2015 and 2016. Where a group of young students started publishing fake news stories about Trump and the U.S. elections. Interviews with Veles residents who owned these websites revealed that they were earning about 600 to 1,800 denars for every 1,000 views.
After Donald Trump won the 2016 election, Veles was focused on a completely new money-making opportunity. The so-called TRB (Trump Rebate Banking) System was launched around 2016-2017, presented as an official project backed by Donald Trump and his campaign, marketed as a get-rich-quick opportunity for every American Trump supporter. In reality, the only ones getting rich were the affiliates and vendors of these products.
How It all Ended…
On May 27, 2022, NBC News posted the first of several reports showing that many American patriots who bought this fake products ‘associated’ with Donald Trump from private Telegram channels, tried to exchange them for real money at local banks and stores. But, the most common response they received from bank employees was, “We’ve never heard of anything like this—it’s most likely a scam.”
Some of former President Trump’s most fervent supporters are being swindled into investing thousands in “Trump Bucks” that promise riches once cashed in.
Instead, they’re receiving memorabilia that no bank will cash. https://t.co/DOie6GYkSV — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 2, 2024
Many of these individuals turned to social media, particularly X (formally Twitter), to share their experiences. “If you bought any of the TRB Trump products on Telegram, you have been scammed, they are not legal tender and are not supported by any bank or convenience store.”
This was just one of many posts from people who had been tricked into buying these fake products. As other major news websites such as Forbes, The New York Times, and Fox News covered the story, websites like Digistore24 and ClickBank, where the TRB products were listed, removed all products connected to Donald Trump and the TRB system from their platforms.
New Platform, New Scam – 2023
Following the ban of TRB and Trump-related products on platforms such as Digistore24 and ClickBank, sellers quickly looked for a new platform to continue their scam. The choice? CopeCart, often called ‘Cope’ by sellers of these fake Trump products, allowed hundreds of these products to be listed and sold on their platform with no regulations on the marketing and sales of the products.
The company also confirmed that all products resembling souvenirs must indicate that they “have no monetary value.” All products reviewed by SNNW include a disclaimer in the description stating that they are souvenirs, both on CopeCart’s final checkout page and in small print on their websites as well.
The entire scam, which had allowed a few people to make millions, began to fall apart on February 26, 2024 after nearly a year of operations on the new platform, CopeCart. The collapse started when Radio Free Europe published a full investigation report on the entire scam. Within hours, all private channels promoting these fake Trump-related products were completely deleted.
The operations of the small group of scammers based in Veles were temporarily put “on pause.” However, this pause lasted only a few weeks before a couple of individuals launched an entirely new system, designed to generate millions for the scammers.
“Екипо, тука сме повторно со вас да направиме повторно BOOM! Се работи за нов систем што веќе секој во Америка го знае AMF System Накратко акциите од TRB системот се веќе откупени од AMF системот и искеширањето ке се одвива само преку AMF системот.” The first message, written in Macedonian, was posted on April 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. in a private Telegram channel named “AMF System Card.” This channel currently has 689 subscribers and is accessible only with administrator approval.
After launching the AMF System Card—which generated hundreds of thousands of dollars within just a few weeks—the same vendor released another product called the AMF System Handbook. This new product also featured the signatures, imagery, and text associated with Donald Trump.
“Земете си Affiliate links па видете си сами Conversion rate над 10% мислам дека беше 
. AMF System Handbook беше тестиран од наша страна, а ќе се уверите и сами колку е прејака приказната, а и самиот продукт. Еден офер е $1499 ама сепак си го купуваат повеќе пати ПРОВЕРЕНО.”
Within just 28 days of launching the AMF System Card, the vendor shared a video in their private Telegram channel showcasing a CopeCart account with over $1,000,000 in sales. Nearly four months later, they released another video revealing total combined earnings of $4,009,089 across all their products.”
One such product was the Golden Q Coin, which used fabricated videos and images of Donald Trump to falsely claim the coin was valued at $100,000 and would soon rise to nearly $150,000. It was being sold for a “limited-time” price of just $150 on the official website.
The vendor also shared an image allegedly showing that he had earned nearly $1,000,000 from sales of the Golden Q Coin and the AMF Form through his CopeCart account in just a few weeks.
Deepfake Technology…
This entire scheme relies heavily on fake images and deepfake videos to deceive American TRB holders and investors into purchasing products through affiliate links on CopeCart. Once an affiliate link is created and shared within a Telegram channel, the money starts rolling in. Using tools like Photoshop and deepfake AI technology, vendors of products like the AMF System Card—who also run channels such as AMF System Handbook, AMF Golden Coin, and AMF Fees Cards—post ads nearly every day.
Following an in-depth investigation by SNNW, we discovered that nearly all websites selling these fake “Trump” products are hosted on a platform called Godaddy. Using tools like who.is, we couldn’t identify the individuals who registered the websites due to domain name privacy protections. However, according to Godaddy’s Terms of Service, the hosting company is legally required to comply with any actions taken by authorities or law enforcement agencies.
The Real Losers? American Trump Supporters…
After purchasing one of these fake products and waiting 10-15 days for it to arrive at your home address, as stated in the private Telegram channels, you might write something on the certificate or try to use your card.
By that time, your chances of getting a refund are nearly zero. The 14-day money-back guarantee on CopeCart has usually expired by the time the product arrives, and the fake Telegram agent who sold you the product has deleted the entire conversation.
Customers misled into purchasing these fake products, hoping to “cash out their funds,” may never see their money again. Scammers in Veles have created additional systems, such as requiring Americans to register for a 14 to 30 day waiting period to “process TRB payments,” a strategy intended to “avoid refunds,” as noted in one of the private Telegram channels.
If something seems too good to be true, it more than likely is. If you come across a scam like this, it’s advisable to report it to local authorities immediately.
Statement: SNNW interviewed a victim of this scheme who requested anonymity for this investigation. She currently holds 1,328 TRB products stored in a bank safe. Although she declined to disclose the exact amount spent on these purchases, she indicated that it totals hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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