Danny de Hek

Danny de Hek is a New Zealand-based YouTuber and OSINT researcher who has published detailed investigations into alleged Ponzi schemes and cryptocurrency frauds.[1]

Early life

De Hek was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and was later disfellowshipped, a formal process of expulsion within the organisation that involves social shunning by members.[1] After leaving the religious community, De Hek worked for several years in manual trades, including as a painter and decorator, before transitioning into business and online ventures.[1] He later became involved in business networking, operating an in-person networking organisation for a number of years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this business ceased operating, prompting him to focus more heavily on online work and digital platforms.[1]

Career

De Hek began investigating scams because of a hoax email he saw in the late 2010s.[2] He later established a YouTube channel focused on investigating Ponzi schemes and high-risk online investment platforms. By 2023 he had produced more than 130 videos about scams.[3]

Pakistan investigations

In April 2025, the United States Department of Justice indicted the proprietors of an e-commerce website, eWorldTrade, for conspiring to distribute synthetic opioids in the United States.[4] In June 2025, de Hek began publishing a series of investigations into the parent company of eWorldTrade as well as connected business operations based in Texas and Pakistan. de Hek's investigation claimed that eWorldTrade was owned by Intersys Limited, a Pakistan-based company formerly known as Abtach, with operations in the United States. The cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs independently corroborated the connection, reporting that Intersys and its associated networks were implicated in fentanyl-analog trafficking and online scam operations targeting American consumers through a sprawling network of companies across the United States and Pakistan.[5][6][7]

In response, three lawsuits were filed in Pakistan against de Hek.[8][9][10]

Goliath Ventures

In 2025, de Hek published articles and videos alleging that Orlando-based cryptocurrency firm Goliath Ventures and its CEO, Christopher Delgado, were operating a Ponzi scheme.[11] In September 2025, Goliath Ventures filed a 124-page defamation lawsuit against de Hek in Circuit Court in Orlando, Florida.[11][12] In February 2026, Delgado was arrested by federal agents and charged with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an alleged US$328 million Ponzi scheme.[11] Following Delgado's arrest, Goliath's lawyers dismissed the defamation lawsuit against de Hek, though they indicated the possibility of refiling.[11]

HyperVerse

One of de Hek's most prominent investigations concerned HyperVerse (also known as HyperFund), a crypto investment firm. de Hek began publishing coverage on HyperVerse in February 2022, claiming the corporation was a Ponzi scheme.[1] The scheme subsequently collapsed, after which investors were no longer able to make withdrawals.[13] In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Lee with conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud for orchestrating a US$1.89 billion cryptocurrency fraud scheme.[14] The SEC simultaneously filed civil charges against Lee, alleging that HyperFund was a pyramid scheme with no real source of revenue other than funds received from investors.[13]

Defamation suits

de Hek has been the subject of several defamation actions brought by individuals he has investigated. In March 2023, Texas-based cryptocurrency promoter Stephen Andrew McCullah (who uses the name Steve McCullah) filed suit against de Hek in New Zealand's High Court, claiming YouTube videos de Hek had published about McCullah's activities involving Apollo crypto project were defamatory.[15] De Hek filed defences of truth, honest opinion, qualified privilege, and responsible public interest communication, and applied for security for costs.[15] McCullah discontinued the proceedings in June 2023.[15][16]

Associate Judge Owen Paulsen subsequently awarded de Hek indemnity costs of NZ$27,500, finding that McCullah had never intended to take the proceeding to trial and that the claim was brought not to vindicate his reputation but to stifle further publications—what the court characterised as a "gagging writ".[15][16]

Website removal

In June 2025, de Hek's website, dehek.com, was taken offline after Shavez Ahmed Siddiqui (also known as Shavez Anwar) submitted complaints to the site's hosting provider WP Engine. According to de Hek, the takedown occurred without prior notice and followed his reporting on HyperVerse and its links to Shavez Ahmed Siddiqui.[17] An independent report by BehindMLM noted that Siddiqui had attempted to have de Hek's content removed from several platforms.[18] The website was subsequently restored under the protection of Google Project Shield, a service that provides DDoS protection and other security services pro bono to journalists, news organizations, and human rights groups.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Segal, David (11 November 2022). "The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Christchurch's 'Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger'". Otago Daily Times. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  3. ^ "The Kiwi YouTuber taking down the crypto scammers from his Christchurch home". RNZ News. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  4. ^ "U.S. Online Marketplace Operator Charged with Trafficking Deadly Synthetic Opioids Stronger Than Fentanyl". United States Department of Justice. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  5. ^ Krebs, Brian (7 May 2025). "Pakistani Firm Shipped Fentanyl Analogs, Scams to U.S." KrebsOnSecurity. Retrieved 30 November 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ^ Steinhorn, Ariella (2025). "One NZ Man vs. Pakistani Scammers". Hard Reset Media. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Intersys Limited vs TechJuice.pk, Abdul Wasay, Danny de Hek, Krebs on Security" (PDF). deHek.com (Legal document). Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  8. ^ "Intersys Limited vs. TechJuice.pk, Abdul Wasay, Danny de Hek, KrebsOnSecurity" (PDF). DeHek.com. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  9. ^ "Erum Bilwani vs. Danny de Hek" (PDF). DeHek.com. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  10. ^ "Case Search – District Courts Sindh". District Courts Sindh. Retrieved 19 December 2025. Select Karachi (South) and enter case number 9395/2025 or 9396/2025 to view case details.
  11. ^ a b c d Hudak, Stephen; Morgan, Silas (1 March 2026). "Feds: Orlando crypto firm CEO lived a high life on others' money". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Case No. 2025-CA-009246-O". Orange County Clerk of Courts. Retrieved 6 March 2026. Search case number 2025-CA-009246-O to view case details.
  13. ^ a b "SEC Charges Founder of $1.7 Billion "HyperFund" Crypto Pyramid Scheme and Top Promoter with Fraud" (Press release). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Three Individuals Charged for Roles in $1.89B Cryptocurrency Fraud Scheme" (Press release). United States Department of Justice. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d Dierick, Jamie (8 September 2023). "YouTuber awarded costs after entrepreneur makes frivolous defamation claim". The Law Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b "McCullah v De Hek [2023] NZHC 2230". New Zealand Legal Information Institute. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  17. ^ "They Tried to Silence Me – Google Shield Is Now Protecting My Website". dehek.com. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  18. ^ "Shavez Anwar takes down DeHek, threatens Bloomberg & BehindMLM". BehindMLM. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
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