Thousands of Bulgarian consumers who invested in the British company BETL have reported that the company has stopped paying daily dividends and appears to have ceased its operations. They claim they no longer have access to the system. The company had promised large profits to anyone who became the owner of battery charging devices located in China. Users in Asia pay to charge their mobile phones, and the profits are deposited into the accounts of local investors.

Dimitar Dimitrov, one of the victims of the scheme, spoke to NOVA TV. Dimitrov and his family lost 20,000 leva and have been left without savings. "Initially, the conditions were wonderful. There were parties, dinners, for which the managers paid. There were training sessions conducted by Ms. Kalina. She assured us that this was a real company," Dimitrov said.

He learned about BETL from a colleague. "He was browsing an app on his phone, and I became interested. He said that good money could be made, that it was legit and had a certificate in the UK. I asked him how to get involved. He explained that you get an invitation code because not everyone can join. Once you get the code, there’s a trial period where they give you 20 dollars," he explained.

Later, a manager contacted him, to whom Dimitrov provided his personal details—full name, age, place of residence, and phone number for the registered account. "After that, they included me in Telegram groups where the training took place. In other words, we were told that we were not investors, but people who were investing in our own development. The company would return our funds after 30-35 working days to keep us interested," he added.

Dimitrov emphasized that, in reality, he received nothing tangible and was told that he was investing in machines located on the Asian market that return dividends. "They showed us a physical machine. In the first few months, we had several rotating devices that we showcased in cities around the country to show to our close ones. After a few months, they probably saw the market wasn't expanding. And under what I would call pressure, they told me that if I didn’t open an office, our partnership would end," he explained.

The office opened in August, with rent and utilities paid for the premises. This has led to losses of tens of thousands of leva for Dimitrov. "This is just a room. We work without signed contracts. We are partners telling a constructed concept, misleading information," Dimitrov stated.

NOVA's team attempted to contact Kalina Nikolova, the manager of the company in Bulgaria, but she has not answered calls so far. The National Revenue Agency (NAP) and the General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP) have received reports about BETL, which are currently under investigation./NOVA TV