About
The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), Securities Division, has received a complaint from a Washington resident (“Investor”) regarding https://vantagechasers.com , a purported stock trading platform. The website is currently inactive.
The Investor discovered Vantagechasers via a Facebook page called “PropTraderz.” PopTraderz claimed to provide “Free Trading indicators, Strategies, Books, etc.” and invited users to a Discord chat (messaging platform). The Investor joined the Discord chat and spoke with “MonicaPropTraderz” (“Monica”).
Monica recommended that the Investor sign up to a free “corporate broker” i.e., Vantagechasers so he could “automatically mirror” her trades. Monica claimed she helped 50+ members earn “$3k-$15k weekly” on a 10% commission. As of July 2025, the Vantagechasers website claimed to have 23,000 active users, $3.7M in market capitalization, $18.4M in revenue, 20 awards, partnerships that include Fortune 500 companies, and 12+ offices and branches.
The Investor was instructed to fund his Vantagechasers account via cryptocurrency. He initially deposited around $5,700. He successfully withdrew $25 as a test and saw his Vantagechaser balance increase due to Monica’s trading activities. Monica encouraged the Investor to deposit more and more funds to reach PDT (Principal Day Trader) and 2x PDT status to engage in “double trading session” and “compound better profit returns” even suggesting he take out loans to do so.
Through a series of deposits, the Investor increased his deposits to more than $63,000 by, in part, borrowing from his 401(k). Monica urged and coaxed the Investor to sidestep cryptocurrency fraud prevention procedures by using different platforms and misleading fraud prevention staff. For example, she told the Investor: “[D]on‘t just mention anything like Vantagechasers… [I]f you're asked the purpose of transfer, just tell them that you want to save your coins in a cold wallet.” She also encouraged the Investor to take out a bank loan and to “tell [the bank] that you're applying for [the loan] to go into physical business or agriculture and not investment because they believe that online investments or trading has more losses and they wouldn't allow you to do so.”
The Investor made repeated requests to withdraw funds against his purported $170,000 account balance but was denied access to his funds. He was told his funds were tied to trading activity, that his account had been placed on hold to reach “VIP” status (requiring him to deposit $100,000), and that his funds would be held until he paid commissions. The Investor grew suspicious and declined to fund his Vantagechasers further. The Investor’s Vantagechaser account has since been closed and he has not been able to withdraw any funds.
Websites:
https://www.facebook.com/PropTraderz
How to Report
If you believe you are a victim of this alleged cryptocurrency scam:
- Report to FBI
- If you are outside Washington State: contact your local Securities Regulator
- If you are a Washington State resident: Submit a Complaint for statistical purposes.