ScamTelegraph reports that Gold Crowdfunding, launched in mid-2014 by President and Founder James C. Hill, operates without retailable products and has connections to individuals previously involved in recruitment-driven schemes. The company's website does not provide a corporate address, though its domain registration points to Utah and lists Lynford Theobald of AutoTelNET, Inc. as the owner.
The relationship between Lynford Theobald and Gold Crowdfunding remains undefined on the company's platform. Theobald is noted only for creating a "project" on the site, soliciting $150,000 from members. These funds were purportedly intended for gold mining operations located in Tanzania, Africa.
James C. Hill's corporate biography on Gold Crowdfunding outlines his professional history, beginning in psychiatric departments working on "behavior modification" research. The biography states that Hill created multiple "e-commerce programs" in the early 2000s, which he claims were "widely accepted worldwide." These programs reportedly taught him to collaborate with international teams on e-commerce system development.
Among the "e-commerce programs" Hill references was OneX. Operating under the pseudonym "J.C.," Hill frequently hosted affiliate conference calls for OneX, identifying himself as part of the administrative team. OneX functioned as a $5 entry, recruitment-driven matrix scheme that compensated affiliates for recruiting new members. It served as a lower-cost entry point for the investment scheme QLXchange.
OneX attracted participants such as Andy Bowdoin, the figure behind the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme. After AdSurfDaily's collapse, Bowdoin encouraged his former investors to join OneX under him, intending to raise money for his legal defense. Prosecutors intervened, and a 2012 court filing identified James C. Hill as one of OneX's "principals," confirming his identity as "J.C.," who had previously assured conference call listeners of "God's" support for OneX.
Andy Bowdoin received a 78-month prison sentence in mid-2012. James C. Hill, however, was not prosecuted at that time and had maintained a low profile in the multi-level marketing sector until the launch of Gold Crowdfunding. The platform itself lacks any tangible products or services for retail sale. Affiliates primarily market membership to the Gold Crowdfunding system.
What is Gold Crowdfunding and when was it established?
Gold Crowdfunding is a platform launched in mid-2014, founded by James C. Hill. It operates as a fundraising mechanism without offering retailable products or services.
Who owns the Gold Crowdfunding domain?
The Gold Crowdfunding domain is registered to Lynford Theobald of AutoTelNET, Inc., though the nature of his relationship with the company is not clarified on the Gold Crowdfunding website.
What fundraising project is associated with Lynford Theobald?
Lynford Theobald created a project on Gold Crowdfunding requesting $150,000 from members, which he stated was for gold mining operations in Tanzania, Africa.