Citizens cry out to national security after losing ‘millions’ to cryptocurrency dealer  

JUBA – A section of South Sudanese online users is crying out for help and intervention of the country’s National Security Service (NSS) after apparently losing thousands, if not millions, of dollars to a supposed cryptocurrency investment agency.

Many South Sudanese citizens have put their money into Silicone Valley Shares’ website for ‘investment’. But the website of the dealer that claims to be “a venture capital firm with more than $6.4 billion in assets” has gone down sparking panic among citizens ‘investing’ their money on the website.

“Silicone Valley Shares is a venture capital firm with more than $6.4 billion in assets under management that invests early in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth,” the online dealer claimed on its website in 2021.

It claims that it “invests in seed to growth-stage startups that are using tech to disrupt existing markets or create entirely new ones. The firm invests from seed to growth in enterprise software, infrastructure software, and industries being transformed by data.”

Victims claiming to have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars on the website have now taken to social media calling out to the National Security Service for immediate action to save their money and prevent similar businesses from scamming citizens in the future.

“I can’t believe this. I have invested my money on this platform twice and got some traffic but now it appears to be a set up to loot the millions of poverty-stricken South Sudanese innocent people who wish to make a living at the end of the day with any organization,” one user wrote in one of the WhatsApp groups.

“The option is now for the National Security Service, our own intelligence agency, to rein in this scam and rescue hundreds of thousands or probably millions of dollars,” the user added.

For his part, government critic and prominent activist Wani Michael asked of the National Security Service’s role which he said is supposed to protect the citizens from such online activities which are becoming very common in the country.

“What’s this story about Silicone Valley?” Michael asked.

“Where’re our National Security economic intelligence guys? What’s National Communication Authority doing to protect South Sudanese online from fraudsters?” he wondered.