American Investors Club (abbreviated as AIC) is a confirmed online investment scam organization. This group presents itself as a sophisticated educational and networking platform for elite investors through a seemingly professional website and online community. Their ultimate goal is to lure investors into depositing funds into their unregulated, fake forex trading platform ForexPhyx, thus illegally seizing their assets.
The core feature of this scam is its elaborate false backstory, including fabricated founders, team members, and charitable activities, misleadingly using the names of reputable financial institutions to gain victims' trust.
Fraud Model
The fraudulent operations of this organization can be clearly broken down into the following steps:
Step 1: Packaging and Luring
- The organization created a website called "American Investors Club," which is well-designed and filled with professional jargon. The site claims the club was founded in 2015 and has over 80,000 members, creating an illusion of a long-established, large-scale entity.
- One of the most blatant fraudulent acts is the claim under its logo “BY MORGAN STANLEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT”, an unauthorized and seriously misleading act intended to deceive investors.
Step 2: Establishing False Authority and Trust
- Fake Key Figures: At the core of the scam are fictional founders Jason Sanders and his assistant Ava Sholes. The website concocts an extremely detailed resume for Jason Sanders, claiming he is a financial expert with a Ph.D. and CFA title, with thirty years of experience and links to reputable institutions like Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan. Ava Sholes is portrayed as a friendly and reliable club administrator, responsible for direct communication with victims to foster closeness.
- Fake Team and Testimonials: The website displays an “analyst team” including Patrick Jaden, Kate Gaspar, and “positive feedback from members” like “Stefan” and “Andrea”. These people and testimonials are fabricated, with photos typically stolen or purchased from stock images.
- Fake Charitable Activities: Through the “AIC NONPROFIT PROJECTS” page, the organization claims to have donated over $1.7 million with ForexPhyx during the COVID-19 pandemic, attempting to establish themselves as a socially responsible charitable entity to deeply earn victims' trust.
Step 3: Associating with Legitimate Platforms to Obfuscate
On its "Trusted Platforms" page, the organization lists two well-known legitimate platforms, Robinhood and Coinbase, alongside their own scam platform ForexPhyx. This tactic uses the reputation of the former to endorse ForexPhyx, making it appear equally legitimate to lower investors' vigilance.
Step 4: Directing to the Core Fraud Platform
Once investors show interest, the club's "advisors" (often played by scammers) use various tactics, such as "receiving exclusive trading signals" or "using our recommended efficient platform," to prompt users to register and deposit funds on the ForexPhyx website (fxphyx.com). They usually provide an "invitation code" to complete this step.
Step 5: Illegally Seizing Funds
ForexPhyx is a fake platform entirely controlled by the scam group. Once victims transfer their funds, these are immediately seized by the scammers. Victims might initially see fake "profits" on the platform, but when attempting to withdraw, they will encounter various obstacles, such as high "taxes", system maintenance, or account freezes, ultimately losing everything.
Core Fabricated Entities and Individuals
ForexPhyx Platform
This platform is the heart of the scam. Although the website claims to be "regulated by the NFA" and lists registration information in the UK, Canada, and Australia, these are false statements.
- Actual Regulatory Status: A search in the official NFA database in the USA reveals ForexPhyx has no regulatory records. The company registration number 20251678077 provided is merely a regular business registration in Colorado, not a financial regulatory license for forex trading.
- Platform Background: According to Whois, its domain fxphyx.com was registered on May 25, 2025, a brand new site. The website averages less than 50 visits per month, has no social media links, and does not provide a genuine office address.
- Missing Features: The site provides vague information about account types and deposit/withdrawal methods, and does not offer a valid download link for the claimed MT5 trading software.
Jason Sanders
A completely fabricated character, serving as the "face" of the scam. His impressive resume, professional photo (likely stolen), and compelling story are all constructed to present an authoritative expert, leading investors to lower their guard and trust his investment advice.
Ava Sholes
A fictional club administrator and founder's assistant. In the scam, she plays the "approachable" role, responsible for building personal connections with victims and providing "thoughtful service," which is crucial in coaxing victims into crucial actions like depositing funds.
Key Flaws and Evidence of Fraud
Fatal Timeline Paradox
A clear proof of the fraudulent nature of the organization. The website claims to have donated $1.7 million with Forexphyx during the COVID-19 pandemic (mainly between 2020-2022). However, public domain registration information shows:
- americantradersclub.com registered in late 2023.
- fxphyx.com registered in 2025. A club that existed only in late 2023 and a platform registered in 2025 could never have collaborated or donated during 2020-2022. This falsehood completely exposes all its promotional content as retrospective fabrication.
Public False Regulatory Claims
Claiming to be regulated by the NFA is among the most common lies in forex scams. Any investor can easily verify through the NFA's BASIC database that ForexPhyx is not listed.
Investor Risk Warning
The American Investors Club (AIC) and ForexPhyx are classic online investment scams. Investors should exercise high caution and note the following:
- Verify Regulatory Information: Before investing in any financial platform, personally check with the official websites of relevant countries or regions' regulatory bodies (like the NFA, CFTC in the USA, FCA in the UK).
- Be Wary of High Returns Promises: Any investment opportunity promising stable, high returns is highly likely to be a scam.
- Do Not Trust the "Authoritative" Packaging: Scammers are adept at fabricating impressive resumes and backgrounds. For any "expert" or "institution," verify through independent, authoritative third-party channels (such as official news, academic databases, financial regulatory websites).
- Pay Attention to Timeline Logic: Carefully scrutinize the time information in promotional materials, such as company establishment dates and major events, and compare them with objective data like domain registration dates to often discover discrepancies.
- Avoid Unregulated Platforms: Do not deposit funds into platforms recommended through social media, strangers, or those lacking clear regulatory information.
