Police have opened up an investigation into a suspected online scam that swindled thousands in euros from people living in Malta. 

Lovin Malta recently revealed how Fenton, a service which promised people easy money to like and share content on key social media sites like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Police have now confirmed that it is looking into the case with several victims telling the newsroom that they had reached out to authorities over the issue.

To join the service, people would need to pay a premium to join exclusive services. The more people would pay, the more services and awards would be made available to them. 

Charges for the service climbed to as expensive as €3,000. Lovin Malta has spoken to countless victims of the scam, some of whom forked out the full fee.

According to Fenton’s website, the company is registered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, this newsroom is informed of potential local operators who led the scheme. 

Fenton had a veneer of legitimacy, hosting a number of activities in Malta and conducting some charity work. 

Meanwhile, adverts were also placed across Malta in notable locations, including major retailers.

It all seemed to be going smoothly as users noticed large amounts entering the account they held on the app. However, things suddenly changed over the last few days as people began noticing trouble in withdrawing the fees they earned.

The company claims it was first set up on 3rd July 2021 and is a partner of Dentsu, which is one of the world’s leading advertising companies. However, records linking the company in Malta to Dentsu are practically negligible.

The administrators of the respective social media pages have since vanished and are no longer operating the groups.

It appears that this isn’t the first time the people behind Fenton have employed similar schemes, with social media users warning of previous issues with similar apps.