Research Company Diy Wazzub, Perfect Internet, Git Global Investment, What Is This Alleged Opportunity?

Introduction

When it comes to a potential income opportunity, "due diligence" is always needed, especially when some sort of investment is needed. Previously, I have written a hub on how to research the Internet for information on a supposedly income opportunity, but some have said there are no examples for them to follow. Here, we will test all the techniques and suggestions, and use it to research an opportunity that is supposedly being launched in 2012.

Please keep in mind that information can and do change. All results will be presented as they are during mid-January 2012. If there are any additional information, they will be appended as they are found.

The opportunity we will research is Wazzub, which is at wazzub.com and Wazzub.info (and later, Wazzubcharity.org)

The research items we'll cover includes, but is not limited to:

• WHOIS domain registration data
• business registration data for owner(s) / officer(s) / location(s) / document(s)
• any addresses that are attached (are they real business locations?)
• any names attached to the opportunity as owner, officer, etc.
• any related websites and their contents (source code, illustrations, etc.)
• Google search results
• any promoters of this "opportunity" and their prior careers and links

Keep in mind that as we discover items, they will often lead us to other items of interest, which can be cross-referenced.

Before we get started, let us emphasize a few rules of research online:

1. What exactly was said? (Go to the source)
2. Who said it? (Not hearsay, again, go to the source.)
3. Is that person believable? What is that person's reputation?
4. Can what was said be corroborated or verified by reputable source?
5. Are any logical fallacies present?

For more information on what sort of questions to ask, please consult my other hub

First we will research its domain info and see what sort of information we can peel from it. All research will be documented so you can duplicate it yourself.

UPDATE: Possible Wazzub owner mastermind found. You be the judge, jump to the end section (before comments).

UPDATE: Wazzub "launch" fizzled, changed tune to "success sharing", not "profit sharing". You be the judge, jump to the end section (before comments)

[ Enjoy this research? Check out my investigation into another supposed opportunity: HugeYield.com, which claims to be a "member advertising network", but what is it really? Also, there's my investigation into another claimed advertising network called GetPaidMagic, and how it's related to two other potential scams. ]

wazzub.com -- what can we get from it?

First of all, who registered the domain? Generally, I go to domaintools.com, but this provided rather scant info in January 2012:

Registrant:
GIT Global Investments Inc.

Registered through: Go Daddy
Domain Name: WAZZUB.COM

However, it did say it was registered through Godaddy.com, so you go to godaddy.com, which has its own whois server, and that yielded quite a bit more information:

Registrant:
GIT Global Investments Inc.

391 NW 179 Ave
Beaverton, Oregon 97006
United States

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, LLC (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: WAZZUB.COM
Created on: 11-Jun-11
Expires on: 11-Jun-17
Last Updated on: 03-Jan-12

Administrative Contact:
Department, Hosting service@wazzub.com
GIT Global Investments Inc.
391 NW 179 Ave
Beaverton, Oregon 97006
United States
+1.5418338222

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[ NOTE: In late January 2012 Wazzub updated their WHOIS info, see Update 29-JAN-2012 ]

Check WHOIS archives

Before we move on, let us check the WHOIS archives... Has the domain registration information been changed recently? You do that by going to who.is and do archive search (no longer works), which shows that there was a previous owner as recent as November 2011! On November 25th, 2011, the domain was registered to "Internet Global Value". Sometime after that, domain name was registered to "GIT Global Investments".

We will have to research both later. They could indicate common ownership or domain transfer, or it could have NOTHING to do with Wazzub at all. it was not uncommon for one person to register the domain and someone else to run it.

Items of Interest: business name(s) and their addresses, through WHOIS registration data, and their phone number

Verify all addresses

What is at 391 NW 179 Ave, Beaverton, OR 97006, which is the registered address of Wazzub / GIT Global Investment? Type the address into Google Maps, choose satellite view, and you get a normal house at the end of a cul-de-sac, certainly not a business in a business district. Indeed, realtor.com confirms that the house is a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom single family residence, last sold in 1991.

Okay, what else can you find at that address? If you search on regular Google with that address, you will get... Map of the place which we got already. There's a PDF from... state of Oregon? Interesting. Real estate and property tax records, okay. That proves it's a residential house. Link to... Scam.com? Take that with a grain of salt as any one can complain there. Link to North Atlantic Seafood? Interesting. We will explain each link in turn.

So what's that PDF from State of Oregon? It's addressed to William B. Halvorson... who resides at GIT Global Investment's address. It's a cease and desist order from State of Oregon, telling Mr. Halvorson and his various companies (at least 10 different ones, all claiming to be banking, investment, trust, and similar big sounding names, ALL registered to the same address) to stop registering any more companies with names that sounds like banking, trust, or that sort of business, as Mr. Halvorson is not permitted by Oregon law to do so, and will refrain from doing so in the future.

Should the fact that GIT Global Investment, which also has the word "investment" in their name, and is registered to the same address (albeit, a SLIGHTLY different name), concern you? I don't know. It seems Mr. Halvorson violated the cease and desist by registering the company "GIT Global Investment", but that's state of Oregon's problem.

Or even a more relevant question: GIT Global Investment is not an internet company. Why is it running Wazzub? Who is behind this GIT Global Investment?

Another couple names we got from the document are Cathy L Halverson (different spelling of last name), who appears to live in California, the lawyer Bengt Stenbock (who signed for the defendant), and the Notary Public, Tamara L. Burton, who is actually in California, NOT Oregon. It is interesting that Cathy L. Halverson was included in that "cease and desist" order as well.

Items of interest: all related people names, in combination with other items of interest

NOTE: alternate city and town names

Another interesting fact: while the address we typed in is Beaverton, OR, apparently the town is also known as Aloha, OR. If you enter either town name you get the same address and the same house. Thus we have to search for both town names. Also note the surname variant.

Items of interest: alternate names or spellings, such as Halverson vs. Halvorson, or different town names referring to the same location, such as Beaverton vs. Aloha.

What else can we find on this address?

If you keep searching Google that address, you'll find that a website called YellowPagesUSA.com (no longer active) also used that address as corporate mailing address.

If you keep searching Google, you'll also find a "Guardian Venture Investments" on Oregon Business Registry official website, registered to the SAME Aloha, OR address, but the registered agent is a Cathy L. Halverson in Roseville, California, who is also president and secretary.

And that "North Atlantic Seafood" company? Also at that same address, with William B. Halvorson as president! Same pattern as that "cease and desist" order from state of Oregon.

Let's check GIT Global Investment Inc... Which turns out to be a business registered by Cathy L. Halverson, and was "freshly" registered in September 2011. However, note that the registered business address may be in Oregon, Cathy L. Halverson actually lives in Roseville, California. Furthermore, the incorporation documents at the Oregon state website shows that the incorporator is a "Robert A. Lee". As the officers of the corporation, other than Cathy L. Halverson herself, is unknown, we have no idea what relation does this Robert A Lee has with the company.

Thus far, we have still not yet found where Wazzub, or GIT Global Investment, actually do business. It clearly can't be that residential house in Beaverton, Oregon, or that address in Roseville, California. So where is Wazzub / GIT Global Investments?

We can conclude that Cathy L. Halverson is probably William B. Halvorson's relative of some sort, both are serving as registration agents in their respective states. In other words, GIT Global Investments claims to be an Oregon company, even though it operates in Nevada. It is perfectly legal to do so, of course.

Item of Interest: chase down this "Robert A. Lee" and address, as well as T. Burton, and B. Stenbock.

Further research via Google on this "Robert A. Lee" shows that his registered address is same as Cathy L. Halverson's Roseville, California Address, which appears to be a law office, and a Incorporation service (where you go to get a company incorporated). He also appeared as "president" and "secretary" on various companies registered in Oregon, all registered with the same location (with the same T. Burton in California as notary public). And B Stenbock is their attorney. They apparently all work for the same company.

What about Internet Global Value?

Internet Global Value was never registered as a business in Oregon. However, it was registered in... Delaware in 31-MAR-2011! And additional information cost $$$. Research for the domain name "Internet Global Value" shows that the domain is registered to a "Earth Class Mail" PO Box in San Francisco, with a phone number that goes back to Wilmington, Delaware. (and a bit more info about this "Earth Class Mail service"). So that got us nowhere, except it seems to indicate we got the right company.

So what are the facts so far?

• Internet Global Value (registered in Delaware, but traces to a PO Box in San Francisco) is related to GIT Global Investments (registered in Oregon, mailing address in California, claimed physical address in Nevada) as Wazzub.com shows as owned by both of them
• GIT Global Investment's company registration agent had been issued a "cease and desist" by state of Oregon for registering companies that claims to be trust, bank or investment without having the authority to do so, which is a violation of Oregon banking laws.
• GIT Global Investment is registered in Oregon, but does not operate in Oregon
• There is absolutely NO information on who owns or runs GIT Global Investments

Analysis of the facts

The only thing that can be ascertained from the facts thus far is the owners and corporate officers of Wazzub / GIT Global Investments are unknown.

Moreover, "GIT Global Investment" is registered through an agent who was under "cease and desist" by state of Oregon to stop registering businesses with names of "bank", "trust", or "investment" as it's a violation of Oregon banking law. And "investment" is a part of "GIT Global Investments". Does that mean the cease and desist was violated? I don't know. That'd be up to state of Oregon to decide. But it is another point to consider.

What is this GIT Global Investments?

Let us turn toward this business called "GIT Global Investments", registered in Oregon, with a registered business location in a home in suburban Oregon, but with a MAILING address in Roseville California.

Search on Internet for the company name revealed that "GIT Global Investments" is a "sound-alike" for a legitimate software company in Canada called "GIT -- Global Investment Technologies".

The "lookupbook" link goes to a 404 not found webpage. Starting at the domain root and search from there shows no anomalies. Company was listed under investments, but that's probably due to its title, not its classification code.

Let us examine the final link on the Google search results... It goes to a heavily promo website Homebizblogs.com, so take the info with a few grains of salt. it is a post from "successwithphil", and it's a bunch of Q&A about Wazzub. Where did this information came from? No idea. Thus, take THAT with many grains of salt. Remember, we are not taking anything for granted. Government info, we can trust. Random posting on the Internet? Not trust-worthy unless backed up by more reliable info.

However, two questions and answers are interesting:

Q. Who owns and operates WAZZUB?

WAZZUB is an international project that has been created by a handful of entrepreneurs and investors. In September 2011 they founded GIT Global Investments, Inc. (GIT) for the purpose of running WAZZUB and related businesses. GIT is registered under the laws of Oregon. The Registration # is 802159-90.

A team of more than 20 specialists is working hard to turn WAZZUB into a huge success; most of them are behind the scenes and some of them are visible for all members - for example, our Master Distributor and our Support Staff.

Q. Where is WAZZUB’s office?

GIT’s registered office is at 391 NW 179th Ave, Beaverton, OR 97006
and our WAZZUB headquarters is located at 7251 Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89128.

Aha, another address to check! 7251 Lake Mead Blvd. Las Vegas, NV is Wazzub HQ.

Keep in mind, of course, the source of this entire posting is unknown, and thus accuracy is low to negligible, but it is data.

The explanation makes no sense, but that's addressed in the analysis section at the end.

What is at 7251 Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV?

It is an office building with offices rent. However, if you notice, there is no suite number in the address. it just points at the front door. And if you see the building, it's clear there are like a hundred suites in the building and there is no way this business will take up the whole building, not when all the OTHER businesses are taking up individual suites. There are 72 Google Places search results, means there are at least 72 businesses in that building, most of them have a real suite number (but not all). (see picture)

If you search the address itself, not on maps, but on Google, you'll see a link to Regus, who provides both real and virtual office rentals at that very building. Real offices have suite numbers. The GIT Global Investment Inc. address we found has none. That means it is almost certain to be a "virtual office".

However, in a different source, where an alleged e-mail sent from Wazzub to potential members, a suite 364 was mentioned.

WAZZUB International
GIT Global Investments Inc.
7251 West Lake Mead Boulevard
Suite 364
Las Vegas, NV 89128
USA

Thus, it could be that the prior citation simply "lost" the suite number. It may or may not be a real office. Someone needs to visit that location in person to make a determination. On the other hand, why is this address NOT on the WHOIS registration data, and NOT on the website itself, I have no idea. Is it shady? Yes. Is it a scam? I don't know.

UPDATE: WHOIS data has been updated, and the Las Vegas address (without the suite number) is shown.

UPDATE 09-FEB-2012 SOME WHOIS data has been updated again, now says Suite 364 (previously it lists no suite number) Wazzub.info has suite number, Wazzub.com does not.

UPDATE 05-MAR-2012 The Suite 364 designation is gone from both WAZZUB.COM and WAZZUB.INFO. Both now only point at the front door of the building.

As of January 16th, 2012, Gee DaCosta, on the official Wazzub Blog, said there are 5 team members (total?) working on Wazzub. Quoting from the blog (see picture to right)

2. Is your “Headquarters” a real office or just virtual?
Our Las Vegas office is a real office. Right now (Mon, Jan 16, 12:30pm) there are 5 WAZZUB Team members present and working.

UPDATE 10-NOV-2012 Oregon Secretary of State redesigned their website. New search results lists "Michael DeBias" as secretary, with a "Mary Northrup" as president. However, the address given is a company registrar's office. Also, there's a document that says the company name changed to "Perfect Internet" as of July 2012.

What are the facts so far?

• There is no company called Wazzub.
• GIT Global Investments is a sound-alike to "GIT -- Global Investment Technology" of Canada
• GIT Global Investment is NOT an investment company, despite its name.
• GIT Global Investment claims to operate in Las Vegas, NV
• GIT Global Investments use Regus office services (no idea whether it's real or virtual)
• GIT Global Investments gave address as front door of an office building, no suite number
• We have no idea what GIT Global Investment actually do, how big it is, and so on
• GIT Global Investment changed name to "Perfect Internet" (July 2012)
• GIT Global is now officially linked to Michael DeBias. (Sept 2012)

Analysis of the Facts

There is no company called Wazzub, or trademark, or copyright, or any such protection for the name. The ONLY THING they have is a domain name. Apparently the name is not very important to "Team Wazzub".

The Q&A quoted above makes no sense. If you want to start a Internet business, you don't start a company with "investment" in the name. You would just start a business with that name! Is there actually a "business" called Wazzub? Apparently not! There is a business called "GIT Global Investments" that also claim to be called "Wazzub", but not in any sort of official capacity other than a domain name (which means very little). It's not trademarked, registered as a "fictitious business name" (i.e. "doing business as") or such. In fact, If I were to register a business today called Wazzub, I can probably sue them out of that name, as I would have legal name definition, and they don't.

GIT Global Investments is a "sound-alike" to an existing company in Canada, but registered in Oregon, mailing address in California, and alleged physical location in Nevada. This is troubling, but not illegal. However, it also is not doing any investment. While perfectly legal, this is also troubling. We simply have NO IDEA what GIT Global Investment actually do. Wazzub's rebuttal CLAIM "GIT Global Investments" was specifically founded to run Wazzub. Why wasn't it simply called Wazzub Inc. then? The explanation doesn't make sense.

Furthermore, GIT Global Investment, i.e. Wazzub, admits to using Regus virtual office services. They claim they are a 'startup' and thus use a "shared office". However, that should mean they would still have a suite number and only share the conference room and receptionist. They are inconsistent about the suite number (some correspondence claim Suite 364, others don't have it, including WHOIS registration records). With no suite number, this would indicate this is no more than a virtual office where all mail and calls are forwarded, making it a fancy PO Box. The verdict is unclear, and that is another question mark on this questionable company.

We have no idea how big "GIT Global Investments" is. There is no official record like payroll to prove the company size. Alleged statements from Gee DaCosta and/or Team Wazzub are inconsistent. Some say "20 specialists", others say "5 Team Members". This points to a tiny operation. When compared to Google's 32000 employees, it is questionable how can Wazzub come even CLOSE to emulate Google or Facebook or anyone else.

Website Wazzub.com itself -- what can be learned from it?

While the information presented at the respective websites are useful, they are often the least accurate or reliable, as they will present a purely one-sided view, possibly with a lot of omitted information. Furthermore, the "official-ness" of the website is never guaranteed. We will chase down various bits of information.

So what is at Wazzub.com? It claims to be a "profit-sharing" phenomenon. But what exactly does it do? You won't find it in the website. Indeed, it only links to Facebook, Twitter, a blog on the free blogspot.com domain, and some sort of a "calculator". There is no info other than a count-down timer, which seem to be counting down to April 9th, 2012.

If you ran the two images, the pointing woman, and the bag of money, through TinEye the reverse image search engine, you will find both are stock photos. The woman is from iStockPhoto, and bag of money is from GettyImages. This by itself does not indicate fraud, but it is a sign of a cheaply constructed website.

If you read the blog (which is actually at http://heywazzub.blogspot.com/ (a free blog space provided by Blogger.com) you'll notice that it just want you to recruit people and encourage them to recruit yet more people, and the more you recruit, the more money you can "potentially earn". In fact, this is direct quote from the blog:

Example: If you invite just 5 people to join for free and they do the same 5 generations deep, you could earn about $4,000 every month PASSIVELY for life, doing NOTHING different than what you are currently doing every day.

But who posted this? Who owns this blog? Often the poster is not known, or left no profile, but there is a link at the very bottom, that says it was posted by a "Gee DaCosta". If you click on it, you get his profile

http://www.blogger.com/profile/04244406561045451978

He claims to be a "master distributor", but he doesn't claim to be the owner. Hmmm, interesting, isn't it? Gee DaCosta deserves further study.

So what are the facts?

• Design of Wazzub.com and Wazzub.info looks rather... cheap
• Both pictures are stock photos with no attribution
• There are various pages that was unlinked from the blog
• We still have no idea what Wazzub is supposed to do, much less make money from it
• Wazzub's blog is hosted on Blogspot, the FREE blog offered by Blogger
• The Blog's owner is "Gee DaCosta" (but we STILL don't know who owns Wazzub / GIT Global Investment) who got a variety of titles, from "chief distributor" (his own words on the blog) to "chief marketing officer" (Wazzub rebuttal)

Analysis of the facts

We still don't know who runs Wazzub and/or GIT Global Investments, despite searching through two websites and various corporate records, and various Wazzub "rebuttals".

The fact that Wazzub ran their blog on the free Blogger / Blogspot account indicates this is a cheaply assembled operation, which seems to contradict their claim that this project was well funded to the tune of millions of dollars. Adding blog support to web hosting is only an extra few dollars a month. Add to that the cheap looking website (honestly, it looks like its assembled by a 12-year old) further adds to that impression. Add to that cheap stock photos and this doesn't exactly give you a good impression.

Add that to the incredible claim that "recruit people, pay nothing, maybe make money in the future", and you wonder how can they EVER back up that claim.

The only specific name we can attach to Wazzub thus far is Gee DaCosta