Aussie anti-vaxxer’s money video slammed

Broadcaster and Wordsmith Kel Richards says ‘Sovereignty’ is defined as “supreme authority over others” however the modern idea of the word is the population having authority over themselves. ‘The short definition is supreme authority over others, that’s what sovereignty is,’ Mr Richards told Sky News host Peta Credlin. ‘It was when there was a King – who was a sovereign – had supreme authority over others. ‘That’s no longer the case, we don’t have a single sovereign – the sovereign is now just a symbol and real power is transferred to the parliament. ‘The best modern political account of sovereignty that supreme authority actually resides with all the citizens, the population of the country.’

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) issued an urgent warning to investors over an entity named Validus, which operates across several websites and social media platforms.

At the time, the advice from ASIC was simple – the operators of Validus did not have an Australian financial services (AFS) licence, and therefore, “do not deal with or transfer money to this entity”.

“Validus is promoting investments to Australians that promise a 300 per cent return. These returns are alleged to be generated by professional traders who trade in crypto, forex and other financial products using pooled funds,” ASIC said.

“However, it is not licensed to provide financial services in Australia, which means customers will not be protected when things go wrong.

“The returns promised by Validus are unrealistic. Treat exorbitant rates of return with extreme caution.”

But that grim warning hasn’t stopped well-known sovereign citizen Doris Duriye Osman – also known as “Dee” – from spruiking Validus on her platforms recently.

Just last month, she participated in a podcast about Validus with “freedom coach” Nick Roditis which was shared to her Instagram account with the caption: “Validus is a global online, digital and educational platform based around empowerment. It can also be used as a tool to triple your funds at the end of the 60 week term of completing the course – along with many other benefits discussed in this interview.”

“I’ve never, ever promoted or talked about or had any kind of content about finance in any of my platforms, but one of my goals is trying be financially free and stop living like a slave and to help others do that as well,” Ms Osman said in the clip.

“And so when I came across Validus and I came across you (Roditis), it actually gave me some hope that there is a way out … because crypto and all that kind of stuff, it’s very risky, and even you as an individual, I get really good energy from you and I’m not surprised to discover that you’re kind of on the same page as me and you’ve been fluoride-free for a quite a while too …”

Ms Osman then asked Mr Roditis what made Validus “different to every other trading academy”, and he replied that it was a “vehicle” and that he was “not even loyal to Validus, I just think it’s an awesome vehicle”.

“The goal is financial freedom, the definition of financial freedom is when your passive income exceeds your expenses,” he said.

“So what makes Validus special? About nine years ago I saw a quantum shift in thinking.

“So you join the company, and instead of you paying the subscription, the company pays you the subscription, so by joining and doing nothing, you’re actually in profit. And that sounded amazing to me.”

But according to ASIC, there are several red flags surrounding Validus, including that it accepts crypto assets as payment, meaning consumers do not have the same protections as they would if they paid by other means, such as transferring funds to an Australian bank accounts.

Validus also “encourages investors to recruit new investors into the scheme”, which according to ASIC, is a “classical sign of a pyramid scheme”.

ASIC urges anyone who has invested through Validus to stop sending more money, to report it to their financial institution and to be wary of secondary scams or money recovery services that may offer to help you get your money back for a fee.

It also advises contacting IDCARE, a free government-funded service, which can help to develop a specific response plan if your identity has been compromised.

News.com.au contacted Ms Osman and Validus for comment.

Despite amassing a large following as a sovereign citizen and conspiracy theory figure, Ms Osman’s support of Validus has attracted a backlash among her fans, with some criticising the decision in Instagram comments.

“Can’t believe you are promoting this,” One person wrote, with a second adding: “Any get rich quick scheme is a red flag!!”

“If it’s too good to be true … it usually is,” yet another wrote.

The naturopath and anti-vaxxer does not appear to have responded to any of the criticisms posted on her account.