manipulation, illegality and a network of companies involved

September 27, 2023 – 00:00

The firm’s operations are supported by five other companies where they share a stake in the share capital. They use these firms for the same purpose as Exi Group.

Ambit reported in the last hours of the existence of Exi Group, a financial company that has numerous complaints and public complaints, supposedly dedicated to the purchase of debt from banks and companies. It was also pointed out that, in a non-transparent manner and through handling that refers to illegality, reports the alleged debtors that are part of its acquired portfolio, in the registry of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) and in “situation 5” of bad debt, even if they have canceled those debts or have not incurred them. The information that emerged in the last few hours is that Exi Group It is not alone in these issues: an entire conglomerate of satellite companies are part of the network used to carry out such a large fraud. As already mentioned, according to what was published in the Official Gazette, the Exi Group company was established on December 15, 2017 and the partners are Carlos Facundo de la Iglesia, Rubén Santiago Ward and Hernán Darío Fulco.

However, these shareholders are not just partners in this company. There was and is a complex game of stock transactions that expands the range of operations that put pressure on the supposed debtors.

Such is the case of 5 Online. The company is dedicated to “data analysis for companies, surveys and collections, marketing and digital advertising.” A search of the records of the AFIP They advertise it as a “call center.” According to the data that Ámbito was able to obtain, the company was registered on July 25, 2007 by four partners: Rubén Santiago Ward, Hernán Darío Fulco, Carlos Facundo of the church and Juan Ignacio García. However, in 2009 Ward sold 1,200 shares of 5 On Line to Pablo Javier Casal. On July 1, 2010, García sold shares to De la Iglesia and Casal did the same with Diego Páez, then Ward’s partner in the company Impakto SA. Finally, on May 12, 2012, Fulco sold all of its shares in 5 On Line to Rubén Santiago Ward.

Another company is Impact SA. On October 3, 2013, this construction firm was registered in the Official Gazette, in partnership with the Spanish Diego Páez. Páez is, in turn, a partner in four companies dedicated to telecommunications and computer consulting services: Qubit Digital SA; CDSS SA; Lugalu SA.

On the other hand, Ruben Santiago Ward He has been a member since 2017 of Hernán Darío Fulco at Equila SRL. On July 18, 2019, Fulco transferred all of its social contributions to Andrés Tomás Di Guardia, who also took over as manager. In the case of “Polls”, It is supposed to be dedicated to “software development and support, telecommunications services (SMS / IVR) and omnichannel under SaaS mode.” They have offices in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Santiago.

Complaints are added

It has already been pointed out that there are several dozen cases that add up and populate not only social networks but also different Internet sites. The maneuver aimed at deceiving and manipulating those who are prey to extortion is denounced. The formula is simple: the company acquires portfolios of debtors from renowned financial institutions or from companies that are dedicated to the sale of household appliances with a strong financial bias and subsequently all those who appear on the payroll of that portfolio are placed in situation 5 in the BCRA, which prevents people from accessing credit or pledging cars. As can be expected, victims usually seek to solve the problem as quickly as possible by accessing the unusual conditions established by Exi Group. At no time does the company offer any proof that proves that this debt exists or has existed in the past and that justifies an extrajudicial negotiation to settle it. As “proof” of the debt, the firm offers consultation in Nosis and other databases, where the victims verify that they are in situation 5 of the BCRA debtor center, without having first gone through the previous warning stages, which generates greater confusion.

Ámbito tried again to contact the company, but could not get any response from the firm. On the United Users and Consumers website, the NGO groups numerous complaints in this regard. Added to this are other complaints in Consumer Defense.