Last Updated on 2 weeks by NovaTraceHQ

Explore how I uncovered a fraudulent “Morgan Stanley AI Training” group using metadata, fake profiles, and social engineering traces — all without breaking OPSEC.

“Truth hides in plain sight for those who know how to see.“

1. The Invitation

It began with a notification I wasn’t expecting — a random WhatsApp invitation. No message from a friend, no introduction, just a group name that sounded official enough to spark curiosity: “MSAI Training Center.”

When I opened it, the chat was already active. Messages scrolled by about artificial intelligence, finance, and “exclusive training” from what appeared to be a major investment firm.

2. First Red Flags

The first thing that caught my attention was the list of group admins. One name in particular stood out — “Jade Finn” — almost identical to the name of a real executive, but not quite.

Shortly after joining, the group shared a polished-looking introduction video. “Jade Finn” appeared on camera, speaking confidently about an “exclusive AI training opportunity” and introducing Micheil Banoub as the Lead Architect for the AI Training Center.

From there, the sales pitch began:

“Hello everyone. I am Emily, the AI Coordinator Assistant to Dr. Micheil at Morgan Stanley Group.”

“You may not fully believe that AI technology can change destinies, but why not take just two weeks to see if there is a stable opportunity to earn daily profits? After all, miracles happen here every day.”

3. Digging Deeper (OSINT Process)

Profile Checks

Searching for “Jade Finn” led to results for Jed Finn, a real executive with no ties to this program. “Micheil Banoub” appeared only on a legitimate LinkedIn profile — no news articles or press releases connected him to the AI Training Center. This strongly suggested that their identities were being misused.

Content Analysis

The group messages leaned heavily on urgency and guaranteed results:

• “✅ Two AI driven strategy trades with a guaranteed minimum 10% return”
• “Exclusive access to Dr. Micheil’s market outlook live stream”
• “In recent weeks, we have successfully captured the bottoming opportunities of TSLA, OPFI… to obtain a profit of 32.6%.”
• “Join the training camp and experience the magic of trading. Start earning profits beyond your imagination.”

The promotional banners and “market insight” images were also suspicious — a reverse image search revealed they were taken from unrelated websites and recycled to fit the scam’s narrative.

4. The Findings

• Identities of real professionals were being impersonated.
• The branding and materials did not match any official company style.
• The WhatsApp group existed only to funnel members toward the scam’s call-to-action.
• (Note: I was only able to locate the real owners of the few “admins” on the lists. I probably need more practice. I have also located an Instagram owner of one of the images that was used on the chat, claiming “they had fun horseback riding in the mountains”.)

5. Lessons & Warnings

Never trust unsolicited WhatsApp or Telegram group invites, especially when tied to high-profile companies. Verify identities before engaging, and watch for name inconsistencies, generic visuals, and urgency language.

“Every scam leaves a trail. It’s up to us to follow it.”