Reform UK councillor promoted $1.9bn HyperVerse crypto scam

Susan Lawrence was one of the main UK promoters of HyperVerse, named in US court documents as an alleged pyramid and Ponzi scheme that cheated investors worldwide out of $1.89bn. The scheme spread through the US and the UK from 2020 to 2022 and targeted investors in developing countries across Asia, Africa and the Pacific before collapsing, leaving many unable to access funds. Some people who took out bank loans to buy packages in the scheme said they felt suicidal when they could not withdraw their money; there were some cases of self-harm.

Lawrence became a Reform councillor on Wolverhampton city council and sits on its audit and risk committee, which independently reviews governance and risk management and oversees financial reporting relating to the multimillion-pound budget. She has not personally been accused of wrongdoing by authorities.

According to the Guardian, Lawrence promoted HyperVerse even after the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a 2021 consumer warning that the firm may have been promoting financial services without permission. The FCA said: “You should avoid dealing with this firm and beware of scams.”

In a 2022 presentation, Lawrence addressed HyperVerse community members concerned they could no longer access their funds. She worked with Desmond Amey, a key UK-based promoter whose company was forcibly shut down by the UK high court. Lawrence also participated in promotional videos and webinars to market the project and recruit new participants.

Lawrence is linked to other cryptocurrency schemes promoted by HyperVerse’s alleged co-founder Sam Lee, an Australian bitcoin entrepreneur who moved to Dubai in 2021 and was charged in the US in 2024 with civil and criminal offences. He has denied all charges. Lawrence travelled to Dubai to meet Lee and was filmed promoting two other related investment schemes. She was referred to as a “super leader” for one of Lee’s platforms called Vidilook, a status usually based on how many people a participant recruits.

She continued to promote iterations of the same network, including one later subject to a cease and desist order by US federal authorities describing it as a “fraudulent pyramid and Ponzi scheme”. US authorities said: “It does not sell or purport to sell any actual product and has no apparent source of revenue other than funds received from investors.”

Lawrence did not respond when approached by the Guardian. A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Cllr Lawrence was one of many victims of this scam, losing her pension and tens of thousands of pounds on a scheme she believed was genuine. She later became involved with HyperNation in an attempt to recoup the money she had lost. She was not employed by Des Amey and has not been questioned by any authority over her links. Cllr Lawrence has no current involvement in any of these companies or any similar schemes.”

Reform UK, under renewed pressure over its vetting processes, did not respond to a question about whether its vetting team had picked up on Lawrence’s background.