Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546198
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 AUGUST 2026 NEWS Exclusive discounts for Mapfre Clients! App Scan Scan Scan the QR Code the QR Code the QR Code & & & download download download the app now! the app now! the app now! Scan the QR Code & download the app now! CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 In a communication to members seen by MaltaToday, the company denied its operations are illicit, ac- cusing this newspaper of making unsubstantiated claims. But rath- er than address members' con- cerns, the company's messaging groups administrators have pro- ceeded to delete messages of users seeking clarification. In some cas- es, chat groups for members have also been suspended. Last week, the MFSA was con- strained to publicly refute claims made by company administra- tors in a private communication to members that it was in talks with Maltese regulators to get in line with legislation. The MFSA denied any such talks were under way. Nonetheless, DistributeX pressed forward with recruitment and promotional activities. Most notably, the company is or- ganising a community gathering on 22 August, dangling high-value incentives, including a grand prize BMW sedan worth €45,000 for top-tier members. However, behind DistributeX's denials, cracks are showing and customers are becoming increas- ingly rattled. Enrolled members speaking to MaltaToday on condition of an- onymity reported being hit with a sudden requirement to pay a €300 fee under the guise of "account verification" or compliance up- grades. The MFSA denied any en- gagement in talks let alone mak- ing any such request for payment. When users questioned Distrib- uteX representatives about the legitimacy of this unexpected fee, chat interactions seen by Malta- Today quickly turned adversarial. Support staff offered rigid ul- timatums, telling questioning members to either follow the ver- ification steps or resign from their positions and forfeit their balanc- es, stating they "do not have time to engage in repetitive explana- tions". Members who spoke to Malta- Today said their queries were met with immediate censorship and critical messages were systemati- cally deleted by administrators. The suppression of critical voic- es culminated this week, when Whatsapp group DistributeX-MT with close to 1,000 members was suspended, inside sources said. Announcements issued right after the group features were sus- pended claimed it would be repur- posed exclusively for internal progress updates, while directing verified users who completed the address verification process to- ward newly isolated channels. After MaltaToday's exposé on DistributeX and its shady oper- ations, the company dismissed the report, claiming it contained "unverified claims presented as allegations driven by subjec- tive speculation and anonymous sources". It also accused Malta- Today of harbouring ulterior mo- tives, threatening legal action. The company also claimed to be seek- ing legal counsel to submit regis- tration documentation to national authorities, unwittingly confirm- ing the MFSA's repeated warn- ings the entity operates entirely outside regulatory parameters. DistributeX seeks additional €300 payment Two locations in Malta were DistributeX operates from (Photos: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)