Utah Issues Securities Fraud Warning on Apertum and DAO1
Utah’s Department of Commerce issued a securities fraud warning on September 29 against Apertum Foundation and DAO1. The notice names Apertum Holding Ltd. and states the entities are not registered to do business in Utah. They also lack any securities filings to offer or sell investments in the state.
Investors Urged to Exercise Caution
The Utah Division of Securities warns anyone approached about Apertum or DAO1 opportunities to stay cautious. It advises consulting a licensed financial professional before investing any money. Consumers who lost funds or were targeted can contact the Department of Commerce online or by phone.
Upcoming Apertum Utah Event Raises Questions
The warning comes just before “The Apertum Utah Event 2026,” set for November 7 in Provo. Tickets cost $55 and the venue is the Experience Event Center. Featured speakers include Josip Heit, John Johnson, Gregg Godfrey and others. It remains unclear if the venue or organizers know about the state warning.
Links to GSPartners and Josip Heit’s Past Fraud
DAO1 promotes the APTM token from Apertum Foundation and is run by convicted fraudster Josip Heit. Heit launched the project after GSPartners collapsed in late 2023. GSPartners was a similar scheme centered on the G999 token. Heit settled related fraud charges with North American regulators in September 2024, but victim refunds remain incomplete.
Continued Scrutiny and Recent Rebrand
Several countries and provinces have already issued warnings against DAO1 and Apertum. In June 2026 Heit rebranded the project as Apertum DAO and replaced SmartBots with MiningBots. Utah’s action is notable because the state was part of the earlier GSPartners settlement group.
