The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the corporate regulator, persists in updating its roster of entities potentially engaging in investment scams, cautioning the public against investing in these companies.

In its latest advisory issued Friday (January 5), the SEC flagged two additional entities: Bny Pal or Benta Paluwagan and One 1Key Progress.

The SEC said Bny Pal allures potential investors by offering various "paluwagan" slots and income for differing time-maturity periods without a clear computation or matrix for returns per investment.

The SEC highlighted that Bny Pal tempts investors by guaranteeing a minimum of 30 percent profit within just 10 days.

Meanwhile, One 1Key Progress Booster Inc. entices individuals to invest in its self-proclaimed Power Apps Marketing Business for a registration fee of P1,000.

Once registered, members are asked to invest P5,000 to claim a 50 percent return within 15 days.

Additionally, an investor-member has the option to invest P100,000 for a profit of 300 percent to 400 percent in merely five to 10 days.

The SEC cautioned that the investment structures or actions of these groups resemble pyramid or Ponzi schemes, where earnings derive from recruitment fees rather than the sale of legitimate products or services.

Moreover, profits to investors are generated through the contributions of new members.

Continuing its vigilance against potential scams, the SEC recently celebrated a triumph against Kapa Community Ministry International Inc., previously identified as the country's most prominent investment scam, resulting in the arrest and prosecution of its leaders.

Through a case built by the SEC, these leaders were convicted of syndicated estafa, a crime punishable by life imprisonment.

Similar legal decisions were handed down by the Supreme Court in the case against Rosario Baladjay, recognized as a pyramid scam operator, who was also found guilty of syndicated estafa due to cases filed by victims of her Multitel scam.

The SEC has successfully prosecuted 33 individuals involved in 22 scam cases. As per SEC records until September 2023, 355 individuals face active prosecution across various courts, encompassing 145 cases for violations of the Securities Regulation Code and related laws.