Affiliate Dragons — CPA Network and mVAS Advertiser.
We are sharing this case to publicly document a situation where a partner refused to pay for provided marketing services. Below you will find a clear timeline, screenshots of conversations, our comments, and final conclusions we would like to share with the affiliate and marketing community.
Timeline of Cooperation with Movix
- December 2022 — Start of cooperation. The first traffic volumes were delivered.
- January 17, 2023 — Movix confirms traffic numbers for December 2022 and requests an invoice for $3,453.60
- Movix confirms monthly reports;
- All payments are made on time;
- They repeatedly ask us to increase traffic volumes.
February 2, 2023 — Confirmation for January traffic
We reached out to Movix for confirmation of the January numbers, totaling $13,512.00.
After reminders, they replied that they would send us the confirmation email the same day.
April 4, 2023 — Confirmation for March traffic
We requested confirmation of March traffic results, totaling $6,614.00.
Bastian from Movix confirmed this amount without objections.
May 9, 2023 — Confirmation for April traffic
We contacted the team regarding April traffic numbers, asking them to approve $3,074 and 1,537 conversions.
Bastian responded, confirming the numbers and asking us to send the invoice.
August 4, 2023 — Confirmation for July traffic and requests for further campaigns
Bastian informed us that July numbers had been sent to our email and asked when we would activate new offers from Valeria.
September 2023 — August numbers confirmed, traffic continues
In early September, Movix reviewed and officially confirmed the August numbers. No issues or concerns were raised at the time. Based on this confirmation, we continued sending traffic in good faith, expecting payments to follow as agreed.
September 2023 — Movix unexpectedly demands a Tax Residence Certificate
After confirming August traffic numbers and encouraging us to scale, Movix suddenly requested a Tax Residence Certificate (TRC) before processing the payment. This was the first time such a document was ever mentioned — despite multiple previous payments without it.
We clarified that in Hong Kong, a TRC is not a mandatory document and provided our valid Business Registration Certificate instead.
Comment: This was the first clear sign of stalling. Movix began shifting expectations post-factum, creating artificial barriers to delay payment. It marked the beginning of a pattern that would only worsen.
September 20, 2023 — Full freeze of campaigns and final excuses
Bastian asked us to stop all campaigns until the Tax Residence Certificate issue was “resolved,” despite the fact that all previous payments had been made without this document.
Comment: This marked the moment when trust was officially broken. They stopped cooperation, hiding behind formalities they had never required before.
September 21, 2023 — Last attempts to resolve the situation
We ordered the requested TRC document (which takes about 2 months to receive) and offered audit documentation in the meantime. Despite this, the partner insisted on waiting and avoided any commitment.
Comment: Even after taking steps to meet their sudden requirements, we were left without answers and payments.
October 9–10, 2023 — Overdue payments and excuses
We requested proof of payment for August (already overdue by 2 days). Instead of addressing the issue, the team responded with excuses about holidays in Chile.
Comment: This confirmed that they were deliberately avoiding payment and using any excuse to postpone it further.
October 11, 2023 — Shifting blame and refusing to pay without TRC
We reminded them that the August payment was overdue by 5 days and that all previous payments were made without a Tax Residence Certificate. They responded by insisting on the TRC and mentioning September conversions as an excuse to hold August funds.
Comment: This was the final signal: they were not going to pay and began manipulating conditions post factum.
October 11, 2023 — Final refusal and conditional promises
They stated that they would pay the August invoice only after receiving the Tax Residence Certificate — a process that takes 2–4 months — despite the absence of this requirement in the IO (Insertion Order) and the fact that previous payments had been made without it.
October 12, 2023 — Empty promises and no resolution
After weeks of delays and excuses, they acknowledged the issue and agreed it “shouldn’t affect future cooperation.” However, no payments were made, and the situation remained unresolved.
Comment: We fully cooperated and offered all solutions, yet the partner chose to ignore obligations and damage trust.
October 13, 2023 — Final excuses and accusations
Movix claimed that without the Tax Residence Certificate, they would have to pay a 35% withholding tax and also introduced new accusations of fraud — after months of confirmed cooperation and payments.
Comment: At this stage, they were using every possible excuse to avoid payment, including unfounded fraud, despite previously approving all volumes and leads.
Comment: It became obvious that Movix were deliberately looking for reasons not to pay, seizing on the tax certificate issue that they had never requested before — despite a long history of smooth cooperation and timely payments without this document.
October 13, 2023 — Attempts to clarify and find a solution
Despite all delays and excuses, we continued communicating respectfully, asking them to send an example of the certificate they required.
Comment: We did our best to stay professional and cooperative, but the partner continued to search for reasons not to pay.
October 13, 2023 — Confirmation of misunderstanding (or manipulation)
Affiliate Dragons provided an example document, which turned out to be a general Business Registration Certificate, not a Tax Residence Certificate. This document was already in our possession and did not correspond to the certificate they were demanding.
Comment: This confirmed that they were either misinformed or deliberately using non-existent requirements to avoid fulfilling their payment obligations.
October 16–17, 2023 — Attempting to resolve with goodwill
After receiving the “example document” (which turned out to be just a Business Registration Certificate), we confirmed that we had this document and sent it over, still hoping it was a small misunderstanding.
Comment: We remained professional and cooperative, hoping the issue could be resolved — but it was already clear they were simply stalling.
October 17, 2023 — 11 days overdue, still no payment
We followed up again, kindly asking for proof of payment for the overdue August invoice. Despite having provided all requested documents, the response was yet another promise to “check with finance and update later.” No payment followed.
Comment: By this date, it became clear that the partner had no intention to fulfill their obligations.
October 18, 2023 — 13 days overdue and still no action
Despite all efforts, document submissions, and constant communication, we had to once again demand the payment of $35,938, already 13 days overdue. No resolution was provided.
Comment: At this point, Movix simply ignored obligations and stopped behaving like a reliable partner.
October 21–23, 2023 — Attempts to resolve via direct call
We proposed a call to clarify the situation and return to normal cooperation. The partner agreed to schedule a call for Wednesday, October 25, at 10 AM Chile time.
Comment: Despite continuous delays, we remained open to dialogue and solution-oriented communication.
October 25, 2023 — Scheduled call and new excuses
During the scheduled call, instead of discussing payment, Movix claimed they had received complaints about our traffic quality — after months of approvals and timely payments.
Comment: This was the final attempt to justify non-payment by inventing quality issues, despite all prior confirmations and their repeated requests for scaling.
October 27, 2023 — Confirmation that August payment is due
Movix confirmed that the complaints they mentioned relate to September traffic, and that they will provide proof of August payment the following Monday.
Comment: Even at this stage, they acknowledged that the August invoice had to be paid — but continued delaying with vague promises
End of October 2023 — Endless excuses and no payment
Despite multiple follow-ups and their earlier promises, Movix continued to delay, giving excuses like being “busy” and offering no concrete answers. No proof of payment was ever provided.
Comment: By the end of October, it was clear: the partner was simply avoiding payment and using every possible excuse to stall.
November 2–3, 2023 — New excuse: alleged fraud report
Movix claimed they would send transaction data to Empello for review and determine payment “based on the answer.” When asked for proof or report, they failed to provide anything.
Comment: This was yet another invented excuse. No fraud report was ever shared with us, and likely never existed. After months of confirmed traffic and payments, this was just another tactic to avoid paying what they owe.
November 7, 2023 — More delays and “waiting for meetings”
We kept following up, offering help and expressing readiness to resolve the situation. Movix responded with another excuse — they were “waiting for a meeting” with Empello and Entel, but no timeline or results were ever provided.
Comment: We demonstrated full willingness to cooperate, but they continued to stall with vague answers and no action.
November 9–10, 2023 — Direct confrontation and no answers
We asked Movix directly why they refused to pay the August invoice and whether they admitted violating the IO terms. Instead of providing a clear answer, they once again blamed delays on Empello, claiming the meeting had not yet been confirmed.
Comment: At this point, all trust was lost. Instead of solving the problem, they continued to “play with time” and avoid responsibility.
November 10, 2023 — Demand for proof and silence in return
We requested screenshots or any proof that the report had indeed been sent to Empello, as they had claimed. No evidence was provided.
Comment: At this stage, we no longer trusted their words. It became clear they were trying to stall indefinitely and had no intention of paying.
November 14, 2023 — Final request for proof ignored
We made one last attempt, asking them to show screenshots proving that they sent the conversion report to Empello. Despite repeated polite requests, they ignored us and failed to provide any evidence.
Comment: This confirmed beyond doubt: they had no intention of paying and were simply stalling until the very end.
November 21–22, 2023 — Endless promises and delays
At the end of November, Movix claimed they had a meeting with Empello and asked for “one more day” for a final answer. As before, no results or proof followed.
Comment: By this point, it was clear they were stringing us along indefinitely, with no intention of closing the issue or paying the invoice.
November 24–27, 2023 — Still no payment, debt exceeds $50,000
Movix continued making promises and excuses, while the overdue amount had already surpassed $50,000. We continued following up daily, receiving only vague replies and delays.
Comment: By the end of November, the debt had grown significantly, and it became clear that the partner was simply avoiding any resolution.
November 28, 2023 — Refusal of responsibility and revealing the owner
When we pointed out that Bastian, as the authorized person who signed the IO, was fully responsible, he stated that “the team is not authorized to make the payment.” After insisting and asking for the contact of their boss, they finally provided the name and email of Carlos Atala.
Comment: They were clearly trying to hide management and avoid personal responsibility until we forced them to reveal the company owners.
November 30 – December 5, 2023 — Owners step in
After we identified the owners, the marketing team officially shifted responsibility to Carlos Atala. Carlos then initiated contact himself, arranging a video call — likely realizing that we were fully aware of the situation and preparing to make it public.
Comment: Only after pressure and exposure did the company owners step forward, showing that they were aware of the issue but still hesitant to resolve it.
December 5–6, 2023 — Agreement to a video call with the owners
After weeks of pressure and exposure, a video call with Carlos Atala, one of the owners of Movix, was finally scheduled. We confirmed our participation, showing once again our willingness to resolve the situation in a professional manner.
Comment: Even at this point, we maintained professionalism and readiness for dialogue, despite months of stalling and deception from their side.
December 6, 2023 — Call with Carlos Atala: promises vs. reality
During the video call, Carlos Atala confirmed their intention to pay and expressed readiness to close the debt. However, immediately after the call, they began inventing new conditions — asking us to resume sending traffic first, and only then promising to pay.
Comment: At this moment, it became 100% clear that all their actions were deliberate delays and manipulations. Instead of fulfilling contractual obligations, they tried to pressure us into sending more traffic without any guarantees of payment.
December 6, 2023 — New excuse: “refund requests”
During the video call with Carlos Atala, after initially confirming readiness to pay, they introduced yet another reason for the delay: alleged refund requests from users. They stated they were waiting for the exact refund amount, which they planned to deduct from our invoice before sending payment.
Comment: This was a new excuse that had never been mentioned before. Instead of honoring confirmed figures, they attempted to justify non-payment by referring to supposed user refunds, without providing any documentation or proof.
December 7–10, 2023 — Attempted manipulation: demanding new traffic in advance
After the call with Carlos Atala, their team began pushing a new condition: they offered to pay part of the debt only if we agreed to send 5,000 new activations in advance, at a CPA of $10. In other words, they demanded traffic upfront without first covering their existing obligations for August and September.
Comment: This was the final and most obvious manipulation attempt. Instead of settling confirmed debts, Movix tried to turn the situation into blackmail — pay only if you bring more traffic. At this point, it became fully clear they had no intention of closing the debt and were trying to get free traffic.
Mid-December 2023 — Confirmation from local partners
We contacted our trusted partners from Chile, who confirmed that user refunds are a standard part of the business and always included in the cost of a lead (CPA). In other words, Movix’s attempts to delay payment by referring to “waiting for refund amounts” were groundless and manipulative.
Comment: Refunds are normal and factored into pricing models from the beginning. Using them as an excuse to hold payments is a dishonest tactic aimed at avoiding financial obligations.
Mid-December 2023 — Request for Movix company documents
We officially requested Movix’s company registration documents to verify their legal standing and responsibility. Despite multiple polite requests, they ignored this and avoided providing any official documentation.
Comment: This further confirmed their lack of transparency and unwillingness to solve the situation. A reliable and honest company would never avoid sharing such basic legal documents with partners after months of conflict.
December 12, 2023 — Ignoring requests for legal documentation
We officially requested essential company documents and confirmation of legal representation from Movix via email (sent twice), with no reply. In chat, they acted as if they hadn’t seen the emails and asked for titles and spam folder checks — clear signs of avoiding the request.
Comment: After months of manipulations and delays, Movix was not even able to confirm its official documents. This strongly suggests they either had something to hide or were acting in bad faith from the start.
Comment: These are standard documents that any serious company should have readily available. Movix failed to provide even the most basic corporate transparency, reinforcing doubts about the legitimacy of their operation and suggesting a deliberate attempt to hide their ownership and accountability structure.
December 28, 2023 — Refund report still missing, new deadline promised
Despite the prior agreement to receive the refund report from Entel by the end of December (as a condition for August payment), Movix stated that they still had not received the report. Luis then postponed the expected delivery date to January 6, 2024.
Comment: This once again demonstrates their strategy of constant deflection. The promised report, which they claimed was necessary to calculate refunds before payment, had not been provided by the deadline. Instead, they simply moved the goalpost — a recurring pattern that allowed them to delay payment indefinitely while avoiding direct denial.
January 8, 2024 — Another missed deadline and still no documents or proof
According to the agreement made with Carlos Atala in early December, Movix had promised to send the refund report and proceed with the August payment by the end of December. However, by January 8, neither the report nor the payment was received. In addition, Movix continued ignoring multiple requests to provide basic company registration documents and proof of authority of their representatives.
January 10, 2024 — “Proof” turns out to be standard monthly credit note
After weeks of stalling and blaming the delay on waiting for a report from Entel, Movix finally shared what they claimed to be the “proof” for the refund deductions. It turned out to be a generic monthly credit note that Entel sends to all advertisers. These documents are standard, expected, and already factored into the CPA price during deal negotiations.
Comment: Movix tried to use a basic operational document — which has no connection to fraud and is not grounds for withholding payment — as a justification to avoid paying. No unique report from Entel or Empello was ever provided. This once again proves that Movix was deliberately inventing excuses to delay or avoid settling their financial obligations.
This clearly confirms that there was no actual fraud investigation or outcome from Empello. Movix deliberately misled us by referring to this common operational document as if it were a unique fraud report. Refunds are a normal part of DCB traffic and always accounted for in the CPA rate. Using this as a reason to delay payment is baseless and manipulative.
January, 2024 — Movix refuses to provide company documents
Despite multiple requests over the span of weeks, Movix still hasn’t shared their official company documents: Certificate of Incorporation, registration details, or proof of who is authorized to represent the company. We once again asked them to provide this information — even after they received multiple emails and follow-ups.
Comment: Movix deliberately hides its legal structure and responsible persons. This evasive behavior suggests they are trying to avoid legal responsibility and makes it impossible to resolve the situation through formal means. For a company working with international partners, refusing to provide basic documents is a red flag and a common trait of scam operations.
February 15, 2024 — Movix offers to pay only 50% of the confirmed debt
After months of silence and baseless accusations, Movix responded with a “final decision” via email: they agreed to compensate only half of the confirmed debt — $25,000 out of $50,000. They attached a standard refund report from Entel, which all advertisers in Chile receive monthly and which does not indicate any fraud. Despite our detailed clarification that no fraudulent activity was detected by Empello or Entel, they insisted on cutting the payment in half.
Comment: This was not a genuine attempt to resolve the issue but a manipulative tactic. Movix continued receiving recurring revshare revenue from the users we brought, while withholding our rightful payment. They used standard refund reports — already accounted for in CPA pricing — as justification. We had no choice but to accept the first half to minimize loss, and continued our investigation.
Final Statement
Movix and the Atala brothers have demonstrated a clear pattern of calculated fraud and manipulation.
While initial payments were made when the volumes were low, the moment invoice amounts increased significantly — Movix ceased all payments. Instead of fulfilling their obligations, they began creating a chain of excuses: missing documents, holidays, alleged fraud with no proof, and inflated refund reports. None of these reasons held up under scrutiny. No proof from Empello was ever provided, and refund reports from Entel turned out to be standard monthly summaries sent to all advertisers.
Despite signing an IO and approving final numbers, Bastian Tello later claimed he had no authority to make payments, and the responsibility was shifted to Carlos Atala — one of the real decision-makers behind Movix.
Carlos then delayed further with empty promises and even attempted to negotiate traffic delivery as a condition for partial payment. When we declined, they offered to pay only 50% of the debt, which we accepted under pressure — while continuing to demand the remaining sum.
🚨 Most importantly, we have verified with other partners in the region that Movix has a history of similar behavior. They scam affiliates by building initial trust and stopping payments once the revenue becomes substantial. We are not the first to face this — and likely won’t be the last.
⚠️ Conclusion
Movix is not a trustworthy partner. They deliberately withheld payment, manipulated communication, and misused standard operational procedures (such as refund reports) as tools to justify fraud.
Their actions, led by Bastian Tello and Carlos Atala, represent a textbook example of affiliate scam operations — gaining traffic and revenue, then cutting off payments while continuing to profit from rebills.
We strongly advise affiliate marketers, networks, and agencies:
Do not work with Movix. Do not trust the Atala brothers.
Their scheme is built on deception, and the damage they inflict affects not just individual partners, but the trust and integrity of the entire affiliate industry.
