Online currency site Flooz.com Inc., which grabbed attention with billboards and TV advertisements featuring Whoopi Goldberg, has shut down and plans to file for bankruptcy protection.

The New York-based company had been in merger discussions with a number of companies but was unable to find a suitable partner.

“Flooz.com has been adversely affected by dramatic changes in capital markets and the general slowdown in the economy,” the company said in a statement posted at its Web site. ” Flooz.com had been in merger discussions with a number of companies but was unable to find a suitable partner.”

Flooz.com had also been a victim of Internet fraud, which may have sped up its demise, according to a report Monday in The New York Times.

The New York Times reported that Internet fraud may have contributed to the shut down. The company may have unknowingly sold $300,000 of its currency to a ring of Russian credit card thieves, the Times reported.

At least with cash prizes, you never have to worry about the U.S. Mint closing.

Online “currency” provider Flooz.com shut down last Wednesday and later announced it was in merger discussions in an attempt to resume operations.

New York City-based Flooz.com burst onto the scene in 1999 with an ad campaign featuring actress Whoopi Goldberg (who was reportedly given a piece of the company in exchange). Retail partners included barnesandnoble.com, outpost.com, and towerrecords.com.