The largest financial pyramids in the world. Hype pyramids Pyramids on the Internet are real

Of. website http://	When and where is it open	AF type	Min. contribution	Min. deposit period / withdrawal amount	Income, in % per month	Popular by Yandex Wordstat	Theme mmgp.ru / YouTube video	Does it pay? Date of inspection
VestMaker.com	March 26, 2019	stock forks, startups	5 USD	from 1 day	2.5% daily	800		Yes 16.06.2019
CapEX24.com	August 20, 2018	trust management	$10	1 Week	floating, from 5%	4000	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
superkopilka.com	May 13, 2013	investments	$10	1 Week	floating, from 10%	8000		Yes 16.06.2019
eobot.com	2014	hype, cryptocurrency mining	$10		depends on the tariff (you may not earn money at all)	10.000	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
kapitalof.com	December 2016	hype, trading	300 rubles	from 1 ruble		1700		No 16.06.2019
gdc.group	May 23, 2019	hype, continuation of Cashbury	unknown	unknown	unknown	6000		No 16.06.2019
fivewindsam.com	not running	hype, continuation of Questra	unknown	unknown	unknown	5000		No 16.06.2019
hashflare.io	2014	cloud mining	$2			3300	forum	No 16.06.2019
world-mining.net	November 16, 2017.	hype	$15		1.5% per day	7000	forum	No 16.06.2019
wwp.capital	November 2017	hype				2400	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
minebank.net	April 29, 2018	hype	$20	45 days	3.75% per day	3000	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
gameworld.party	August 21, 2018	hype	$10	5 days	2% - 3% per day	3300	forum	No 16.06.2019
loany24.com	August 24, 2018	hype	$50	365 days	0.7% daily	4700	forum	No 16.06.2019
akopium.com	September 1, 2018	hype	$10	365 days	0.7% per day	1100	forum	No 16.06.2019
fexbet.com	November 3, 2018	hype	$10	167 days	0.8% per day	4600	forum	No 16.06.2019
leopays.com	July 12, 2016	hype			3% per month	1300	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
iqtrade.ltd	October 20, 2018	hype	50 rub.	3 days	105% in 3 days	1300		No 16.06.2019
lsclub.ltd	February 27, 2017	financial Pyramide	50 rubles	depending on the number of invited partners		2900		Yes 16.06.2019
erarium.group	February 2019	hype	$20	1 year	0.8% per day	2900	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
mercury.gl	January 15, 2017	hype		300 days	0.7% per day	10075	forum	No direct withdrawal 16.06.2019
magnuscapitalcenter.com		hype	$25	6 months	5% per week	1000	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
magia-deneg.com	March 2019	hype	100 rubles	1 month		14700	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
tessline.com	September 17, 2018	hype	$50	1 month	1.6% per day	3100	forum	No 16.06.2019
prizm.club	April 10, 2017	hype	$1			6400	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
wwex-group.com	January 22, 2019	hype	100 rubles		1.8% per day	1400	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
invest-progress.com	March 2017	hype		1 month	0.65% per day	11300	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
grentinc.com	February 21, 2019	hype	300 rubles or $5	30 working days	0.5% per day	1300	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
billions.capital	May 21, 2019	financial Pyramide	$1100	1 year	5% per month	500		Yes 16.06.2019
ethereal.global	April 4, 2019	hype	$50	1 month	5% per month	300	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
itbuscom.com	October 7, 2018	hype	$10	1 month	0.8% per day	5300		Yes 16.06.2019
hermes-ltd.com	2014	hype	$100		24% per year	8000		Yes 16.06.2019
many options for deception under one brand	2019	hype	$10	1 month	200% per month	1000		No 16.06.2019
money-never-sleep.com	January 15, 2019	hype	$1	100 days	337% in 100 days	322		Yes 16.06.2019
moneta.gg	February 20, 2019	hype, mutual lending	100 rub.	7 days	up to 47% per month	800		Yes 16.06.2019
expressmoney.com	March 27, 2019	hype	$2	3 days	5% per term	4400		Yes 16.06.2019
fxtrading.com	July 24, 2018	hype	$100	200 days	1% per day	1900	forum	Yes 16.06.2019
bankstor.com	May 7, 2019	hype, trading on the stock exchange	30 rubles	no, piggy bank	1%-4% on weekdays	2200		Yes 16.06.2019

* Types of financial pyramids:

Investments— You invest money and wait for interest without doing anything. They are also called hype projects.
Classic financial pyramid or mutual aid fund. Money in such projects is transferred from one participant to another. This type of financial pyramid is practically not relevant for 2019
Disguised financial pyramid- classic FP with the addition of a masking element. For example, unnecessary products or products that only some participants can receive.

** Popularity according to Yandex.Wordstat. How many people searched for information about the company in the previous month? Indirectly indicates the popularity of the project.

*** The topic on mmgp.ru is the most popular forum about making money on the Russian-language Internet.

**** Payment is direct. Money is transferred from one user wallet to another, that is, it does not enter the project. This kind of project ALWAYS PAYS. That is, even in theory he cannot help but pay. Therefore, when entering such a financial pyramid, you need to look at the indicators of its popularity and read the topic on mmgp.ru. Because you can enter it without problems, but it is extremely difficult to involve someone there.

Economic games with money withdrawal

This type of Internet projects is essentially a subtype of hype projects, to which game elements are added. few, but many of them are very popular and long-lived. This is their advantageous difference from hype projects.

Of. website	Registration date	Entry fee	Activity (how often should you log into the game)	Profit in %	Popularity Yandex Wordstat	Pays!?
rich-birds.com	November 2014	30 rubles	every 24 hours		1500	No 16.06.2019
golden-mines.biz	February 11, 2014	100 rubles			1500	Yes 16.06.2019
money-birds.com	May 10, 2014	from 30 rubles	every 24 hours	25% per month	1000	Yes 16.06.2019
taxi-money.info	May 23, 2014	from 10 rubles	a lot of time in the game	from 20% per month	>1000	Yes 16.06.2019
train-game.biz	June 3, 2018	from 10 rubles		from 20% per month	2900	No 16.06.2019

What is a financial pyramid?
A financial pyramid is a system built on a constant influx of funds coming from outside from new participants. The money received in the form of an influx of new funds is used to pay off obligations to old investors. The cycle of activity of a pyramid is always strictly limited. If the influx of new funds decreases or even stops, the entire pyramid collapses.
Nowadays, it is not so easy to distinguish truly profitable and profitable projects from financial pyramids. This is due to various tricks and tricks of the creators of pyramids, the financial illiteracy of our citizens and the strong desire to get rich without doing anything, add to this “holes” in the legislation and we get a very well disguised profitable company, which, in fact, is nothing more than an ordinary scam.

What can we say about ordinary citizens, if even regulatory authorities cannot always immediately determine the legality of existing private financial systems. The so-called “financial geniuses” take advantage of all this.

Let's look at the most famous and largest financial pyramids in the world to imagine how you can make money literally out of thin air.

Boston Pyramid

It was founded by Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi. Having moved to the USA for the “American dream”, Ponzi wanted to get rich quickly. But all repeated business endeavors ended in complete failure. After several years of making a fortune, Charles, together with several acquaintances, founded a company and issued securities for which it was possible to receive 20% per month. Such high profitability was explained by large profits from trading goods around the world. In fact, it was an ordinary financial pyramid, and it did not conduct any activities other than accepting funds.

All this was accompanied by an impressive advertising campaign, the press was bribed to write enthusiastic articles about his brainchild, some high-ranking officials openly declared that they were his clients. All this contributed to a massive influx of new clients. All city residents carried Ponzi money and stood in huge queues to purchase the treasured papers, on which they were entitled to fabulous interest rates. In just one year, about 50 million dollars.

At that time it was simply an unheard of amount. An ordinary working person at that time received about 50-80 dollars a month.

It all ended quite prosaically. The federal system became interested in Ponzi activities. And after some time, Ponzi was sentenced to 5 years for financial fraud.

Portuguese pyramid of Dona Branca

An ordinary woman from Portugal, Maria Branca dos Santos, better known as Don Branco, decided to organize her own bank. In 1970, a large-scale advertising campaign was carried out, in which all depositors were promised 10% per month. A huge number of residents rushed to deposit their savings in Branca's bank.

It is noteworthy that such a system lasted for 14 years. During this time, Branka was regularly responsible for her obligations and regularly paid the income due to people. She was even nicknamed “the people’s banker.” But, like any financial pyramid, it came to an end in 1984. She could no longer pay off her obligations to investors. Branca was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In her homeland, an opera was even staged about her, which was called The People's Banker (A Banqueira do Povo)

Double Check

The pyramid is named after an ordinary teacher from Pakistan named Syed Sibtul Hassan Shah. The story begins back in 2005. Returning from Dubai to his native Wazirabad, Syed Shah first began to spread information among his neighbors that he had a secret program that allowed him to earn fabulous profits by trading shares on the stock market.

At first there were few people willing, there were no more than 10 first investors. But after the Shah pays them the first interest from the profits, the number of people willing will simply grow exponentially.

In just a year and a half, about $1 billion from almost 300 thousand people. Syed Shah became so popular that they even wanted to nominate him for election as head of the region.

As always, everything ended quite prosaically. The Shah was arrested for fraud, and his brainchild immediately fell apart. Thousands of people took to the streets in defense of Syed Shah, asking for his release from the financial guru.

Lou Pearlman's fake stock

Lou Pearlman is known as the creator of such popular groups as Backstreet Boys and NSync. However, few people know that Lou spent quite a long time behind bars. And as you might guess - for financial fraud.

It all started back in 1981. Lou Perlman created several fictitious companies that did not carry out any activities and only existed on paper. Then he issued shares of these companies and placed them on the stock exchange. These shares gradually began to be purchased by individuals and even large financial institutions. Lou fueled interest in them by publishing fake reports on his companies' profit growth.

This whole scheme existed quite calmly and profitably for 20 years. During this time, the price of the shares he placed increased several times.

26.07.16 6270 0

How financial pyramids work and who makes money from them

What kind of financial pyramids are they?

Financial pyramids are a dangerous and illegal way to invest money. Although the first pyramids appeared at the beginning of the last century, they have survived in different forms to this day. In 2017, almost all classic pyramid schemes moved to the Internet.

Pyramids operate under a fraudulent scheme. You make a contribution to the pyramid - your money is distributed among other participants. To earn money yourself, you need to attract new investors. Your profit will come from their money. The more new members you invite, the more you earn.

The pyramid and your profit grows while new participants join the system. As soon as the list of new investors stops being replenished, the financial pyramid will collapse - and you will lose money.

Fact: you can make money on the Internet. A lot of. As much as you like, depending on your abilities and aspirations. Here are your options

List of popular financial pyramids in 2017:

Classic pyramids like MMM, where money is transferred from one participant to another.
False investors who offer intermediary for trading on the Forex market. Typically, such companies pretend to be traders, but they themselves act according to the classic scheme: they collect money from some investors and give it to others.
Disguised pyramids that pretend to be network marketing: they sell dubious dietary supplements, cosmetics and sports bracelets. A similar scheme works here: the more new sellers you bring, the more you earn. Personal selling doesn't matter.

Is the activity of pyramids on the Internet legal?

Differently. In Russia there is no ban on companies similar to Internet pyramids. The law prohibits only projects that do not conduct official investment activities and pay all profits to investors at the expense of new participants.

Therefore, sometimes pyramid schemes disguise themselves as legitimate network marketing (MLM) companies. In such companies the same scheme works as in ordinary pyramids. Only here you don’t just invest money in a pyramid, but buy some cheap junk for resale.

In fact, there is no need to look for buyers. Unlike honest MLM companies, pyramids don’t care about your sales. Products are a cover: no one needs magic bracelets and miracle devices. You receive the main reward for attracting new sellers.

It’s hard to find fault with “legal pyramids”: they pay taxes, they have goods and buyers. Only classic pyramids are prohibited, the entire income of which depends on attracting new participants, and not on the sale of products.

In 2016, the State Duma adopted a law according to which the creators and participants of such pyramids can be fined. For creating and advertising a pyramid, individuals will pay a fine of 5 to 50 thousand rubles, and legal entities - from 500 thousand to a million. It turns out that even if you just share a picture of MMM on Facebook, you can be fined by law for advertising a pyramid scheme on the Internet.

Who makes money in online pyramids?

But don't expect to get rich. Remember that any pyramid will eventually fall apart. Even if you remain in the black, you will steal money from other, less fortunate participants in this network. Pyramids are based on those who came last and did not manage to collect the money in time.

Currently, there is often an opinion that Bitcoin is a financial pyramid with all the ensuing consequences. But is it? Let's try to understand the facts by compiling our list of sensational and stunning financial scams of the last century. The most famous financial pyramids from history are presented below.

It is no secret that not long ago the Central Bank of Russia labeled the above-mentioned cryptocurrency a financial pyramid. The motivation for such a decision is easily visible in the comments of officials from the department of the national payment system of the Bank of Russia. The analogy, in their opinion, is justified by the speculative nature of the transactions. They say that not only speculators aiming for easy money work with bitcoins, but also people paying for the said profit. In comparison with various kinds of securities, the security of this cryptocurrency is observed only in relation to the time spent by a person on its “mining”.

Definition of Financial Pyramid

So, how do financial pyramids work and what companies can be called that? This concept refers to a company that generates income and provides dividends for its investors solely through the continuous receipt of new cash deposits. The mechanism of the pyramid is simple - the income of the first investors comes from the deposits of the organization's next clients, who, in turn, from the next, and so on. In the vast majority of cases, the founders of the pyramid hide the main source of its income or make it false. The destruction of the financial pyramid occurs due to the cessation of new deposits.

Does it make sense to consider Bitcoin a pyramid scheme?

Unlike a financial pyramid, Bitcoin does not guarantee large profits for fund holders. In fact, this cryptocurrency is simply a convenient means of storing money and paying for various types of services and goods. Bitcoins have their own software and special properties, including the absence of inflation, the anonymity of depositors, the decentralized nature of activity, and the scanty cost of money transfers. As for the financial pyramid, its founder traditionally promises investors high profits, but the very essence of the pyramid does not provide for long-term viability, which deprives investors of the guarantee of profit.

For greater clarity, we will recall the nine largest and most devastating financial frauds of the last century.

1. Ponzi scam

The swindler Charles Ponzi is rightfully considered one of the creators of large-scale financial pyramids. Back in 1919, an enterprising Italian swindler, thanks to his powers of observation, developed a scheme to fool people. One seemingly ordinary day, a letter was brought to him. In addition to a piece of paper with text, it contained an internationally valid coupon. Such receipts could be exchanged for stamps and a reply letter could be sent to the addressee. An interesting fact: in the Old World, such a coupon was given one mark, and in the USA - six.

Having carefully considered his own observation, Ponzi founded a company in Boston, which he called “SXC,” focused on the purchase and sale of goods in different countries, and began to actively solicit investors. The swindler supported investor interest with promises to pay 150% of the invested funds after 45 days. Naturally, such attractive conditions could not but arouse increased interest among the residents of Boston. The process has begun.

In fact, Ponzi did not purchase exchange coupons at all, but acted in the now classic tactics of a financial pyramid - old investors received money from new ones; already in July, Charles received about $250,000 per day on bills. However, within a month, federal agents descended on Ponzi, checked his activities and liquidated the company as a financial pyramid. Lengthy legal proceedings led to Ponzi returning part of the money to investors, but another two million dollars seemed to disappear into thin air.

It's funny, the Italian swindler received only five years in prison for his activities.

2. Pyramid of Dona Branca

Portugal also had its own large-scale pyramid, and its founder was a woman; everyone preferred to call her Dona Branca. In 1970, an enterprising lady opened her own bank to enrich herself. To attract investors, she promised each of them a ten percent monthly interest rate. Naturally, such favorable conditions for rapid financial growth could not help but seduce thousands of people of different incomes from all over the country. For 14 long years, Dona Branca’s financial pyramid was alive and well; by that time, the woman herself had received the nickname “the people’s banker.” However, in 1984, the pyramid collapsed, which resulted in the arrest of Dona Branca and her imprisonment for a ten-year term. She spent the rest of her life alone.

3. "Double Check"

The diagram has no reference to chess. Shah is the surname of high school teacher Syed Shah from Pakistan. In 2005, the swindler arrived in his native Wazirabad from a long business trip to Dubai and immediately surprised his neighbors with the information that the trip had given him knowledge of an innovative exchange program. They say that if you follow this scheme, you can double your savings in seven days. The chosen fraud mechanism (doubling savings) formed the basis for the name of the scheme.

Starting with gullible neighbors, Syed Shah expanded his activities throughout the state. Within a year and a half, the scammer had received more than $880 million from 3,000 investors and was seriously considering running for political leadership in the region. However, law enforcement agencies confused his cards and made a quick arrest. It is interesting that even the publication of the swindler’s fraudulent schemes did not shake the faith in him on the part of deceived investors. Thousands of investors, their relatives and friends staged massive street demonstrations calling for Shah to be released. However, he is still in captivity and the investigation into his case is in the active stage.

4. Lou Perlman and his scheme

The name Lou Pearlman may not mean anything to the vast majority of readers, but everyone has probably heard, if not the music, then at least the names of the groups that he created. We are talking about such popular “boy bands” in the 90s as BackstreetBoys and ‘NSync.

However, in the United States, Perlman became known for his dark deeds, namely his financial scheme, which brought him $300 million. And all exclusively after deceiving various investors and banks! Lou Perlman started his criminal activities in 1981, when he founded more than ten different types of organizations that were just letters on paper. However, for 20 years, Perlman successfully sold shares in his “fake” companies!

Everything secret becomes clear, and as a result, Lou Pearlman’s criminal scheme was exposed. The swindler attempted to leave the United States, but he was caught and given 25 years in prison along with a fine of $1 million. Moreover, initially the punishment was much more severe, but Perlman agreed to cooperate with the court and admitted his crimes. It’s no joke, Lu’s fraud affected more than 250 individuals who lost two hundred million dollars, and 10 financial institutions that suffered losses of one hundred million.

5. European Royal Club

In 1992, swindlers Hans Spachtholz and Damara Berges with aplomb announced the creation of a non-profit association, the purpose of which was a noble impulse to lend a helping hand to small businesses and create an alternative to the large banks of Europe. The scammers proudly called their brainchild the “European Royal Club.”

According to the financial scheme of Spachtholz and Berges, people wishing to become members of organizations were required to purchase a so-called “letter”, which was essentially a share, for 1,400 Swiss francs. The owner of the “letter”, after purchasing it, received a guarantee of monthly income in the amount of 200 francs, which ultimately allowed the investor to expect to double his contribution after the end of the calendar year.

It was only after two years and a cumulative loss of $1 billion by hundreds of thousands of German and Swiss investors that the fraudulent system of Spachtholz and Berges was exposed. Interestingly, even at the moment the verdict was read out, the investors refused to believe that they had been deceived and whistled at the judge. Berges eventually received seven years in prison, Spachtholz - five.

6. Bernard Madoff's Pyramid

The swindler Bernard Madoff went down in history as the founder of one of the most famous financial frauds in the history of mankind. Several hundred companies and 3,000,000 people suffered from the fruits of the fraudster’s activities. Collectively, Madoff's victims lost nearly $65 billion.

Bernard Madoff approached the creation of the Madoff Investment Securities fund with thorough preparation. He has built an excellent reputation for his company through building an impressive client list. It included various banks, US elites and hedge funds. The reputable clientele acted as proof of the fund's reliability and profitability for those investors who had even the slightest doubt about Madoff's honesty. Bernard promised his clients from 12 to 13% per annum of invested funds.

For Bernard Madoff, the fall of 2008 became fatal, when several large investors demanded an amount of $7 billion from him. Then it became clear that the fund had absolutely no money - the pyramid collapsed. When federal agents, after a denunciation from Madoff’s sons, began to “dig” under the swindler, it became known that the fund had not been involved in investor funds for more than 13 years. The debt of Madoff's brainchild at the time the government took over it was about $50 billion.

Bernard Madoff was unlucky compared to previous founders of financial pyramids. For his fraudulent activities, he received a prison sentence of 150 years.

7. Wang Feng's Ants

The swindler Wang Feng, in his desire to get rich, invented a rather interesting and original scheme for making money. This Chinese man gave birth to the Yilishen Tianxi Group of China company in 1999. The investment fee for each investor was equal to $1,500. Having invested money, they received a box containing a unique breed of ants, and instructions for feeding and raising them. Wang Feng convinced gullible investors that after 90 days of monitoring the insects, his assistants would come to them and pay for the ants. The insects themselves will be processed to create aphrodisiacs and medicines. Naturally, this sounded quite plausible, especially since the swindler very quickly began to get rich and spent considerable money on promoting his image, often appearing on newspaper pages and on television. Moreover, the state even awarded him a prize for being among the top 100 Chinese businessmen.

The organization was experiencing an unprecedented rise, but when its turnover reached two billion dollars, the pyramid collapsed, and the swindler himself was sentenced to death.

8. MMM

Even now, the name of Sergei Mavrodi evokes negative reviews in the Russian expanses. And no wonder, it was this swindler, taking his wife Marina and brother Vyacheslav to help him, who created the company “MMM” (the first letters of the founders’ surnames), which became the greatest financial pyramid in Russian history. This company expanded its activities widely in the 90s, promising investors up to 1000% dividends, and ultimately deceived millions of Russians. Over the five years of activity, Sergei Mavrodi became rich by at least one and a half billion dollars, was elected to the State Duma and trumped the immunity of a deputy. However, in 2003, the pyramid collapsed, and Mavrodi was arrested. To this day, he himself is sure that the Russian government is to blame for the collapse of his pyramid.

9. Insurance system in the USA

Fun fact, the Ponzi scheme we described above bears a recognizable resemblance to the American Social Security system. In 1935, then US President Theodore Roosevelt introduced an insurance system aimed at combating poverty among unemployed and elderly residents. As a result, the latter had the opportunity to obtain finance at the expense of the working American population.

It is clear that since that time the system has been stuffed with a number of changes and adjustments, but this does not negate its essence. As before, old investors live off the money of new ones. However, clouds are gathering over the United States - independent analysts are confident that already in 2018 the existing insurance scheme may die out. This is because there may not be enough money for everyone in need in light of the baby boomer retirement age approach.

In order to understand which company to invest in, you must always understand the principle of the financial pyramid, otherwise you can end up with nothing. People who invest their money in online financial pyramids that last from a month to a year expose themselves to a very high risk, even if the annual return is 100 or even 300%. If you really want to get serious about investing, then check out our " " page.

There is no limit to human greed. The thirst for easy money just like that, in no time, turns off the ability to think logically, and even think with your head in general. Even the instinct of self-preservation disappears somewhere.

I am convinced of this every time I see another “adept” who has poured a lot of money into another “investment company.” And he begins to tell me that he will earn a lot, a lot, and everything will be fine with him.

Look. You think a lot:

Doesn't seem stupid. It seems like I have my own business. How does he not understand basic things, that money doesn’t just fall from the ceiling?

Where do those “apostles” who brainwash people like that study? Teach you how to write selling texts, huh? :)

Where is the limit to that thirst for easy money that turns even smart people into stupid zombies?

How many times can you repeat? there is no easy money. And they are not on the Internet. And don't look.

Signs of obvious financial pyramids

About the so-called HYIPs (High Yield Investment Program) - fraudulent projects that are disguised as investment funds with a high level of income. Projects like these help to invest money in cryptocurrencies, energy, or something else (depending on the invented legend). In fact, this is a financial pyramid. As long as investments are made and new people are attracted, the structure lives and even pays interest. As soon as payments exceed the inflow of money, the project is closed.

Sometimes it closes even earlier - at the very peak of the influx of money. And the founder of such a project disappears into nowhere with other people’s money.

Almost every year (or even more often) there are rumors that another investment project like this has failed. People make noise, yell, are indignant... and after some time they again take their money to another “cool European project with huge interest.” And everything is new. Everything is back to normal.

Some people like to play such gambling games every time. They are specifically looking for HYIPs that are still paying, and are trying to earn a little money before the pyramid collapses.

But the winners from participating in such a scheme (which, by the way, is illegal - this is financial fraud) are 1% of investors. Guess who's in it?

If you're so interested in the world of investing, remember (it’s so obvious and so simple!):

There cannot be a truly serious and large investment company that exists for two or three months and is registered somewhere in Cyprus or Malta;

If you are promised huge interest rates and huge income in a short time, this is also unclean. Where they promise more, they deceive more;

The website of a serious company will not be poor, with errors in the texts, with unfinished design and functionality;
- if they offer to sell a product that no one needs or does not exist;

If the affiliate program is well developed - you receive a percentage for each investor you refer - this is also a sign of a pyramid.

And one more thing: even if the company has a network of offices, has carried out a huge campaign to attract investors, with festivals and meetings, has an authorized capital, at the meeting you were given a company flag and pen and treated to a sandwich, and even allowed to sign an agreement - this means nothing. This is not a guarantee that you will not be scammed. On the contrary, the more they poke your nose in the authorized capital, the more they try to blur your eyes.

A real, live, fresh example is Vertex Life. It closed just the other day, leaving thousands of people high and dry. And there were offices in Kyiv and Moscow. They were supposed to open it in Lviv. Events were held, flags were distributed, and agreements were even concluded with investors.

At first there were glitches on the site. Then it turned out (according to the founders’ stories) that some IT specialist from the team hacked the database (!) and stole all the money (!!). You cannot enter the office - only by special invitation. And then bam... That's all. The site is working, but there is no withdrawal button.

The founders disappeared.

It's a shame? And how. But no one asked to invest money there (and the minimum investment was 100 bucks). They saw what they were buying... but they wanted to earn money very quickly and without hassle.

Let us repeat once again – there is no such thing as easy money. They are not available on the Internet either. Nowhere. The law of conservation of energy works: if you want money, make an effort.

Yes, there are masters who make money from “honest” HYIPs, but this is just luck for the time being. That's all.

Should you invest in cryptocurrency?

One of the fashionable investment options is for those who lack thrills. To cryptocurrency.

Citizens of the Russian Federation know that bitcoins and all cryptocurrencies in general are prohibited in their country. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation cites an article from the Constitution, according to which “the introduction and issue of other currencies (except the ruble) are not allowed.” In addition, the Central Bank considers bitcoins also a financial pyramid.

It's not worth the risk - a violation is a violation. And many scammers have scammed on this topic, promising to earn thousands of dollars on Bitcoin. In fact, they make money themselves...

By the way, the NBU also does not advise Ukrainians to carry out transactions with cryptocurrency. They say that if they are deceived, it is their own fault.

Bitcoin is at least more or less real - it is an exchange commodity, you can actually pay for services with it (I already wrote about this).

And his success haunts others.

They go further - they open platforms for investing in cryptocurrencies, which in fact do not exist. A real example now exists - S-coin. Again, the “serious European” company CoinSpace, has been on the market for several years. Here she came to the expanses of the CIS (according to legend). Registered in Malta. Offers investing in ghost cryptocurrency. There are no coins yet.

What else is given (and you think what it is, scam or not):

The site is a concrete crap on crutches with errors;

Does not work with any payment system. Only with banks (and at the moment it is not possible to work with cards on the site);

They were supposed to go public in October. Now they promise to come out in the spring (they admit that they have nothing);

They promise that immediately after entering the exchange, one S-coin will be equal to one euro;

They offer to sign for themselves and bring other investors.

Pyramid of pure water. Interest is paid from the influx of money from new customers. S-coin is sold and bought only within this site (a product no one needs...).

There are a lot of similar projects. Google about Helix (or read it if you're lazy) or OneCoin.

And after that...

If the world of investment beckons and you want to pour money somewhere, then first:

Register here and browse topics. You will learn a lot of interesting things. Including about obvious fraudulent projects - they are placed in a separate thread.

View the blacklist and . Constantly replenished and updated.

Study useful literature on the topic of investment. Don't go into the water without knowing the ford.

Invest in your business, in real estate, buy gold, in the end. Put money on a deposit or just travel around the world.

Don’t invest in any “cool European companies that are serious about things.” Check the information before you give your hard-earned money - news about scams and HYIPs can be easily searched for, literally at a dime.

Do you have extra money and really want to spend it somewhere?

Open an animal shelter.

Buy toys for kindergarten.

Buy a computer for your home school.

Buy medicine or help make repairs in the hospital.

At least they will sincerely thank you for this. And you won’t feel like a sucker.

It might be useful to read:

The largest financial pyramids in the world. ​Hype pyramids Pyramids on the Internet are real