Thread: Is My Advertising Pays / The Advert Platform A Scam or Ponzi?

Originally Posted by littleroundman

It's now over 36 hours since we first made mention of this notice on the My Advertising Pays support page and it's still there

Either someone has forgotten to take it down or STP users should be in a blind panic as they wake up to the fact they are in the middle of being ripped off.

and as you can see....they are always be able to take in money. There seems to never ever be THAT problem in these scams.

There is more money made in taking than receiving.

Originally Posted by E2014T

They see the numbers on the screen and forget to pay attention to what is actually happening to the money. It takes years of experience to completely ignore the BS and keep the eyes on the money movements.

Which is exactly why the late Owen Platt entitled his chronicling of the People in Profit System aka PIPS ponzi fraud back in the early2000s: Just Numbers on a Screen

Originally Posted by LaconicFish

Hi everyone,

I've only recently discovered this forum as, unfortunately, a friend of mine has been persuaded to join this scheme. When she told me about it, I immediately said to her that it sounded like a Pyramid/Ponzi scheme. But I said I'd look into it, which is when I found this thread.

Now although I knew about Ponzi schemes, I didn't know a huge amount. This thread has completely opened my eyes, though, to how widespread they actually are. It's really unbelievable......

Anyway, I thought I had actually managed to persuade her that this was a total scam and to ask to withdraw from the scheme, but unfortunately she has since told me that her husband is convinced by it so they are going to give it a go......

There's not really anything i can do for them, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone for everything I have learned. Also a thank you to 'Harrison', as I believe you are involved in the Tara Talks blog, which has also been very interesting.

I do, though, have a question for anyone here who was initially taken in by the scheme, if there is anyone?

We all know that the whole thing is a complete fraud and it is a typical Ponzi scheme, but I'd like to know what the people that initially believed thought the source of the income actually was/is?

I've been reading some of the websites pushing the scheme to see what they say and the only thing seems to be the clicking on 10 ads per day. I assume that is what people think is producing the profit?

If that is what they believe, one thing I haven't seen mentioned anywhere, including here (although I may have missed it; it's a rather long thread!), is that when they have more than 1 pack, they will earn the same profit on each one, but still only have to click 10 ads per day. (I'm assuming they still only have to do 10 ads per day, as it is actually impossible to click 10 adds per day for each pack if they have hundreds of them....there isn't enough time in the day.)

So if someone has 100 packs, but are still only clicking 10 ads per day, they will get 100 times the profit for no extra 'work'. No extra clicks, no extra traffic, but they will get 100 times the profit.......Is there a reason I've never seen that mentioned, even at the places warning people against these schemes? Or have I missed something, as I don't see how anyone could dispute how absolutely ridiculous that is?

I also came across a website promoting MAP which had snippets from an article in The Guardian about ad revenue for Facebook. I found it really interesting as I had no idea how much they actually earned from it. The funny thing is the guy actually quoted the article's figures, which show how much of a joke this scheme is.

For info, here is a sinppet from the article, in case it hasn't been posted here:

'The average Facebook user now generates $12.76 in advertising revenue every year, according to the analytics firm, up from $10.03 the year before. That figure is expected to rise still further, to $17.50 in 2017.'

And the snippet below about America is even more telling, as haven't MAP recently pulled out of America...?

'Break down the difference between Americans and the rest of the world, and it becomes immediately obvious why the US receives the bulk of the attention from Facebook and Twitter. While one Facebook user outside the US will make the site $7.71 this year, an American on the same site will earn it a whopping $48.76. A similar discrepancy exists for Twitter: ARPU is $3.51 everywhere but America, and $24.48 there.'

I don't think i've ever felt as sick as i do thinking about the people that push this who know exactly what they're doing......

Anyway, sorry for the rambling first post, but thanks again for all the information I've learned here.

Regards,

Welcome LaconicFish and many thanks.

Your observations are spot on.
It is unfortunate that the majority of people who join don't care about the 'nuts and bolts' of a ponzi, only that it pays them money on the screen. Greed takes over and common sense goes out the window. Hopefully for us (but not for your friends!) the signs are all there that MAPS will implode very soon.
I really hope your friends don't lose too much money.

Yet another way those behind My Advertising Pays have come up with to discourage people from withdrawing money and, instead leaving it in the system:

Originally Posted by Fendaril

There is more money made in taking than receiving.

Don't be so sure. Pope Benedict is the #3 largest landowner in the world, right after Queen Elizabeth II and King Abdullah.

I really wish this would end already. I cannot believe the authorities in the UK allow this to happen. Who else is there left to lobby on this? I may research the Lords to see if there is a suitable person to approach. I had a really good response from someone once on another matter. We need to find someone with influence that cares.

Originally Posted by HARRISON

Greed takes over and common sense goes out the window.

Imagination takes over, that's what con artists play on. People start thinking about the vacations they never took or house improvements they have never made, and there is no convincing them after that. Their instincts tell them something is wrong, that their reality is being replaced with someone else's reality, but they drown it out instead of listening to their instincts.

I work in fraud funnily enough and as soon as I typed that I thought of a different approach. There is a public sector Fraud and Error Conference in February that I am attending and there are speakers that are so passionate and proactive on fraud. One is Lesley Hume. Have a look here.... Home | Fraud and Error 2016 I know this is public sector event but their day jobs have influence well beyond this. We need to hit the Cabinet Office and I will find the name of the Lord that I cannot remember right now but I know is interested in fraud.

Originally Posted by Dandygal

I work in fraud funnily enough and as soon as I typed that I thought of a different approach. There is a public sector Fraud and Error Conference in February that I am attending and there are speakers that are so passionate and proactive on fraud. One is Lesley Hume. Have a look here.... Home | Fraud and Error 2016 I know this is public sector event but their day jobs have influence well beyond this. We need to hit the Cabinet Office and I will find the name of the Lord that I cannot remember right now but I know is interested in fraud.

Fraud is now costing UK public services over £21 billion per year.

If you are going, make sure they understand the differences between pyramid schemes and other types of fraud. Most types of fraud require intent to commit a crime by all of the participants and the targets are businesses, mostly financial institutions. Pyramid schemes use regular people to spread the "I got paid" message and the targets are regular people.

Originally Posted by E2014T

If you are going, make sure they understand the differences between pyramid schemes and other types of fraud. Most types of fraud require intent to commit a crime by all of the participants and the targets are businesses, mostly financial institutions. Pyramid schemes use regular people to spread the "I got paid" message and the targets are regular people.

With the 2006 Fraud Act they could easily prosecute this. The 3 strands are section 2 (fraud by false representation), section 3 (fraud by failing to disclose information), and
section 4 (fraud by abuse of position). It would come under fraud by false representation. I could build a private prosecution against him now if I had the money and resource to do so. It is just laziness of the authorities to try and chuck it under civil matters. That is why Action Fraud was created but I have sent 3 unrelated cases to them now and never even got a response - and that is on a professional level. The police are the same... lazy with fraud unless it is wrapped up for them in a prosecution file and I threaten to report them if they do not act. It is hard work.

I know this has come up before but I cannot recall where it went. What are his local trading standards doing about this? They should be acting, freezing his assets and then invoking POCA to take back the money. His assets should be frozen. Can you all tell me who has done this - if anyone has made contact. I could use my position to ask our Trading Standards team to contact theirs if a more formal contact like that would help. I would have to get approval from my management to do this though.

And you guys have so much more knowledge on this. I need help to create a very concise and professional document of the issues - the key issues. If anyone is happy to help we can work on it over the e-mail and I will message you with my work e-mail address. This offer is only open to those I know who regularly post on this site.

Originally Posted by Dandygal

With the 2006 Fraud Act they could easily prosecute this.

They could. They are not going to care as long as it's not a threat to national security or one of their own isn't ripped off.

Originally Posted by E2014T

They could. They are not going to care as long as it's not a threat to national security or one of their own isn't ripped off.

This a quote...

With a lack of resources and hopeless inefficiency, government agencies are often not the best option for justice. There are now considerable advantages in mounting your own criminal private prosecution. A private prosecution is “a prosecution started by a private individual who is not acting on behalf of the police or any other prosecuting authority or body which conducts prosecutions”. The right of a private individual to bring a criminal prosecution is a historical one originating in the earliest days of the legal system. Although the need for private individuals to bring (and pay for) criminal prosecutions has largely disappeared since the creation of the office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 1879, the right to do so remains. It has been described as a “useful constitutional safeguard against capricious, corrupt or biased failure or refusal of the authorities, but is now far more than that. A criminal prosecution can be used alongside civil proceedings and has many advantages. Private prosecutions are not reliant on inefficient government agencies. In the 18th Century, nearly all criminal prosecutions were pursued privately. Before the "Prosecution of Offences Act 1879" there were no public prosecutors. Police forces were gradually set up after 1829 and eventually established their own prosecution divisions. Indeed, it was only relatively recently that the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 established the Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”). It should be noted however that the Director for Public Prosecutions retains a right under the same Act to take over a private prosecution and continue or discontinue it if it does not meet CPS prosecution standards, the “Code for Crown Prosecutors”.

Worthy of thought.... I think I could prosecute it with no lawyer costs and the help of my colleagues. I wish he lived near me... we would have took this on.

Private Prosecutions: Legal Guidance: The Crown Prosecution Service

Good luck with that. Meanwhile, MAPs is having payment problems as we speak and this is the biggest trump card right now in the fight for the minds of the potential participants.

Originally Posted by Dandygal

I know this has come up before but I cannot recall where it went. What are his local trading standards doing about this? They should be acting, freezing his assets and then invoking POCA to take back the money. His assets should be frozen. Can you all tell me who has done this - if anyone has made contact. I could use my position to ask our Trading Standards team to contact theirs if a more formal contact like that would help. I would have to get approval from my management to do this though.

DandyGal,
On behalf of my fellow admins on the 'My Advertising Pays Scam Facebook' page I can assure you that we are in regular contact with both Trading Standards AND the Police. They are fully aware of MAPS and it's leaders and have a huge amount of information on them.
The problem is: as yet, they have no (few) complaints from MAPS affiliates regarding non-payment etc. We fully expect in the coming days/weeks for this situation to change and when it does, we have every faith that the authorities will take over.

Originally Posted by HARRISON

Welcome LaconicFish and many thanks.

Your observations are spot on.
It is unfortunate that the majority of people who join don't care about the 'nuts and bolts' of a ponzi, only that it pays them money on the screen. Greed takes over and common sense goes out the window. Hopefully for us (but not for your friends!) the signs are all there that MAPS will implode very soon.
I really hope your friends don't lose too much money.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by HARRISON

DandyGal,
On behalf of my fellow admins on the 'My Advertising Pays Scam Facebook' page I can assure you that we are in regular contact with both Trading Standards AND the Police. They are fully aware of MAPS and it's leaders and have a huge amount of information on them.
The problem is: as yet, they have no (few) complaints from MAPS affiliates regarding non-payment etc. We fully expect in the coming days/weeks for this situation to change and when it does, we have every faith that the authorities will take over.

This is what really frustrates me....Until the complaints start, nothing will happen. But there won't be any complaints until it's too late. It's a massive Catch-22 situation....

But it's good to know that the authorities are aware.

It's coming up to sixty hours since this notice first appeared on the My Advertising Pays support page and there's still no sign of the problems being resolved.



STP customers must be crying in their cornflakes

Originally Posted by LaconicFish

It's a massive Catch-22 situation.

Well, people (most of them) aren't stupid. They know perfectly well - when the police gets involved, no one gets anything but revenge. It's not revenge they want, it's money (with ROI).

Originally Posted by HARRISON

DandyGal,
On behalf of my fellow admins on the 'My Advertising Pays Scam Facebook' page I can assure you that we are in regular contact with both Trading Standards AND the Police. They are fully aware of MAPS and it's leaders and have a huge amount of information on them.
The problem is: as yet, they have no (few) complaints from MAPS affiliates regarding non-payment etc. We fully expect in the coming days/weeks for this situation to change and when it does, we have every faith that the authorities will take over.

Thanks - I know you work very hard on this and I know you understand why I am so frustrated at this point in time. Thank you so much for everything you do. However, under the Fraud Act, on my understanding, you only have to show the intention to commit fraud - it doesn't actually have to occur. Are they caught up in this blag that they are selling a product via advertising. I still do not understand their inaction. It is a ridiculous catch 22 situation. I have a good mind to buy a credit pack today and make a formal complaint when they do not answer my ticket nor provide me with the service I have bought into. At least it will be one more complaint nearer to action.

Originally Posted by Dandygal

I have a good mind to buy a credit pack today and make a formal complaint when they do not answer my ticket nor provide me with the service I have bought into.

Don't let your emotions run wild, you'll be playing into the hand of the people you are trying to win against. What are you going to complain about? That you bought into a fraudulent opportunity knowing it was fraudulent? Or do you intend to lie to the police and tell them you didn't know what it was - when there is proof of your intent on a public forum?

Originally Posted by E2014T

Don't let your emotions run wild, you'll be playing into the hand of the people you are trying to win against. What are you going to complain about? That you bought into a fraudulent opportunity knowing it was fraudulent? Or do you intend to lie to the police and tell them you didn't know what it was - when there is proof of your intent on a public forum?

I would not lie and you are right. I am frustrated. This isn't about the money to me - that is egg on the face of stupidity. The relationships involved though... the collateral damage... is just too much to bear.