SEC Facebook

Getting paid to click on
online ads may sound like an easy way to make money, but
can also result in losing money. Online
based
advertising companies
which
entice people
through
paid
–
to
–
click (PTC) programs
often promise investors a share of the program’s
profits in exchange for
paying an upfront fee or buying products. For example, a PTC
program may claim you can share in it
s profits if you buy
clicking accounts, ad packs
or
other advertising products. These PTC programs might promise you
significant gains from
minimal investment
, by doing bogus clicking jobs, by logging in everyday or by obtaining
referrals
or
buy
ing
ad packs. They might even promise to share their profits with investors
who have nothing to advertise
–
simply buy
an account or an
ad pack and share in the
profits.
Before you purchase a
n account/
membership or any advertising
product from online
–
based advertising companies, be
aware that some
companies
with
PTC programs may be
scams. For example, some PTC programs may be
Ponzi
schemes
, where money from new
investors is used to pay fake “profits” to earlier investors.
Don’t
let
your
guard
down
just
because
a
PTC
program
claims
i
t
is
not
an
investment
scheme.
Look
out
for
these
red
flags:
•
Easy
money.
Be skeptical if you are offered high returns in exchange for merely
investing minimal amounts,
purchasing
certain products or by doing
trivial tasks such as
clicking on a certain number of online ads each day. Any investment opportunity that
sounds too good to be true
,
probably is or in most cases, a scam.
•
Required
upfront
payments.
Be wary if you are asked to pay money upfront
, make
deposit in bank accounts,
or by using bitcoins
to participate in a PTC program, even if it’s
sup
posedly for purchasing an account,
membership plan or product purchase. Why
would a company require you to pay a membership fee or to buy a product, for
the
“opportunity” to click on ads?
•
No
revenue
from
genuine
products
or
services.
Ask to see documents, such as
financial statements audited by a certified public accountant (CPA), showing that the
PTC program generates real revenue from selling products o
r services. If the PTC
program has no revenue from customers other than its own members, any returns you
receive are likely from other investors’ buy
–
in fees.
•
Virtual
address.
Verify that the
business address listed for the online based
advertisement comp
anies is
legitimate. For example, enter the address into an online
search engine and be skeptical if the results s
uggest it is not a valid address. You can also
visit the principal office of these online based advertisement companies and verify if
they
hav
e legitimate operations at the location.
•
Withdrawal
problems.
If you have trouble withdrawing your money or are required to
reinvest your profits, it may be because there is not enough money coming in from new
investors to cover earlier investors’ withdra
wal requests.
Should you have any information regard
ing the operation of the suspicious entities
,
please call the Enforcement and Investor Protection Department at telephone numbers
818
–
6047 or 818
–
6337