In the fall of 2018, the Central Bank discovered one of the largest financial pyramids of recent times - Cashbury. Under the guise of investments with a return of up to 600% per annum, she defrauded the population of several billion rubles. Many compare it in terms of the scope of its activities with the famous MMM.

Despite the bitter experience left over from the nineties, people still become victims of financial pyramids - out of ignorance or because of a thirst for easy money. The methods used by fraudsters are developing - it is becoming easier for them to confuse both people and the state. You will learn further about how to identify a financial pyramid and what to do if you lost your money in it.

What is a financial pyramid

A financial pyramid is a fraudulent scheme that involves raising income through the investments of new participants. Most often, a pyramid offers to invest money for some purpose (almost always fictitious) and promises high returns on these investments. For its existence, the pyramid must attract more and more money.

After reaching a certain amount of investment, the organizer of the pyramid appropriates the money for himself and closes the company. At the same time, the pyramid can both honestly pay investors interest on investments, and different ways avoid payments. But even in the second case, there will be people who will risk investing in what they think is a “promising project.” Such people are driven by greed, craving for freebies and poor financial literacy.

Principle of operation financial pyramid was well described by the Soviet mathematician, physicist and popularizer of science Yakov Perelman in the problem “Avalanche of cheap bicycles” from the book “Living Mathematics”.

From the history of financial pyramids

Schemes similar to financial pyramids have been known to mankind for a long time. But the first sensational case was the pyramid that he created Charles Ponzi, American of Italian descent, in the early 20s of the last century. He built his scam on the resale of international response coupons - documents that could be exchanged for postage stamps. Ponzi attracted investors by promising high profits from coupon speculation, but in reality it only embezzled their money. The scam came to light in 1920, after which Ponzi was arrested and sentenced to imprisonment.

Later, scammers operating according to the Ponzi scheme began to appear in other countries. Over time, the legends that covered the pyramids and the ways to attract new clients changed. Different countries reacted to such scammers in their own way, but they always tried to fight them. Now in many countries, pyramids are directly or indirectly prohibited, and their creators face criminal liability.

Financial pyramids came to Russia in the 90s of the last century. The largest of them was the notorious MMM, which was able to attract more than 15 million depositors throughout the country. The population did not yet know anything about such schemes and therefore easily trusted the scammers. The pyramids of the 90s aggravated the already severe economic crisis in the country, and the name “MMM” became popularly used for such fraudulent schemes.

In the 2000s and 1900s, new pyramids continued to appear in Russia, including the revival of MMM several times. They increasingly began to focus their activities on the Internet - this makes it much easier for the organizers to hide both from the government and from defrauded investors. The law that establishes penalties for organizing such fraudulent schemes was adopted only in 2016.

What types of financial pyramids are there?

A financial pyramid almost never tells its investors that it is a pyramid - this way people will immediately understand the purpose of such an organization. Instead, they hide behind various legends and try to confuse people. There are several most common forms of financial pyramids:

• Pseudo-investment project. This type of pyramid is the most common. They lure money under the pretext of a variety of purposes - from construction and development of new technologies to trading on the stock exchange and transactions with cryptocurrencies. In reality, the company does not pursue any of its stated objectives, and the income from the “investment” exists only from new investments. This is exactly the principle that Cashbury operates on.

• Pseudo credit organisation . Such a pyramid disguises itself as a bank, microfinance company or credit cooperative. It may offer loans or borrowings for favorable conditions– at rates below average or without requirements for credit history. To receive a “loan” you need to pay a certain fee - for example, a certain part of the amount. However, you will never receive the loan amount, and the company itself is often not even registered as a credit organization
• Pseudo-fund. The pyramid can masquerade as a non-state pension fund, insurance company or a charitable organization. It can be determined by the same criteria - suspiciously tempting conditions for participation and the absence of any information about real activities
• Hybrid of financial pyramid and network marketing. Such a company offers the participant not only to sell any products, but also to invite new members to its structure in order to receive passive income from them. At the same time, participants are required to pay fees to higher members or buy goods from them. As a result, the company earns more from contributions from new members than from the sale of its products

Pyramids are also distinguished by their duration of existence: they can be long-term (from 2-3 years), medium-term (up to a year), short-term (up to 3-6 months) and fast (1-2 months). How longer term, the higher the declared profitability and the lower the likelihood that the organizer will immediately appropriate the money for himself. In fact, it is almost impossible to immediately determine how long the pyramid will last - even a company that wants to seem reliable can close down just a few days after its launch.

By what criteria can you calculate a pyramid?

The Central Bank assigned Cashbury the status of a financial pyramid after a thorough study of its activities. The company positioned itself as a platform for lending, but did not issue a single loan. Licenses for microfinance activities were revoked long ago. But at the same time, Cashbury actively lured people with aggressive advertising and promised investment returns of up to 600% per annum. This alerted the financial regulator.

In total, from January to September 2018, the Central Bank identified 82 financial pyramids - 10% more than in similar period last year.

Anyone can determine whether a company is a financial pyramid - just know a few simple signs. Here are the most striking of them:

Non-transparent activities

All fraudulent organizations, including financial pyramids, try to hide real information about the founders, registration, activities and reporting. On the one hand, this is how they try to confuse their victims. On the other hand, to avert the suspicions of the state.

Financial pyramids are often registered in offshore zones - countries and territories with special conditions doing business for foreigners. Enterprises in such zones do not pay taxes or pay them at a minimum, keep simple records and do not disclose information about the real owners. Working through offshore companies helps the fraudster hide his activities and avoid criminal prosecution.

It is also worth asking the company for information about its activities and documents that will confirm it. If a company actually attracts investments to develop a real business, then it will always be able to provide this evidence. If the pyramid does provide such information, it will most likely turn out to be fake or belonging to another company.

In addition to registration information, check other documents, such as a sample contract, user agreement and privacy policy. If in them the company tries to disclaim any responsibility for depositors’ funds, then such documents should arouse your suspicions.

Active advertising

In an advertising campaign, the pyramid places the main emphasis on PR and marketing. She regularly holds public events - presentations, meetings, seminars - at which she vividly talks about the benefits of working with her. The company places advertisements on all available platforms (on the streets, on the Internet, less often on TV and radio), sends out advertising letters, orders positive reviews About Me.

The scope of such a campaign depends on the budget and the size of the pyramid. For example, Cashbury managed to attract famous Russian artists for his performances - Valery Meladze and Nikolai Baskov. Small pyramids are often limited to sending spam and contextual advertising.

At the same time, a fraudulent company will always talk only about high returns, without mentioning the risks of investments. In her advertising, she can confuse the victim with complex terms, put pressure on greed, and frighten economic crises and promise “financial freedom.” The company does not impose any requirements on its participants - anyone can usually invest in the pyramid.

A real investment project does not need such advertising - it will neither make pretentious presentations nor send spam. It attracts investors only on specialized platforms. Such a company will not splurge; instead, it will immediately report all the nuances and risks. In addition, investors and their investments may be subject to certain requirements, including those established by law.

Sometimes, during the advertising process, a pyramid may announce cooperation with large and well-known companies among people - for example, banks or industrial enterprises. You can then contact the “partner” company directly to find out if it is associated with the alleged scammer. The answer will almost always be no.

Fraud with depositors' funds

A financial pyramid tries to confuse the movement of money and hide all internal processes from prying eyes. To accept money and pay interest, pyramid schemes often use little-known acquiring systems that do not impose any requirements on clients, or transfers between individuals. In more rare cases, payments may be made using cryptocurrencies or payments in transit through several countries. Tracing such transfers and proving their purpose can be very difficult.

Sometimes a pyramid may require its participants to pay additional fees - for example, a commission for accessing a personal account or transferring money. The amount of contributions is usually a significant amount, but not large enough for it to be scary to lose. This is another sign by which you can identify a scammer. All expenses associated with transferring money and providing access to reporting are covered by the real business itself.

The pyramid is also interested in keeping depositors’ funds under any pretext. It can block the entrance to Personal Area or limit the withdrawal of funds, explaining this, for example, technical or financial problems. In some cases, in order to be able to withdraw, the pyramid requires attracting new members. An honest investment company always voices a clear reason for withdrawal restrictions and provides an approximate time frame for eliminating the problems.

What to do if you become a victim of a pyramid scheme

It is very difficult to cope with a financial pyramid on your own. Due to confusing registration and money fraud, it can be difficult to track activities and identify the real organizers of the pyramid. The problem is complicated by documents that are drawn up in such a way that the fraudster can relieve himself of all responsibility. You will also have to deal with people who sincerely believe in the integrity of the organization and will interfere

The main thing in such a situation is to act together. Try to contact other victims of the pyramid to join forces in the fight against it. People who already have experience fighting pyramid schemes and organizations that help victims of scams will be able to help you. Together you can file a class action lawsuit against the pyramid and make the case public.

If the pyramid is still operating, write a written complaint to it, demanding a refund. If you have not received a response or your payment is refused, contact the police, prosecutor’s office or the Central Bank. As evidence, take documents that confirm the fact of the transfer of money, and information that may indicate fraudulent activities of the company.

Punishments for organizing a financial pyramid are determined by Article 14.62 of the Code on administrative offenses and 172.2 of the Criminal Code. They threaten both the organizers of the pyramid and those who attracted new participants to it. If during your membership you managed to attract new people to the fraudulent organization, then you may be considered an accomplice. Then you will additionally have to prove your innocence.

Even if a company is recognized as a pyramid scheme, it is not always possible to recover lost money. But you can count on compensation for damages - to do this, contact the Federal Public-State Fund for the Protection of the Rights of Depositors and Shareholders. This fund maintains a register of organizations that deceive shareholders and investors. If the company you suffered is included in the register, then you are entitled to compensation.

The amount of compensation cannot exceed the amount of your investments in the pyramid and does not take into account the interest received. Maximum amount is 25,000 rubles, and for WWII veterans and disabled people – 250,000 rubles. The fund also takes into account other payments that you can receive after the liquidation of the pyramid.

Questions and answers

What responsibility is established for the organizers of a financial pyramid?

What should I do if my relative or friend became a victim of a pyramid scheme?

The main thing here is to prove to the person that the company he contacted is really a pyramid. Many pyramid schemes use various methods of persuasion and psychological influence on participants to convince them of their honesty. Older people and young people are most susceptible to this influence.

Instead of putting pressure on a person, try to support him, communicate with him more often, and show sympathy. Provide him with information that can prove the fraudulent nature of the organization.

I have heard about companies that allegedly help victims of pyramid schemes and pay full compensation amounts. Should you trust them?

We advise you to treat such companies with caution - they can also masquerade as financial pyramids. Such organizations promise full refund All investments carry interest and require the payment of various fees. In this case, you will not receive any compensation - the company will only depict its activities. Try to contact first state organizations and funds - for example, the Central Bank or the Fund for the Protection of the Rights of Shareholders and Depositors.

Is it possible to make money by participating in financial pyramids?

Some people consider investing in pyramid schemes as a source of additional income. They carefully study such organizations, assess their reliability and calculate their approximate lifespan. They then invest small amounts in a few selected organizations. To reduce risk, they try to invest money and withdraw it at the very beginning of the pyramid.

#AllLoansOnline warns: such investments are always associated with very high risk. Even a seemingly reliable pyramid can immediately disappear along with the money after attracting a certain number of investors. If you decide to invest in such organizations, then use free money for this, which you don’t mind losing. Do not apply for loans for this purpose under any circumstances.

Video

Arkady Mamontov’s investigative film “Pyramid” about modern financial pyramids:

Blogger Alexander Dvizhnov explains why Cashbury is a financial pyramid:

Conclusion

During a tense situation in the economy, various fraudulent schemes, including pyramids, are becoming more and more numerous. People are afraid for their money and property, which is why they are ready to trust everyone who promises a way out of the situation. People find out that they have become victims of scammers too late - only after they have lost all their investments.

To avoid becoming a victim of a financial pyramid, it is enough to think soberly, be careful and be attentive to your money. Remember that even the second mouse does not always get free cheese, and the more you are promised easy income, the higher the likelihood that this is a scammer. Be careful yourself and warn your family and friends about pyramids.

So, most of the signs indicate that Cashbury is a financial pyramid:

• She hides behind activities she is not really involved in
• She confuses her activities and does not provide full reporting
• It limits the withdrawal of money without serious reasons
• She splurges, talking about huge returns and not mentioning the risks

By these same signs you can distinguish a pyramid from a reliable organization. This way you can protect yourself from risky investments and warn relatives and friends about scammers.

VGTRK, Radio station MAYAK

What do you think about Cashbury and similar companies? Leave your reviews and share your opinions about this and other similar organizations.

Did you find the answers to all your questions in this article?

Last update: 02/21/2020

Reading time: 17 min. | Views: 11051

Hello, dear readers of the financial magazine “site”! Today we will tell you what a financial pyramid is, what signs financial pyramids have and how to recognize them at an early stage.

So, from this article you will learn:

• What is a financial pyramid and how does it work;
• The history of the pyramids;
• What types of financial pyramids exist and how to recognize them at an early stage;
• What is the difference between network marketing and a financial pyramid?
• and a lot of other useful information.

The article will be useful to everyone who is interested financial matters, as well as those who want not to lose money on such events. Don't waste time! Read the article right now.

About financial pyramids, what they are, what types they come in, the purpose of creating pyramids - read on

Financial Pyramide (from an economic point of view) - This a scheme specifically created to generate income by attracting more and more new participants.

In other words, those who joined the pyramid provide income to those who came into it earlier.

There are other schemes, when all funds are concentrated in only one person, who is the organizer of the pyramid.

In Russia, when most people mention a financial pyramid, what immediately comes to mind is MMM , which was actively promoted in the early nineties. When the pyramid collapsed, thousands of people were injured.

Most pyramids hide behind a mask in their activities investment, and charitable funds, companies, producing fictitious goods, give investors a promise to take money out of nowhere.

There are also another type of financial pyramid . It appears in some cases as a result of conducting ordinary business. This happens if the organizer of the activity incorrectly calculated the profitability. As a result, instead of profits, there are losses, and there is nothing to pay off with creditors and investors.

To ensure that the business stays afloat, and those to whom its owner owes money do not sue, new loans are taken out. The money received is used to pay off previously assumed obligations. It is not entirely correct to consider such a scheme as fraud; rather, it refers to illegal entrepreneurship.

Often scammers They cover up the pyramid by doing business. In this case, there may be a small payout, but it is always less than the main contributions to the pyramid itself. Most of the imaginary income consists of contributions from investors.

2. The history of financial pyramids 📚

The term "Financial pyramids" fraudulent schemes began to be called in England in the seventies. However, they appeared much earlier. The first pyramid (Organization of India Joint Stock Company) was created by John Law. to raise money for the development of Mississippi.

For the first time a structure similar to modern single-level pyramids appeared in 1919. The creator of the project was an American Charles Ponzi. It is by his name that such schemes are called today.

The deception was based on coupons, which, as it turned out, could not be sold for cash cash. The only thing that could be done with them was exchange. Nevertheless, the first participants in the pyramid received income, naturally, due to the influx of new investors.

Specialist in finance and economics.

In Russia, the peak of pyramid activity occurred during the transition to market economy. It was then that a huge scandal broke out with the MMM project.

Today, financial pyramids are prohibited in many countries. In the United United Arab Emirates, and also in China for creating a financial pyramid can be awarded death penalty. In Russia, such actions are punishable by criminal liability.

The main reasons for the creation of financial pyramids

3. 7 reasons for the emergence of financial pyramids 📎

Financial pyramids begin to form at the moment when a suitable political And economic situation.

The most important prerequisites for the emergence of such fraudulent schemes are:

1. low inflation;
2. the principles of a market economy must operate in the state;
3. there must be free circulation of securities in the country;
4. legislative regulation of the creation and operation of such structures is poorly developed, there are no corresponding norms;
5. rising income levels for the majority of the population;
6. citizens have available funds which they are willing to invest in various financial structures;
7. low level financial literacy population, as well as poor information support.

All these prerequisites encourage enterprising people to create financial pyramids that violate the laws of the country.

4. Goals of creating financial pyramids 📑

Financial pyramids are created with the aim of enriching their organizers and this happens due to the influx of new investors. Sometimes profits are also received by those who entered into this scheme in the early stages of the formation of the pyramid and then withdrew their funds on time.

Contributions (contributions) to a financial pyramid are never invested anywhere . They are used to pay rewards to the upper levels of participants.

In other words, those who have already joined the pyramid receive their money by attracting more and more new participants. Thus, it is beneficial for all investors to attract as many people as possible to the scheme. Only in this case will they make any profit.

That is why pyramids are gaining popularity so quickly and are highly widespread.

Sometimes, in order to cover up a financial pyramid, a certain product is created. However, this does not change the essence of the scheme. The product does not bring profit, it is formed exclusively due to contributions from new participants pyramids.

Despite the fact that incoming funds are distributed according to various schemes, the main principle of any pyramid is the constant attraction of new participants in as many numbers as possible.

Sooner or later, the influx of new investors dries up and at this moment there is nothing to make payments to the participants of the pyramid. The result is always the same - the pyramid is collapsing .

When entering a pyramid scheme, participants should be aware that not everyone will get their money back (not to mention any income). Those who enter the pyramid last will most likely lose all their investment.

Usually the owners of a fraudulent scheme, when they see that the influx of depositors has decreased, suspend payments. After this, they calmly collect the remainder of their accumulated funds and disappear in an unknown direction.

Specialist, analyst and financial literacy expert.

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That is why you should not expect to get rich by making dubious investments. It is difficult to determine at what stage a financial pyramid is and when it will collapse. That is, the risk of losing funds invested in a pyramid is always very high.

It is best to consider reliable and profitable investments. For example, they can bring much more income than unknown and high-risk financial instruments.

How a financial pyramid works - the main stages of creation

5. The principle of operation of a financial pyramid - 3 stages of the classic pyramid 📝

An understanding of financial pyramids would be incomplete without studying how they work. The easiest way to understand such a scheme is to consider the stages of the pyramid's existence using numerical values.

Stage No. 1. Creation of a pyramid (first level)

The organizer convinces 4 (four) participants to join the pyramid. At the same time, he takes from them 100$ as an entrance fee and promises to pay for each new participant 25$ .

Organizer's income at the first stage was 100 x 4 = 400$

Expenses are 0$

Stage No. 2. Creating the second level of the pyramid

Participants of the first level attract 4 (four) investors to the pyramid on the same conditions under which they came themselves. For each attracted investor, first-level participants receive 25$ .

Income at the second stage: 4 x 4 x 100 = $1,600

Total income since inception: 400 + 1,600 = 2 000$

Expenses: 4 x 4 x 25 = $400

Organizer's net profit: 2,000 – 400 = $1,600

Stage No. 3. Creation of the third level

All participants of the third level introduce 4 new investors into the pyramid (the conditions are the same).

Income at the third stage: 16 x 4 x 100 = $6,400

Total income since inception: 6,400 + 2,000 = 8 400$

Expenses: 16 x 4 x 25 = $2,000

Organizer's net profit: 8,400 – 2,000 = $6,400

This fundraising scheme can continue for a very long time. It is beneficial for the organizers that as many participants as possible join the pyramid, because their profit depends on this.

However, the faster the scheme in the pyramid develops, the faster it will collapse . This is due to the fact that number of potential investors always of course.

When the influx of new participants, and therefore funds, dries up, the organizers of the pyramid disappear with the money collected. this moment money.

Payments to investors stop and, as a result, those who entered the pyramid at the last stage are left with nothing.

However, in modern society such schemes classic financial pyramid are rare. Thanks to the development of the Internet, more and more new options for deception are appearing. Therefore, in order to avoid becoming victims of scammers, it is worth carefully studying the signs of financial pyramids.

Main signs of a financial pyramid

6. 20 signs of how to spot a financial pyramid 📊

Often, newcomers to the field of investing are convinced that they invest capital in projects that are distinguished by development prospects, stability and high income. However, upon detailed analysis of investments, it turns out that they are investing their money into a regular financial pyramid.

As a result, most novice investors lose very quickly own funds . To avoid becoming a victim and getting into such a situation, it is important to learn recognize fraudulent schemes. This cannot be done without knowing the main features of financial pyramids.

Today for a reason global development Internet financial pyramids are widespread. Online every day are being created And are collapsing a huge number of pyramids. At the same time, there are so-called offline pyramids that are not connected to the Internet.

Some pyramids are created by restarting previously existing projects. In this case, the circuit burns out, the accounts are reset, and the process begins again. There are often situations when the owners of one, already collapsed pyramid, create a new one, just changing its name.

Many creators of modern pyramids came from the famous MMM-2011 scheme. These projects have a huge number of names. But it is worth remembering that hype, and matrices, and for many other schemes there are signs of financial pyramids.

Daily in the mail in social networks, on Skype people find a huge number of offers to join various highly profitable projects. You can also find calls for participation in pyramid schemes on sites with job offers, as well as projects dedicated to making money online.

We wrote about it in our last article, where we considered only reliable and proven ways to make money online.

It cannot be said that everyone who entered the pyramid mandatory will lose their capital, since those who enter the scheme earlier than others manage to earn decent money.

However Do not forget that the percentage of getting into their number is very small, because the share of those who made a profit in the total number of participants is very small. Therefore, in order to recognize in advance whether a project is a financial pyramid, it is important to know their distinctive features. They will be discussed below.

Sign 1. High level of promised income

Experienced investors know that investments are under 25-35% per annum can already be called quite risky. If such profitability is promised in a month, there are clear signs of a pyramid scheme.

Sign 2. The condition for generating income is to attract new participants

This sign clearly indicates that the project is a financial pyramid. Sometimes companies hide behind the fact that they act as financial pyramids.

However, we should not forget about the essence of the action of such schemes: new participants are needed so that their contributions go to the income of old participants and to ensure profit for the organizers.

Sign 3. The income payment scheme is vague or too abstruse

In other words, the investor is promised huge profits, which can be obtained by fulfilling certain conditions. Moreover, all the necessary conditions contain a huge number of points.

It is clear that in such cases there will certainly be a reason fail to pay funds, referring to the fact that one of the points of the agreement has not been fulfilled.

Sign 4. Guarantee of income

None of the investment methods can guarantee that the investor will receive income. Therefore, if advertising guarantees income, and even a very high one, this may indicate the presence of signs of a pyramid in the company’s actions.

Sign 5. Income to investors is paid thanks to new members of the company

This feature follows from the scheme of the pyramid. Since there is no real profit, the only way to pay out income is to attract new investors.

Sign 6. Forced to make periodic contributions or buy company products

If, in order to participate in investing, a company requires regular deposit money or buy goods they don’t need at high prices, which means the organization does not make a profit from its activities. It is kept afloat only thanks to contributions from participants in the scheme.

Sign 7: The product is fake or overpriced

This sign allows you to figure out whether the company is a financial pyramid or simply operates within the framework of network marketing. In the latter case it extends real product at real prices.

We wrote in detail about the principle of operation and what it is in a separate article.

Pyramid sells something like Cuban berries, which, after picking, are sent to Japan, where they make a squeeze out of it, which is infused in Italy. The result is a product that allows you to quickly lose weight and costs 399$ for 100 grams.

In practice, at best, they sell an infusion of ordinary field herbs. Such sales clearly indicate the presence of fraudulent schemes.

Sign 8. Continuous motivation

The creators of pyramids constantly convince their investors that work is akin to slavery; every adequate person strives to receive passive income and achieve financial independence. The founders claim that their company allows them to free themselves from employers; for this it is enough to work in a friendly team and for its benefit. What it really is and how it can be created, you can read in our article.

This motivation puts the strongest psychological pressure on anyone who has even minor financial difficulties. Seeing appeals as an ideal way to earn money, people donate their funds to the company.

In practice, make money on pyramids fails practically no one. Only the creators, as well as their immediate circle, which is usually located at the upper levels of the scheme, can receive money. And they will only earn money if they are not held accountable.

Sign 9. Ads that do not contain specific information

Sign 10. Calls to rush to invest funds

Such slogans hint that only the first investors will be able to earn real money.

Before investing your money, you need to carefully consider all the details of investing and under no circumstances rush into investing. We also recommend reading our material “”, which discusses the main and proven methods of investing.

Sign 11. Calls to act now

This sign is very similar to the previous one. Slogans to join the project Today, in a week and the like have the purpose psychological pressure. They put pressure on the subconscious, hinting that the tempting offer will end in the near future. It is better to stay away from such slogans.

Sign 12. Information is contained only in video presentations

Most often different video messages, presentations, meeting recordings And seminars, showing a huge number of participants and the distribution of money, are a clear sign of pyramids. For the first time, Sergei Mavrodi used such methods of attracting investors in our country.

It should be remembered that real investment companies use a much wider arsenal of ways to talk about themselves and attract clients.

Sign 13. Anonymity

Information about the creators of the project is not advertised anywhere, they are simply missing, find out who created and manages the project almost impossible.

Sometimes financial pyramids refer to the fact that such information constitutes a trade secret.

Sign 14. To find out details about the project, you need to attend a seminar or meeting

Potential investors are attracted to a variety of events. Sometimes this method of attraction is also used by network marketing companies, as well as financial brokers.

However, in combination with other signs from the list, such actions indicate the construction of a pyramid. Moreover, in the case of pyramids, meeting participants are actively persuaded to invest money using various psychological techniques.

Sign 15. Reference in the contract to the company’s lack of obligation to return the funds invested in it

The creators of pyramids are usually quite well versed in legal terms. Therefore, insuring themselves against various legal proceedings, they agree to exclude clauses on the company's obligations to investors, as well as money-back guarantees.

Often, when investing in pyramid schemes, investments are formalized as donations or voluntary contributions. At the same time, investors are told that there is no other way to formalize investments and various legal reasons. However, such tricks should alert investors, as they clearly indicate the financing of the pyramid.

Sign 16. The company is registered abroad, usually offshore

You can often come across proposals to invest profitable foreign companies. Registration at a distance from Russia may indicate a pyramid, since it will be almost impossible to hold the company (organization) accountable.

Sign 17. There is no company at all

In this case, the legal entity is not registered at all. A certain number of ordinary private (individuals) exchange funds.

True, in such schemes, the project owners do not try to hide the fact that they have organized an ordinary financial pyramid.

Sign 18. There are no licenses to carry out financial activities

Raise funds in Russia individuals Only those companies that have received a license for such activities can. Its absence indicates the illegality of the activity.

Sign 19. Investors are not warned about risks

Any investment option is accompanied by risks. Companies should warn investors about this. Therefore, if risk warning absent or the investor is promised a risk-free investment, we can say with almost certainty that this is a financial pyramid.

Sign 20. Prohibition of disclosing secrets

If an investor is asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement about trade secrets about the investment made and the terms of the investment, a financial pyramid is most likely taking place. Honest companies are unlikely to hide such information.

There are quite a few signs of financial pyramids, but it is not at all necessary that they be present all at once. But the presence of any sign does not necessarily mean that the company is a financial pyramid. The main thing is that the manifestation of such signs should alert investors.

It is also important to know that most modern pyramids disguise themselves as the following organizations:

• investment firms;
• financial companies;
• organizations whose activities are related to network marketing;
• brokers.

It is important for a novice investor to learn how to determine whether a project is a financial pyramid.

7. Types of financial pyramids (single-level, multi-level, matrix) 📄

All fraud schemes based on the principles of a pyramid, in accordance with their inherent construction structure, can be divide into 3 (three) groups. Some creators assure that they were able to create high-quality new scheme. However, upon careful analysis, any of them can be classified into one of the groups presented below.

1st type of financial pyramids - single-level

7.1. Single-level pyramids or Ponzi scheme

This type of pyramid is considered the simplest and therefore the most common. The name Ponzi scheme comes from the name of an Italian fraudster who first managed to deceive the population Thus.

In this case, the organizer of the pyramid attracts participants to it, guaranteeing a quick and large profit. In this case, it is enough to make a contribution; there is no need to attract new participants.

The owner of the scheme pays income to the first investors from his own funds. When the fame of the pyramid begins to grow, the funds of new investors go to reward the old ones. As a result, the glory of the project as bringing real income inevitably growing . Consequently, the number of participants increases. Many investors make additional contributions.

Personal finance and investment specialist.

Such pyramids most often position themselves as charitable or investment funds, as well as mutual aid projects. Naturally, this is just a cover; in reality, no activity is being carried out.

Inevitably in the process of developing a financial pyramid there comes a time when obligations to a huge number of participants constantly increase, and the entry of new investors into the scheme decreases. At this time, the project owner completes the activity and disappears with the collected money.

The lifespan of such a pyramid is determined by how popular it is. Usually it is from 4 to 24 months. After the collapse of the pyramid, the profits remain no more than 20% all investors.

There are several examples of pyramids built according to Ponzi scheme:

• MMM, created by Sergei Mavrodi;
• a project to finance the creation of drugs to combat AIDS from Tannenbaum;
• iPhone pyramid;
• and others.

7.2. Multi-level financial pyramids

2nd type of financial pyramids - multi-level

The structure of such a pyramid is similar to the structure of network marketing companies. Such pyramids are usually hidden behind trading activities or high-yield investment.

However, even if the product exists, it is different low quality And not worth the price set for it. Such products are designed to divert the attention of investors, where such structures usually promise income at a level exceeding 100% per annum and achieving 450-500% .

Each participant entering the project must pay an entry fee. Funds received in this way distributed among participants , located at higher levels - those who invited the newcomer and several standing above him.

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Next, the new participant must attract several new ones to the structure. Most often, you need to bring from 2 (two) to 5 (five) investors. To do this, they directly or covertly tell him that the project needs new participants, and only if they are attracted, the investor will begin to receive income, gradually recouping the invested funds and turning a profit.

It turns out that just like in Ponzi scheme, money is redistributed among investors. The number of levels gradually increases, while the number of participants increases exponentially.

At approximately level 10-15, the number of investors can be equal to the population of the entire state.

Sooner or later there will come a time when there will simply be no one else to attract. It was at this time that the organizer curtails the project and disappears with all the money collected. As a result about 90% investors lose all their investments.

Multi-level financial pyramids have not existed for long. Most often, their collapse occurs no later than six months from the moment of creation. To extend the life of the pyramid, the organizers change its name, location or go online.

The most famous structures of this type are:

• Talk Fusion;
• MMM 2011 and 2012;
• Binar.

7.3. Matrix type financial pyramids

Such pyramids are complex multi-level structures. Here very often there is a real product, for example, precious metals , teas for weight loss or fictional paid programs for training aspiring businessmen.

3rd type of financial pyramids - matrix projects

Despite the fact that such companies are classified as pyramid schemes, many sincerely believe that this is a new type of investment.

The operating scheme of such companies is approximately as follows:

1. The participant pays when joining the project an initial fee. After that, he waits until the entire level is filled.
2. As soon as the lower level is filled, the matrix will be divided into two identical ones, and our participant will rise one level up.
3. Now we need to attract more participants to fill the lower level.
4. Thus, further division of the matrices gradually takes place, and the participant will gradually rise higher.
5. As soon as a participant reaches the first level in his matrix, he will be paid a reward. This could be money or a commodity, such as a gold bar. If desired, the product can be sold to the company itself.

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In essence, it turns out that during the creation of a matrix pyramid, lower-level participants chip in to buy a gift for a first-level participant. Each lower level member gradually moves up. To speed up this process, it can help attract new investors.

It's important to understand , that in the conditions of matrix-type pyramids it is very vaguely indicated how to receive the due reward. Most often it is indicated here that for this you need to wait until the matrix is ​​filled. However, it is unclear when this will happen and whether it will happen at all.

However, matrix pyramids last longer than others. But don't get your hopes up: collapse will definitely happen to them too.

To conclude this section, let’s compare three (3) types of pyramids. For convenience, we present the comparison results in a table.

Feature for comparison	Single level pyramid	Multi-level pyramid	Matrix pyramid
Structure	The project owner is at the center. Deposits arrive to him up to a certain point, and it is he who distributes the rewards.	Several participants. The pyramid organizer interacts only with the first level, but oversees the activities of the entire pyramid.	The central link is several active participants. They are interested in newcomers as long as they bring new investors.
Source of profit	Investment and charitable projects.	Exclusively entry fees for new members. The pyramid structure can be disguised by sales of various products.	Only contributions from entering depositors. To show off, complicated schemes for selling a product are used.
Validity	Depends solely on the persuasive capabilities that are inherent in the organizer.	The collapse comes very quickly, as the pyramid grows at an accelerated pace.	It can be quite lengthy, because the exact timing of filling out the matrices is unknown.

As can be seen from the table, the pyramids fall apart in any case. Therefore, we recommend that you approach investing your money more carefully and choose the most reliable ones. For example, it is better to choose than to invest in HYIPs or other dubious projects.

8. What is the difference between a financial pyramid and network marketing companies 📋

Many people believe that network marketing And financial pyramids — the same phenomenon. This is due to the fact that in a superficial comparison these two concepts have certain common features. However, it is important for investors to learn to differentiate between them.

Network Marketing Is a Legitimate Option promotion of goods from producers to consumers, while eliminating several intermediate intermediaries. In such structures, the income of each participant is based on the amount of goods that his wards will be able to sell.

It turns out that if participants in the scheme do not buy or sell anything, but simply register, they do not receive income. At the same time, registration in network marketing companies absolutely free or the entrance fee is very small - up to 500 (five hundred) rubles.

Problems often begin in situations where a pyramid scheme tries to disguise itself as network marketing. To determine what kind of company it is, it is important to look for signs of financial pyramids, which we described above in the article.

Types of financial pyramids on the Internet - magic wallets and HYIPs

9. Financial pyramids on the Internet (online) - HYIPs and wallets 💸💻

The development of the Internet makes it much easier create And develop financial pyramids. This allows you to expand the geographic coverage of potential investors. At the same time, significantly decreased advertising expenses.

The development of the pyramid structure is facilitated by the difficulty of tracking the movement of funds through electronic systems for payments.

Sites are rarely registered with real persons, or information about the owner is hidden. When creating pyramids on the Internet, when they collapse, it is difficult to find the fraudster in order to bring him to justice.

The largest financial pyramid on the Internet – Stock Generation. Its organizer is the well-known Sergei Mavrodi. It represented a certain game of chance. In accordance with the terms of this game, shares of non-existent virtual companies were traded.

The conditions were similar to stock trading: The stock price moved both up and down. The pyramid existed for 2 (two) years. After it collapsed, a huge number of people suffered: according to various sources, from 300 (three hundred) thousand to several million people.

Another very large projects from Mavrodi – pyramids MMM-2011 And 2012 . For the purpose of their creation, the “Mavro” was invented, which is a virtual currency.

In the first project it was bought and sold through members running the levels.

In the second– settlements were carried out directly between the participants of the pyramid, the essence of the project was reduced to a mutual aid fund. Naturally, the influx of participants and cash contributions faded away. Money from the pyramids began to be stolen, the pyramids began to close.

Mavrodi tried to restart the project several times. However, trust in the creator decreased significantly, so the size of the pyramids became much smaller.

Internet pyramids are very diverse and the most popular among them are 2 (two) groups: hype , and magic wallets . Let's try to understand the features of each of these schemes.

9.1. HYIPs (type of financial pyramid)

HYIPs, or in other words, HYIP projects, are investment projects that promise high returns. HYIPs are built on the principle of a financial pyramid.

Such projects are covered by investments in securities, mutual funds, sometimes they claim that they are engaged trust management. In some cases, the organizers of HYIPs do not report anything at all about what activities they are carrying out.

Some Internet users have the opinion that you can make good money by investing in HYIPs, the main thing is to invest correctly. Moreover, There are publications on the Internet, in which participants in such projects describe in detail the correct strategies for investing in HYIPs. They tell you how to invest in such a way as to exit the project on time (before the hype collapses) and make a significant profit.

But don't forget that similar Internet projects organized according to the principle of conventional pyramids. They inevitably go through all the stages of development inherent in pyramids. Therefore, sooner or later, the hype inevitably collapses.

In pyramids, funds are transferred from one participant to another, so perhaps someone will be able to make money on HYIPs. However, they will do this at the expense of contributions from new investors. Moreover, the percentage of lucky ones is very low. Anyway most of the contributions will end up in the pockets of the pyramid organizers .

HYIPs are similar to some real companies and financial instruments. For example, there are funds on the Internet that are one of many investment methods. These companies are engaged in real investment of capital in financial instruments that have high level income. Just like HYIPs, these are high risk.

It turns out that these two types of companies are very similar and it is important for investors to be able to distinguish between them. There are a number of features that are characteristic of HYIP projects, but not inherent in venture funds.

Among them are the following:

• investment objects are fictitious or do not correspond to reality;
• the site is designed too colorfully;
• the essence of the project is blurred, it is not entirely clear what it is;
• too intrusive advertising, claiming that the return of funds is guaranteed, there is no risk of investment, too aggressively convincing to invest funds;
• it is impossible to find the organizer’s details - company name, address, phone number, who is in charge;
• there is no information about the availability of licenses, registration certificates, or these documents are false;
• the promised level of income exceeds 1-2% per day, however, there are HYIPs where this figure is equal to 0,5% , this sign cannot be applied to them;
• vague or too complex conditions for making a profit.

To transfer funds to HYIPs, they usually use electronic wallets in which you do not need to identify a person, for example, Qiwi, Perfect Money, Payeer. As a result, it becomes almost impossible to calculate the real data of the counterparty.

Anything that implies at least minimal personal identification is not acceptable for hype. Almost all such projects are for this reason refuse use payment system WebMoney.

Depending on the level of income, three categories of HYIPs can be distinguished:

9.1.1. Low income

The lifespan of such financial pyramids is from one and a half to three years. At the same time, the promised income is at a level not exceeding 15% per month. Many HYIPs of this type promise to pay 0.5% per day.

Traditionally, pyramids of this type are covered by companies that perform the functions of trust management of various assets. At the same time, it is often quite difficult to distinguish low-income HYIPs from legal schemes.

9.1.2. Average income

The lifespan of financial pyramids created in the form of medium-income HYIPs is from 6 (six) to 12 (twelve) months. The yield here is significantly higher than in the previous category and is about 3% per day. Per month, when investing in such HYIPs, profitability is promised at the level 15-60% .

Such financial pyramids are characterized by rapid growth in popularity. This means that its peak will be reached very quickly, that is, the collapse of the pyramid will not be long in coming.

9.1.3. Highly profitable

Such financial pyramids are developing rapidly. Approximately for 2-5 weeks they go all the way life cycle. At the same time, the promised profitability exceeds 3% per day or more than 60% per month.

Slogans guarantee huge income for investors if they register “here and now”.

For the creation and successful functioning of HYIPs, not only their organizers, but also referral guides. This concept unites persons who are involved in the promotion of the pyramid. They spread the word about the creation of the project.

Besides, the most important task of referral guides is the agitation of network users to join the hype, that is, attracting as many new investors as possible.

It is the competent actions of referees that determine the further success of the project. They act as agents of a financial pyramid. Therefore, cooperation between the pyramid organizers and referral guides is carried out by concluding an agency agreement.

Interaction is carried out through all sorts of means, that is, referral leaders earn money in the form of a percentage of the contributions of the investors they attract. This easily explains why referral leaders are so actively promoting HYIPs.

They post colorful and detailed stories (most often, of course, fictional), about how they hit the jackpot by joining the project. This is done by referral guides on various blogs, social networks, and also on forums.

Investor, develops his online business and is a professional personal finance coach.

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Often, the organizers of HYIPs offer their participants to independently search for new investors using a referral program. As a result, the speed of HYIP promotion on the Internet increases, providing a significant influx of funds.

By analogy with a pyramid, during the growing popularity of a hype project, its participants are paid the promised rewards. This efficient operation continues for some time. At a certain point, the flow of income begins to decline, the influx of money becomes less than the volume of payments. This becomes a signal for the organizers that it is time to wind down the project. The hype is closed, and the sums of money collected by this time remain with its creators.

Thus, You can make money on HYIPs, but remain in profit project creators, those who is actively promoting it, and investors who managed to collect their money on time.

However, the number of winners is negligible compared to the number of participants who, as a result, lose their funds.

9.2. Magic wallets are a special type of financial pyramid

Recently, an interesting way of earning money has been widespread on the Internet, which is called "magic wallets".

The essence of the earning method is quite simple: you should send a small sum of money (most often from 10 to 70 rubles) for seven wallets. For this purpose, systems are usually used electronic money Yandex And WebMoney. After this, you should delete the top wallet number and enter your own instead.

Many people believe that if all actions are done correctly, it is enough about 100(one hundred) or 200(two hundred) messages so that huge sums begin to arrive in your wallet. This is explained simply: the next people who join the project will transfer money to the wallet, after which they will also begin to actively promote the message.

In reality, it turns out that the system of operation of magic wallets is an ordinary financial pyramid. However, it is not subject to any control.

It is almost impossible to make money this way. Firstly, there is no guarantee that those who decide to continue the chain of messages will send money to previous wallets. Secondly, they can cross out not just one wallet number, as stated in the instructions, but more by entering their own numbers instead.

But even if we assume that each subsequent participant will do everything according to the instructions, the pyramid will grow at a tremendous pace. Even the population of the entire planet Earth will not be enough to cover 4-5 of its levels.

In theory, of course, the first participant through 2-3 levels can earn about a million rubles, and this is provided that each new participant will be able to attract 5 people. However, in practice this situation absolutely unrealistic due to the same lack of participants.

Thus, you definitely won’t be able to get rich using magic wallets. Moreover, electronic payment systems make every effort to combat such schemes. They may well block wallets specified in advertising (spam) messages.

Services involved in security and financial monitoring in electronic payment systems carefully monitor the appearance of such messages on the network.

Within a few days, for this reason, the pyramids cease to exist.

Financial pyramids - list of new and old

10. List of old and new financial pyramids in Russia - from MMM Mavrodi to the newest 📜

In Russia, the first financial pyramids appeared after the collapse Soviet Union. In the first years of the transition to a market economy, a huge part of the country's population suffered from them.

Many consider the largest and most notorious pyramid JSC "MMM". The date of creation of the company is considered to be 1989. However, at that time she was conducting completely legal activities.

In 1994, JSC MMM began to operate according to a financial pyramid scheme. Project organizer – Sergey Mavrodi began actively issuing 2 (two) types of securities:

1. shares were issued almost 27 million;
2. tickets were also released - more 72 million.

In means mass media There was active advertising of the company (pyramid). Everyone who was of conscious age at that time remembers advertising about Lena Golubkov. This, as well as promises to investors of returns in the amount of from 500 (five hundred) to 1000 (thousand)% brought a huge number of investors into the pyramid. According to rough estimates, about 10-15 million Russian citizens.

Depositors were not given any documents at all; there was no free sale of MMM company securities. In fact, only the company itself could purchase them. The price of securities was set directly by the organizer.

Around the MMM pyramid arose unprecedented excitement, which led to a sharp increase in the price of the company's securities. As a result, in a short time the shares, whose nominal value was 1000 (one thousand) rubles, began to cost 125 000 rubles per piece. Naturally, the real price for them was much lower.

Information began to spread among investors that the organizer of MMM Mavrodi has problems with law. He was accused of conducting illegal entrepreneurial activity, as well as problems with tax authorities.

Panic grew among the population. As a result, the price of securities started to fall sharply. As a result, they became about a hundred times cheaper. In fact, the securities of MMM JSC have become useless, worthless “candy wrappers”.

The result was the storming of the MMM company office, where Mavrodi was arrested. The organizer of the pyramid was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison. The damage suffered by the population of the country from the actions of the entrepreneur amounts to about 3 (three) billion rubles.

At the same time, Mavrodi managed shift the blame for the collapse of the pyramid onto the state. He argued that a successful company that promised wealth to many citizens was purposefully destroyed.

Subsequently, Sergei Mavrodi created other financial pyramids:

• Stock Generation, which operated on the Internet;
• MMM-2011;
• MMM Global Republic of Bitcoin.

Due to the resounding success of the MMM financial pyramid in Russia in 90s (nineties) and 2000s (two thousand) Other similar projects have been created over the years.

The most popular among them were:

• Vlastilina;
• Ruby (SAN);
• Russian House Selenga;
• Khoper-invest;
• Tibet.

Number of victims of financial pyramids There were millions of people living in Russia. In each of the schemes, citizens lost from several million to several trillion rubles.

Almost all the organizers of financial pyramids were imprisoned; some managed to escape in an unknown direction.

Despite the disastrous consequences of the pyramids' activities during that period, they continued to exist.

This is explained quite simply: Most people want to get rich without doing anything for it. Since almost all people are quite greedy and gullible, ready to invest in any projects that promise unprecedented profits.

The development of the Internet also played a huge role in the existence of financial pyramids. Through the network it is much easier to carry out advertising campaigns, as well as take part in various projects. For investors, pyramids can be compared to casinos: it is almost impossible to guess whether he will win or lose money.

List of new financial pyramids that are popular:

• MMM 2012 and 2016;
• Super Piggy Bank;
• Recycles;
• Eleurus;
• Credex and others.

Due to the huge number of victims of financial pyramids in Russia, the legislation was revised.

Today, for the organization and dissemination of such schemes, a criminal And administrative responsibility.

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Experts recommend calming down first, since in this case it is difficult for a person to assess the situation and make the right decision. Next, you should conduct a thorough analysis of the current situation and accept necessary measures with her permission.

Professionals suggest taking the following measures:

1. Contact the office of the company to which the funds were transferred. In cases where this is impossible for some reason, you should contact the person from whom you received the invitation to join the project. It is important to understand that the likelihood of a return on investment is higher if there are any documents confirming the transfer of money.
2. If scammers refuse to return the invested funds, you should notify them of the intention to file statements with the prosecutor's office and the police.
3. If the threats have no effect, You must immediately contact law enforcement agencies. At the same time, it is necessary to recall as much known information as possible: the name and address of the company, detailed characteristics of the persons with whom the communication took place, what promises they make, what they sell, and other useful data.

Important! Write a statement as quickly as possible, since there is a high probability that by the time law enforcement agencies begin to take action on it, the scammers will have already disappeared.

12. Conclusion + video on the topic 🎥

Despite the huge number of victims of investing in financial pyramids, people continue to invest money in such schemes. Some people do not know about the possibility of fraud, others expect to withdraw funds before the collapse. In any case, it is useful for every investor to know what signs indicate financial pyramids.

If it turns out that funds have already been contributed to the fraudulent scheme, you should try to get your money back without unnecessary panic.

We invite you to watch the video - “What is a financial pyramid?”:

In conclusion, we suggest watching a documentary about MMM:

The site magazine team wishes you good luck and success in your financial affairs. If you have any comments or questions on the topic, please ask them in the comments below.

Financial Pyramide- a common phrase that appears in hearing from time to time. Having heard it, many will remember MMM, the story of Bernard Madoff and other examples. However, these are only examples, and a general view of what financial pyramids are and what they are like is rare.

It must be said that there is no established and universal definition of financial pyramids, and often one can only find descriptions like “uncontrolled investment schemes” or “unsustainable business models.” What this “instability” consists of and why it arises, we will explain in this article.

History knows a large number of financial pyramids, which were presented under certain signs, and the structure of which at first glance seems very diverse. However, everyone financial pyramids there is a common characteristic principle that also explains why they all eventually collapse.

The general principle of financial pyramids is the “bag game”

So, the main feature financial pyramids is that in the course of their work cash deposits participants are simply redistributed. In other words, the funds that participants invest in the pyramid do not participate in the production of goods or services, and therefore the total amount of funds always remains equal to the total deposits - only the owners of the funds change. It simply looks like collecting money in a bag, and then sequentially distributing these funds to the participants in the game according to certain rules. It is clear that all participants will benefit from such games "in the sack" they cannot: in the best case, everyone can stay with their own, but more often the pyramids are designed in such a way that the first participants receive more than they invested, and therefore the last ones simply have nothing left. Now it becomes clear why any financial pyramids sooner or later they must collapse - it is impossible to make everyone richer simply by transferring funds.

Arrange such games "in the sack" is considered fraud and is illegal in most countries (including Russia and Ukraine). However, financial pyramids under one guise or another arise despite the restrictions of the law - why? Most of the organizers of financial pyramids use the promise of very high profits to attract players, and the participants in the game, because of their gullibility, fall for this bait, without checking the legality of the game, and often do not even understand that they are participating in a game of “sack” with an inevitable ending.

Two main types of financial pyramids

All financial pyramids can be divided into 2 types:

— multi-level pyramids;
— .

Multi-level pyramid

This scheme is based on the fact that each new participant in the pyramid, a novice, first makes his entrance fee. This fee is immediately divided between the participant who invited the newcomer, as well as those who invited the inviter, i.e. earlier participants in the pyramid. After the entry fee, the newcomer must invite two more or more people, whose entry fees will already go to his benefit and to the benefit of earlier participants. This continues from level to level.

Depending on the rules pyramids: the amount of the entrance fee and the number of new participants that each “newbie” must bring - the promised income may vary, but they are usually quite large.

The amount of entry fee and the number of participants a newbie must bring varies depending on the rules of the pyramid. So, for example, if according to the rules you need to invite 3 people, and the entry fee is 1000 rubles, and this fee is divided in half in favor of the inviter and the one who brought the inviter into the game, then simple arithmetic suggests that if successful you will spend 1000 rub. to “entrance” and in the end you will receive 6,000 rubles. (1500 from the three participants you invite and another 4500 from the 9 they invite). Thus, the profitability of the scheme will be 500%, which is compared to bank deposit really impressive.

However, we discussed at the beginning why any game "in the sack" ends. The reason why it's collapsing multi-level pyramid, is that the number of participants in the scheme must grow very quickly (exponentially) for it to work. At such a fast pace, often even the entire population of the country is not enough to provide the first 10-15 stages of new participants. It is not surprising that as a result, those who paid their entry fee, but did not find new participants, receive nothing. According to statistics, the participants who are left with nothing are usually more than 80-90%.

Financial pyramid - Ponzi scheme

The scheme received its name from the American Charles Ponzi, who organized this type of pyramid in the United States back in the early 1920s. Although similar schemes had been known before, it was Charles Ponzi's scheme that first involved so many people that it became widely publicized in the United States.

The essence of this type of game “in the bag” is that its organizer invites participants to invest money and at the same time promises a very high and often “guaranteed” income after a short period of time. There is no need to attract new participants - you just need to wait. The organizer pays the first few participants high interest rates income from their personal funds, after which usually rumors about a “working” scheme with excellent returns spread, and new investors themselves go to the organizer. Then the organizer simply pays old investors with funds that come from new ones - game "in the sack" works. It is clear that as the first participants actually receive the promised income, the number of applicants grows, and in addition, old participants begin to invest again - the organizer experiences an increase in the influx of funds.

Financial Pyramide The so-called Ponzi scheme ends for a simple reason: each investor expects to receive more than he invested, while the organizer receives no other income except these contributions - thus the scheme is doomed to collapse. Usually the organizer himself understands this best, so often at the moment when the flow of new depositors begins to “weaken,” the organizer appropriates all the deposits already made and disappears.

Interestingly, the widely known MMM and the investment company of Bernard Medoff used Ponzi schemes.

Comparison of Ponzi scheme and multi-level pyramid

In principle, both schemes are a redistribution of funds, only with different rules and speed of outcome. Here are the main differences:

For a snack

Organizers financial pyramids are quite creative in how they can present the game of “sack” in order to convince people to participate in it. Thus, the organizers of multi-level pyramids, in order to disguise the essence of the game, often come up with additional attributes of a “serious matter”. For example, trading goods 1 or even growing flowers.

The author of this article knows one interesting Ponzi scheme, in which participants were asked to invest money not in magical funds or projects, but simply to grow unique flowers. At the presentation, potential participants were told that some scientists have developed amazing flowers that help in the treatment of serious diseases. Currently, there are few such flowers and therefore they are very expensive. Participants were offered unique opportunity grow these flowers at home.

Each participant had to buy seeds from the organizing company at a price of $500 apiece, and then plant a flower at home, which after 3 months grew and the organizing company was ready to buy it back at a price of $1000. Information about wonderful flowers and the income from growing them spread very quickly and soon many were queuing for $500 seeds.

It is clear that the organizing company paid the first participants from funds received from the sale of seeds to new flower lovers. At some point, the organizers felt that the “boom” of new participants had passed and that an influx of participants with already grown flowers would soon begin. The organizers decided to maximize profits and disappeared.

1 It should be noted that in this way the organizers disguised as legitimate network marketing schemes, which are not fraudulent, as they provide certain services for the distribution of goods. A clear distinguishing feature financial pyramids disguised by the distribution of goods, is often that the goods themselves are worth much less than the entry fees of new participants. That is, goods are just “chips” in the game of “bag”.

Since this site is dedicated to working on the Internet and ways to make money online, I think that it is simply necessary to pay some attention to financial pyramids, since this phenomenon is also a kind of “type of earnings.”

Many people confuse the concepts of financial pyramid and network marketing into one, mistaking one for the other, since the structures are very similar.

A little theory: a company that has distributors, as well as the presence of any physical product for distribution (sale) - this company belongs to network marketing (MLM company). If the company does not have any product, and the remuneration for old participants is formed by “injecting” money with new ones, this is a financial pyramid.

I have been making money online for a relatively long time, but over these few years I have never taken part in financial pyramids, and there are several reasons for this...

Why should you not take part in financial pyramids?

Firstly, I have never heard of anyone actually earning any normal amounts in a pyramid scheme. Although no, I have heard of it. However, those who talked about this themselves are barkers, which means that by definition there can be no faith in them.

Secondly, not all of these structures are reliable. There is no guarantee of receiving the money earned, but there are obviously great chances of getting into a scam.

Thirdly, this type of income in itself is somehow unpleasant. You sit and think about how to invite people to invest their money. After all, this is the only way you can, if not earn money, then at least return what you invested. Moreover, you cannot guarantee a person with confidence that the project will not deceive him in the future.

Based on what was written above, the following is obvious - I will not offer you to join some kind of financial pyramid. In this article, I want, to the best of my modest ability, to talk about what I know about financial pyramids and is it even possible to make money in them?

The structure (essence) of any financial pyramid is inviting new participants. That is, in order to earn money, as a rule, you first have to deposit some amount, and then you need to invite participants under you. They, in turn, also invite participants and you should make good money.

Other pyramids shout that in their company you can earn a million by investing 100 rubles. Yes, this is possible, but there is one caveat. Do you have a way to embrace a bunch of people? Do you know him? And not only invite, but convince people to make the required down payment. Is this real? My opinion is that yes, this is real, but there are only one or two such smart people out of a million. As a result, the creator of this financial pyramid and two smart guys earn the million promised rubles. The majority of participants are left with nothing. At best you can make money a small amount Not everyone has money either.

Recently, financial pyramids have been active online. Now there are a lot of them on the Internet. Their creators are coming up with new ways of disguise so that a person cannot understand that he has ended up in a pyramid. They call themselves online games with real money withdrawal, where you need to plant and grow trees or, for example, buy animals, raise them and then sell them, mutual aid cash desks, money tables, and so on. But the essence is the same - at the first stage you invest a certain amount of money, and at the second - inviting new participants.

I strongly advise against taking part in any projects in this area. Only those who know how and where to find that layer of society that is prone to short-sightedness, stupidity, greed and laziness can make good money there. After all, for the most part, only such people enter financial pyramids.

If you still decide to try to take part in pyramids, even despite what is written above, then pay attention to the site itself, what it looks like. The higher quality and volume it has, the more likely it is that the project is honest (well, if this way of making money can even be called honest). You need to look for reviews about this company. But keep in mind that almost all financial pyramids buy positive reviews. However, for the sake of interest, it’s still worth reading what they write there.

The size of the down payment also plays a significant role here. It would be wiser to get involved in a pyramid where the deposit is 100 rubles, rather than one where the investment is $100. After all, there is a high probability that you will never see the invested funds again. It is also very important what stage of development the project is at. As a rule, the lifespan of a financial pyramid is no more than a year, and in most cases much less. Therefore, if you still don’t have one and want to participate, then it is better to join as early as possible, in the first stages, before the project is saturated with participants. The more participants, the closer the collapse of the financial pyramid is, and this has been indisputably proven.

I briefly outlined all my thoughts about financial pyramids here. You can make money in such a business. This is truly a huge business on the Internet. I hope this is true only for the time being... If you want to try, go for it, just don’t forget that the organizer and, if you’re lucky, the first 100–200 participants earn normal money, provided they show unprecedented activity. The rest are left with nothing.

Detecting signs of a financial pyramid is not so difficult for an ordinary person

Photo: Fotolia/Gajus

Companies with characteristics of financial pyramids dominate online investment searches. Projects of scammers masquerading as financial companies and promising fabulous profits are called HYIPs. The Central Bank explains specifically for readers of Banki.ru which companies should not be approached within a cannon shot.

Where does the hype come from?

Companies with signs of financial pyramids (paying money to investors from the funds of new clients) dominate the results of search queries on the Internet for investing funds. This is evidenced by the results of monitoring by the International Confederation of Consumer Societies (ConfOP), Izvestia reported.

Monitoring organizers studied the issue search engines“Yandex” and Google used the query “it’s profitable to invest money” with settings that ensure the objectivity of the sample, and then conducted an analysis of the websites of non-banking organizations offering investment of funds. Among the most characteristic features of the 25 selected organizations are promises of profitability in excess of 100% per annum, stories about “unique products” and the misuse of symbols of government power.

Fraudsters can call themselves investment funds, hide behind well-known names and convince that the money is being invested in “highly profitable projects.” On the Internet, such projects are called “hype” (from the English HYIP - high yield investment program). HYIPs can vary by type of activity; the most popular are money games, services masquerading as a financial market broker, and mutual aid funds.

Which companies have no right to take your money or are potentially dangerous? And how to recognize them?

“We have learned to stop pyramid schemes on the Internet”

What is behavioral supervision? How do customer complaints help the Bank of Russia more effectively control banks? Do we need to disclose these complaints? Why aren't all clients of financial institutions subject to investment risk warnings?

Victims of illegal market participants

Before agreeing to any offer, you should carefully study financial products, consult with specialists, read information materials and documents proposed for signing, inquire about information about a potential partner, so as not to become a victim of an illegal market participant, for example, a financial pyramid.

Illegal financial market participants often very skillfully disguise themselves as well-known financial organizations that have licenses to operate, use similar names, Internet sites, etc. The Bank of Russia, together with law enforcement agencies, is quite actively working to suppress the activities of such pseudo-financial organizations: in 2015 Last year, about 200 pyramids were identified, in 2016 - about 180, and this year - about 70 in six months.

List of financial organizations that have licenses to operate on financial market, posted on the Bank of Russia website, as well as state registers MFOs and CPCs.

Companies that raise money from the public without legal grounds are subject to administrative and criminal liability.

Measures are applied to “financial pyramids” that attract funds from citizens depending on the amount of funds raised. Criminal liability for “financial pyramids” was introduced in March 2016. Before this date, their activities were qualified as fraudulent actions under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (punishable by imprisonment for up to two years).

As of the date of introduction of criminal liability for the activities of “financial pyramids”, the investigative bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia were investigating 202 criminal cases on financial pyramids (instituted under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), in which 184 people were involved. The total amount of material damage caused exceeded 22.3 billion rubles.

In relation to MFOs carrying out activities prohibited by law - microcredit companies attract funds from individuals who are not founders; attraction by microfinance companies of more than 1.5 million rubles from one individual ( this rule does not apply to the founders of the IFC) - administrative liability is provided under Article 15.26.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (fine from 50 thousand to 100 thousand rubles).

Belief in passive income

“It cannot be denied that the problem of unscrupulous organizations raising funds from the population has existed and continues to exist. First of all, this is due to the fact that the majority of people continue to believe in the promises of great passive income. And, due to the lack of proper financial literacy, they cannot evaluate this or that promise,” says BGP Litigation investment expert Vladimir Rusakov.

1. Carefully study who you give your money to.

According to Russian legislation, companies that have the appropriate licenses can accept funds from the population for subsequent financial transactions. Including numerous agents of foreign brokers and dealers must also have licenses to carry out financial activities issued by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. It is important to study reviews and information on a legal entity in open sources.

It is also worth noting that legal entities can attract funds from individuals under a loan agreement. But if you are not professionally engaged in this activity, then avoid such offers. This is due to the fact that before providing a loan, it is necessary to conduct a detailed legal, financial and other due diligence of the business. Without such checks, the risk of non-return is very high. Just put yourself in the shoes of the bank that issues the loan.

2. Understand the proposed investment product in detail.

Explore investment strategy companies: where the company is going to invest investors' funds. And how aggressive is this strategy?

See if there are many others investment companies use a similar strategy.

It is important to remember that past performance never guarantees future returns.

You should not trust dubious promises of [X]% profitability per month. In most cases this is not true.

3. Study the agreement under which the money is transferred.

Do not transfer funds to anyone without an appropriate agreement that the parties sign in person.

Explore for yourself legal contract. It is advisable to take one or two days to study the legal agreement proposed by the other party.

If you have any doubts, get a lawyer's opinion on this matter. Nowadays, finding a lawyer will not be difficult thanks to the relevant legal services on the Internet.

Common fraud

So, banks and microfinance organizations can attract funds from citizens on a regular basis under the guise of a loan (deposit), information about which is entered into special state registers. In addition, the organization has the right to raise a loan by issuing bonds. All three cases are regulated in detail at the legislative level.

“In other cases, the activities of organizations to attract deposits can hardly be called legal, although the deposit agreement may have one name under which completely different legal relations will be disguised - you must always carefully study juristic documents. The very activities of organizations that advertise in connection with well-known financial institutions(essentially, without being in any way connected with them) and attract funds to deposits, may constitute ordinary fraud, misleading the consumer. And therefore it should become the object of attention of the competent authorities,” says Ivan Korshunov, a lawyer at the Kovalev, Tugushi and Partners bar association.

Payments are not guaranteed

Bank deposits do not generate income, but only allow you to protect money from inflation. Therefore, requests about where to invest money “under high interest", do not run out. The Central Bank reminds that in addition to deposits, there are other financial products and instruments that can be used to place free funds. However, cash payments for all other products, except bank deposits, are not guaranteed by the deposit insurance system.

Bank deposits do not generate income, but only allow you to protect money from inflation. Therefore, requests about where to invest money “at high interest rates” do not dry up.

In general, the choice of a particular financial instrument depends on many factors. It is necessary to take into account the method of managing funds - whether the citizen will manage his money himself, or whether he is ready to entrust this to professionals.

For example, you can invest in a microfinance organization (MFO) and/or transfer your personal savings to a consumer credit cooperative (CCC). Rates on those attracted by these financial institutions funds are higher, but, as previously noted, these organizations are not included in the DIA insurance system, that is, investments in them are not guaranteed by the state. In addition, you need to keep in mind that among microfinance organizations, only microfinance companies (MFCs) have the right to attract funds from citizens who are not their founders, and only in an amount of at least 1.5 million rubles. Microcredit companies (MCCs) do not have the right to attract funds from citizens who are not their founders. As for the CCP, they have the right to attract only funds from their members (shareholders).

From January 1, 2015 you can open in brokerage company individual investment account and receive not only financial results from ongoing transactions with securities, but also tax deduction at the rate of 13% per year. There are also many others financial instruments: bonds federal loan, investment life insurance, mutual funds (UIFs), investment coins and precious metals.