Boycott isabelmarco.com

[cumby]

I think Isabel Marco Money Maker should be boycotted. Recent actions have shown these people to be very dishonest.

They are promoting more and more pornography on their various sites.

They are running lotteries in violation of Paypal's acceptable use policies.

They are now promoting a hyip/paid to surf program called "dirty web" involving adult videos, which claims they will pay you 8% daily for 15 days to watch porn clips and advertisments.

They have announced that they would no longer pay free members and are not honouring free member earnings made prior to the change in TOS.

They are behind on payments.

They are planning to sell "shares" in the site and claiming that they will "double your money" Although they say they are going to have to change the name of these "shares" to something else because as they know, this is also a violation of Paypal's acceptable use policies.

The following is quoted from them on their own forum, this is outrageous, they are actually promoting HYIP now,

QUOTE Marco ----

"You can help IM and earn money on the same time.

Its about Dirtyweb ( for adults )

We are subscribed with them since 16 october and its doing very well.
They pay out very fast ( max 3 days)
We invested not to much (150$) and together with our earnings from refs we have now more then 500$ ( payments included ) in our account.

They pay you 120% from your investment in 15 days and its guaranteed.

So if you are interested, want to earn good money and help IM subscribe from here **ref link edited out** "

END QUOTE

As we all know, HYIP is illegal, and it is so in all countries for the most part, despite what the dummies running them think, they can and will be prosecuted if, and when, the authorities catch up with them.

There are more then enough of us here who are members of this site. I suggest we use the complaint form and submit complaints based on the changes in TOS as well as the payments not made and the illegal activities being encouraged by the PO's in an attempt to keep their rapidly failing cash grab alive.

[dealbarbie]

I filed a complaint some time ago. I hope anyone else that is still owed from them & getting no where follows suit.

I have been waiting since Aug 9th for my payment.....

[surveylove.com]

I saw a petition somewhere... I can't remember if it was on getref.com or simplerefs.com, someone purchased a ptc ad for there petition there.

I guess I could go back to those sites and look around, I generally don't get around to them because starreferrals seems much better, although, I haven't used those sites for long.

[dealbarbie]

Thanks SurveyLove :) I will take a look around those sites to see if I can find some more info.

[rachelclark91]

I filed a complaint some time ago. I hope anyone else that is still owed from them & getting no where follows suit.

I have been waiting since Aug 9th for my payment.....

I also joined this a while back, straight away i could tell there was something dodgy about it. Imo you never really get far from a pay 2 click anyways. I didnt reach min payout... but its good to know i didnt waste much time and im sorry you had to! :(

[Merlin2307]

IMO this program should have been automatically been boycotted the day it changed the TOS to non payment of regular members. Now alot of porn and other junk makes it a definate program to avoid. As always....JMO....Merlin:alien:....

[cumby]

More reason to boycott IM,

Quoted from their support forum:

"Hi all,

Let's help IM by join a very trusted fx-interest.com site at

http://www.FX-Interest.com/index.php?********

Success to you all!

Long live, IM!"

This is a forex based HYIP that they are promoting claiming the usual outrageous interest rates paid daily with a required investment of 1 year! They are of course earning a percentage of everything their members invest, if they aren't running the program themselves that is.

I also believe that these Isabel and Marco characters are just a front for whomever is really running this site. I have seen Paypal payments from someone named Kevin Bogaerts. Who is Kevin Bogaerts? Also many of the members posting in their forums are clearly shills who are working with the owners. They are also removing anything that comes across as slightly critical of them, like being owed nearly $6000 and only being paid $500 three months after requesting payout.

Since these people are doing business here in Canada among many other countries, I will be contacting the ITCU division of The Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as the Canadian representative for Interpol and requesting a criminal investigation. I encourage others to do the same.

People think because they are in some third world country that they can do whatever they please, well I hate to rain on their parade but most countries are members of Interpol now days.

In addition to the many other things, they are openly threatening members on their forum who have opened disputes with Paypal, stating on their own public forum that:

"now you will be the one to lose out because now you will get nothing"

I am also going to contact Paypal. Email aupviolations@paypal.com with your complaints regarding IM's violations of their "acceptable use policy"

[MissMoneyHunter]

They are behind on payments.


I dropped by there earlier today for the first time in several days, and did notice they now have a forum post saying that they intend to get 30 day payments back on track by February.

Of course like everything else, I'm not holding my breath, but just thought I would toss that new info in here.

[ohreallymoney]

I also joined this site a while back. Didn't make minimum payout, wasn't even close. I forgot my password too. Don't even remember what e-mail I used for it. I didn't perticularly like it either, I rather just stay with my gpt sites. Good luck reporting it.

[lancer02]

Ah, me too. I've request my payout for more than 2 months, but I haven't receive anything from them, since I'm just a standard member.

If you post a complain in their forum, those "one sided mods" there will delete it without notice to evade the complaints.

I think IM deserves to be boycotted.

[cumby]

Isabelmarco
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 622


Marco & Isabel


Its useless to PM us about the refs we have taken away from the accounts, all the ones who were deleted earned you nearly or more then the double of your investment !
Its the same now with your rented refs !

Its useless and won't help to PM us hundreds of times about your payment delay
we told already 1000 times that we will pay every Premium and to have patience!

We won't answer those PM's anymore !

Other important update:
For Everybody who makes claims or chargebacks with AP or PP , his account will be deleted

[dealbarbie]

Wow keeps getting more pathetic. Well purchasing advertising with all of it today as I'm obviously not going to get paid. May as well have a write off.

[bellestraker]

Wow keeps getting more pathetic. Well purchasing advertising with all of it today as I'm obviously not going to get paid. May as well have a write off.



I had already requested a payout before they decided not to pay regular members so I cant even use it for ads.

I have $11.00 so minus the $9.00 payout request I have $2.00 showing.

If they arent going to pay anyone then why not return it to the account to use for advertising...grrr

Belle

[dealbarbie]

Yeah, going to request they just cancel my payment so I can use the full lump for advertising....what else can ya do? :)

[dani24am]

i joined and when i started to hear complaints i stopped and once the porno stuff came on i refuse to go back i never reached pay out but i won't even allow people to advertising this site on my websites.

[cumby]

It's official, they are now running their own illegal investment scam. :baaa:

This makes it official, any transaction they carry out with any American member under this scheme makes them guilty of a federal crime as per the US Securites and Exchange Commision. Anyone operating a HYIP program is deemed to be guilty of selling securities without a license. This applies to most other civilized countries as well. Also anyone profiting from these "investments" as a member of the site may also be open to prosecution.

Logged
Isabelmarco
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 652


Marco & Isabel


View Profile


Re: here you can ask everything about IMShares
« Reply #4 on: Yesterday at 04:48:34 PM »

Quote from: olguita on Yesterday at 04:02:11 PM
How do IM shares work? I understand you get your interest in your balance daily and you can request at any time. It takes 15 days to be paid. When do your get your principal back. I understand when it expires, but when do you actually pay it? Do you automatically pay it or do we need to request?

Is the investment and interests guaranteed or does it depend on something?

Can cashouts for your full balance be requested together (refs and shares)? If not, won't that be double work for IM? Will they be able to handle so many payout requests?

thanks

You have to request payment of pricipal because you can also reinvest your principal.
Investment is guaranteed , interests not.
you can ask payout from both together.

[cumby]

This is a forum post from IM, I guess this guy called them out for being scammers, so what do they do, they deleted his post and in it's place they posted his full name and his email addresses for his Paypal and Alert Pay accounts. I've edited out his info here but the original can be seen on their forum. Seriously, these people need to be shut down and put in jail where they belong.



hattrick69
Newbie
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Posts: 1


View Profile


A new kind of ****
« on: November 20, 2008, 02:53:00 PM »

Name: Pablo C******* M*******
User: hattrick69
E-mail: pablo******@******.cl
Counts alertpay / paypal: prem***@******.cl

BANNED FOR USING INADECUATE LANGUAGE MORE THEN ONCE
« Last Edit: November 20, 2008, 04:03:16 PM by Isabelmarco »

[MissMoneyHunter]

If they arent going to pay anyone then why not return it to the account to use for advertising...grrr


Yep, I agree Belle, I would have been fine with that as well.

Honestly the attitude shown with responses to members probably would have turned me off a long time ago if I had paid attention to their forum back then (back before they started exhibiting so many problems). Just like I mentioned in another thread that I have quit or canceled account with GPT sites due to owner's unreasonable gag/censorship clauses, poor customer service attitude ticks me off bigtime. For a site that keeps insisting they are a business and that's why they don't want to pay free members anymore, there's not much of an appropriate and businesslike service attitude. :(

I'm about ready to quit an otherwise good and reliable GPT site because of gripey remarks I keep seeing from the owner as well (don't worry, it's none of you that hang out here :) ). Nothing else wrong with the program itself, I'm just tired of the griping and whining.

I don't expect any site owner to kiss my feet and pamper me or any other member, but griping and moaning and whining and lecturing is just a big turnoff. We all know where that got one site that changed hands before it was sold. :cool:

But the IM attitude lately.... really that's just horrible business behavior for a site that keeps reminding their members the site is a business, sadly. :(

[bellestraker]

I know I have said this before but it has been proven ( several times over ) to every PO that they can open a site, take the money ,change any tos and just keep on operating....or if they so desire they can simply take the money and walk away.....

WHO is going to do anything about it??

More often recently PO's simply rip off members and then carry on with nary a word said or else they simply ignore those who do speak out....at best they may post a cover story and then walk away laughing...

The only reason now for any PO NOT to scam is simply because THEY are honorable and it just isnt IN THEM to scam, but it certainly is not because they have any fear of what may happen.

IM is such a perfect example of this.....How many people even bother speaking out?...Very few...

We can "talk" all we want but until something changes it will be more of the same old, same old. We all know that but most either do not know how or cannot afford to take action.

Hopefully someday that will change.

Belle

[MissMoneyHunter]

I've pretty much decided just to walk away and let those earnings go, even tho I can't really afford to lose them. I haven't removed stuff promoting the program on my site but I will be rectifying that this week, I need to do a lot of housecleaning there anyway.

Really though it's not so much on my behalf, I'm angrier over things like Dealbarbie's experience with it, and the fact that you wasted some of your own time signing up under me.

Speaking of which, now that I finally will have a little more time to spare ahead of me I need to catch up at Royal Surf and do some stuff, finally.

[Esperanza]

The only reason now for any PO NOT to scam is simply because THEY are honorable and it just isnt IN THEM to scam, but it certainly is not because they have any fear of what may happen.


Jmo it's mainly a matter of morals in combination with common sense and responsibility. Quite a lot of owners don't have the faintest clue what they are getting into, so when they screw up they blame everyone and refuse to take responsibility themselves. Even if there are laws that cover it, as long as they keep the loss per member relatively low they will get away with it.

Just look at the many bux sites that slowly add more and more rules to prevent members getting paid - and I firmly believe that most of these are set up just to do that, take the money and run. Another example is the piratesrichess issue, lots of members must have lost hundreds of dollars there and will never be paid, the PO keeps stalling and most members will eventually give up hope and write it off as a loss.

I'm not sure what we can do about it. It usually takes time to see how a program owner operates and even if things look good, you can still be scammed out of your earnings. I was scammed twice by program owners I trusted.

What I recommend is to avoid programs with a high payout and regularly check that those with a low payout pay within terms. That way your loss can never be huge if things go wrong.
Also, don't keep all your eggs in one basket. If a program owner you like owns more programs, don't spend your time on all of them because if things go wrong your combined losses can add up very fast. So spread the risk.

[Prairiedawn31]

I had never signed up with them but you sure have my vote for a boycott!

[bellestraker]

Jmo it's mainly a matter of morals in combination with common sense and responsibility. Quite a lot of owners don't have the faintest clue what they are getting into, so when they screw up they blame everyone and refuse to take responsibility themselves. Even if there are laws that cover it, as long as they keep the loss per member relatively low they will get away with it.

Just look at the many bux sites that slowly add more and more rules to prevent members getting paid - and I firmly believe that most of these are set up just to do that, take the money and run. Another example is the piratesrichess issue, lots of members must have lost hundreds of dollars there and will never be paid, the PO keeps stalling and most members will eventually give up hope and write it off as a loss.

I'm not sure what we can do about it. It usually takes time to see how a program owner operates and even if things look good, you can still be scammed out of your earnings. I was scammed twice by program owners I trusted.

What I recommend is to avoid programs with a high payout and regularly check that those with a low payout pay within terms. That way your loss can never be huge if things go wrong.
Also, don't keep all your eggs in one basket. If a program owner you like owns more programs, don't spend your time on all of them because if things go wrong your combined losses can add up very fast. So spread the risk.


I always tried to not request minimum payments as I felt they were nuisance requests but I am now learning to put in for the small ones.

It is ridiculous when hundreds of people HAVE to submit requests for 25 or 50 cents because otherwise the site may be gone by the time they do.

I so often read there is no money to be made in these ptr etc. sites but obviously someone is making money.I know of quite a few sites who may not be getting rich but are running their businesses responsibly and honestly and paying their members on time so it can be done.

I wish the cost of opening up these sites was much higher which may slow down all the hobbyists as well as those who think its a quick fix for THEIR financial problems. ( I guess actually it IS a quick fix for THEM ..pfft open up...collect...disappear )

I see more and more people become frustrated and simply give up...Its hard not to join them.

Belle

[Esperanza]

LOL this may sound weird but I'm actually happy when members request payout as soon as they made the $1 necessary. It keeps site debt down. At the other program I pay all members in full each month (except those with alertpay or the ones that save for gift certificates) and I always feel relieved afterwards.
Personally I don't understand why PO's want a high payout (or sit on the money for a long time before making payments) because you have a lot less control over finances. And you have to pay anyway, so better sooner than later.

[bellestraker]

LOL this may sound weird but I'm actually happy when members request payout as soon as they made the $1 necessary. It keeps site debt down. At the other program I pay all members in full each month (except those with alertpay or the ones that save for gift certificates) and I always feel relieved afterwards.
Personally I don't understand why PO's want a high payout (or sit on the money for a long time before making payments) because you have a lot less control over finances. And you have to pay anyway, so better sooner than later.



Many have shown the reason to be pretty simple....

The higher the payout .....the longer they get to stall...the more money they get to run with....

seems to be working quite well.

I would like to see a graph showing the % of ptr and related sites who lose their databases compared to those in other businesses... Wanna bet ptr's is wayyyy higher.

I also would like to see a graph showing the % of failed sites where the PO's swear up and down they will pay....even as they slide out the door and fade off into the sunset...

Or maybe one showing the % of those PO's who were able to convince members they were honest and their intent was to pay....That one is pretty easy....all they need are a couple vocal supporters and...well you've seen it all.

Belle

[MissMoneyHunter]

As always the saddest thing of all is how badly this stuff hurts honest owners & new owners.

I rarely visit new sites (of any type) anymore unless someone I'm acquainted with and trust is involved with it, or someone whose judgment I respect and trust recommends it.

A new site will still attract those who don't know any better (or care), but I think there's a pretty significant portion of potential members at this point that are just too gunshy these days to bother with new sites, and with good reason... this thread and related threads are a good example, or that other godawful long thread that's running on the board. Sigh.

[cumby]

Rob informs me IM have been added to the watch list as he now has 5 complaints. If people don't take the 30 seconds that it takes to fill out the official complaint form then this system doesn't work. It only takes a moment to do people.

[GDHRTDWMN]

Rob informs me IM have been added to the watch list as he now has 5 complaints. If people don't take the 30 seconds that it takes to fill out the official complaint form then this system doesn't work. It only takes a moment to do people.

That's good to hear cumby. Thanks for letting us know. I was not a member there altho I almost was. Something just did not feel right to me at the time so I put off signing up. Now I am very glad I did. :) I am also very glad that this forum exist to warn others about bad programs out there. Thumbs up to Rob and staff. You guys do a terrific job with this forum and I have seen some pretty miraculous things happen since I became a member here. :) My opinion and proud of it. :p

[Krazy Klingon]

This is a forum post from IM, I guess this guy called them out for being scammers, so what do they do, they deleted his post and in it's place they posted his full name and his email addresses for his Paypal and Alert Pay accounts. I've edited out his info here but the original can be seen on their forum. Seriously, these people need to be shut down and put in jail where they belong.



hattrick69
Newbie
*
Posts: 1


View Profile


A new kind of ****
« on: November 20, 2008, 02:53:00 PM »

Name: Pablo C******* M*******
User: hattrick69
E-mail: pablo******@******.cl
Counts alertpay / paypal: prem***@******.cl

BANNED FOR USING INADECUATE LANGUAGE MORE THEN ONCE
« Last Edit: November 20, 2008, 04:03:16 PM by Isabelmarco »

Do you have the URL to this post? They somehow, got rid of the search feature on their forum.

[cumby]

Do you have the URL to this post? They somehow, got rid of the search feature on their forum.

Long since deleted, just like everything on their "forum"

The only ones who post anything anymore are him and his mods, and a few suckers that still don't understand what a fraud he is. Anyone who believes that a ptc site has paid over 1.7 million dollars to it's members is delusional.

[dealbarbie]

http://kevain.com/isabelmarco/index.php?topic=17252.0

After much thought, we’ve decided to lock the payment support area. They’re many reasons why we do this. The main one is to protect our members. You might think why would this protect us? The answer is very clear, the more threads about where is my payment, why was I skipped, etc and now so many are posting without reading the forum first or even thinking why their post might harm the entire site. As every thread one makes about where is my payment and been skipped and waiting x amount of days affects us all, and negatively affects on new investments and advertising and affects IM from making any money and paying out all those that are waiting for their payments, it‘s a bad domino affect as one post can affect so much on the outcome and even survival of IM!

Many are waiting patiently and know that we’ve delays, but also believe in us and trust us that we are not going anywhere and that we’re trying our very hardest to the point that we work nearly 14 hour days to get rid of this awful backlog with new and innovative idea’s and promotion of IM and trying new ways of making money. But the main income of IM is members investing. And with those that post their delays, it affects new members investing and affects how much IM makes in a day and can pay out. As we’re all suffering from the economy and from the decline in sales so we must work even harder and “must” have our members support and understanding please, as otherwise we will not be here, and no-one gets paid. And this is something we do not ever want!

No you’ve not been skipped, we know each and every payment request, but we only have so much money in a day to payout , so that when many hundreds request their payment the same day we can’t unfortunately pay out every single one as much as we would like to. We are sorry for this and feel terrible about this truly but we only make so much money as our members invest and support us and also from other income making services we use, so we can only do so many payments in a day and some must wait unfortunately longer then others, we do not play favorites but it’s a paying down the list, it’s unfortunately inevitable if one has been skipped, but everyone will be paid with time, you just have to believe in us. We are not going anywhere, we are not quitting and we care and trust our good members and wish only to be treated the same from all of you on here. We also brought in the ability to upgrade for lifetime so that it's more fair and you can now upgrade with your balance for monthly, yearly and lifetime so that one never has to upgrade again!

IM is a team, not just a ptc but a team of all of you and us working together to make this the best investment and most profitable site online. But if some of the team fails and ignores what the coach tells them then the team will never win. We must all work together on this to survive and win! IM was never created just for us but for all of you, it was a dream to create the only trust-worthy and respectful ptc online that one knew instantly when they signed up that they could feel welcomed here and trust us, and that at IM we care and we treat those that care about IM as family.

Please read this carefully and take our heartfelt post seriously, realizing that everything we do on here we do for our members and so that we all succeed and profit. We have not forgotten any of you, but you must please consider what we’ve wrote here and keep on supporting as you will be paid as so many have. Support us in every way you can and feel you can, it can even be with a kind gesture on another forum telling those that you trust in us and post your ref link or even just support us quietly but knowingly, and you will be rewarded in return as we know whom trust us and we appreciate you, as IM will come out on top again, we just need you to believe in us!

IMShares are doing well and are becoming the most innovative and profitable way of making money! Refs purchases have gone down unfortunately but we’re working on new ways and changes to make this gain ground again. We hope you all invest in a little of both if you can. As when one drops in purchases then payments from that payment processor suffers.

Please don’t pm us or any of the other admins or mods with payment requests as we’re sorry but they will not be answered, do not post on the other forum sections either regarding payments please as they will be deleted. We will work really hard to get rid of this backlog and hope you support us in doing this as we truly need your support and trust to help us achieve this! Thank you for understanding us and please remember your success is our success and we’re a team here at IM always!

[jeesh-louise]

But the main income of IM is members investing.

Is this person friggin KIDDING? THEY openly admit its a Ponzi scheme with this statement? (or at least, an unlicensed investment vehicle)

Someone PLEASE archive that message/email for future possible proof for the prosecutor.

[cumby]

Is this person friggin KIDDING? THEY openly admit its a Ponzi scheme with this statement? (or at least, an unlicensed investment vehicle)

Someone PLEASE archive that message/email for future possible proof for the prosecutor.

Since to the best of my knowledge they are operating out of Columbia or somewhere like that, unless they travel to the US on a regular basis, the chances of him ever being prosecuted are slim and none.

[bellestraker]

Well at least they are "honestly" letting people know they are going to rip them off...pfft.



We want YOU ( the members) to keep giving us your money so we can skim some off the top,pay a few who will praise us in the forums......thus encouraging more newbies to pay us more money..so we can blah,blah....

and we all know the rest...:(


How do these sites keep operating.

I joined and earned $9.00 before they began to force free members to upgrade or lose their money. Well better I lose the $9.00 than continue to allow them to pick my pocket.

This email from them should be enough to show anyone exactly what they are up to...

Trust them....Yeah right!!

Belle

[marketplacerep2]

Now I have a totally different experience. I have been paid 9 times already, if you want proof I will show you, already made my first payout on IM shares, made money on Dirtyweb before they had problems with Alertpay (and I do not care if they show porno or not, that has nothing to do with how good the business is run), and am happy there. It is 1 of only five sites that I trust.

They even recommended one of the trusted sites I now make money off of regularly, too.

It is funny, too, how some people on here are complaining about IM and yet some of their referral links are to sites that I left because they were horrible sites.

I do know that many people who complained a lot turned out to be cheaters along the way.

Just my humble opinion.

[marketplacerep2]

Oh, I forgot to say that they did what they had said they would do and now people are allowed to use their balance, without cashing out, too. Just FYI.

[dealbarbie]

I'm glad to hear someone is getting paid! I truly mean that :)

I'm just disgusted all together with IM.

I waited over 100 days for my payment..prior to them having issues. I had also purchased advertising with them & purchased an upgrade prior to it being required.

To me the bottom line with this site is they will & have changed the terms at anytime to suit them. I can't wait to see what will come next. I am sure they were able to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars when requiring members to upgrade in or to be paid. As either A- People said screw it & left allowing them to not pay out that amount or B- They got funds from upgrades of those desperate enough to think they would actually get paid.

It appears to me this site picks & chooses who it pays as well.

I met all past & present terms at the time they changed them....upgrades, having 200 clicks, etc and continued to wait. There were hundreds of other people waiting (probably more into the thousands). They used to allow members to post about these payments....but, oh my gosh...we would hate for anyone to see we have ripped off many & they deleted all the threads & no longer even allow members to post. I find it amusing & it is a pretty good indication of things to come.

It's amusing as they have purchased & set up soooo many other sites.....weird they don't have to money to make timely payments but, can setup a new site nearly weekly?

I ended up purchasing advertising with my balance seeing as I knew I'd never see it. At least I can write that off as a business investment.

I still feel they deserve to be boycotted.

[bellestraker]

I'm glad to hear someone is getting paid! I truly mean that :)

I'm just disgusted all together with IM.

I waited over 100 days for my payment..prior to them having issues. I had also purchased advertising with them & purchased an upgrade prior to it being required.

To me the bottom line with this site is they will & have changed the terms at anytime to suit them. I can't wait to see what will come next. I am sure they were able to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars when requiring members to upgrade in or to be paid. As either A- People said screw it & left allowing them to not pay out that amount or B- They got funds from upgrades of those desperate enough to think they would actually get paid.

It appears to me this site picks & chooses who it pays as well.

I met all past & present terms at the time they changed them....upgrades, having 200 clicks, etc and continued to wait. There were hundreds of other people waiting (probably more into the thousands). They used to allow members to post about these payments....but, oh my gosh...we would hate for anyone to see we have ripped off many & they deleted all the threads & no longer even allow members to post. I find it amusing & it is a pretty good indication of things to come.

It's amusing as they have purchased & set up soooo many other sites.....weird they don't have to money to make timely payments but, can setup a new site nearly weekly?

I ended up purchasing advertising with my balance seeing as I knew I'd never see it. At least I can write that off as a business investment.

I still feel they deserve to be boycotted.



Hi dealbarbie...

Re: the highlighted portion...I agree with you...well actually I agree with the whole post but am replying mostly to the highlighted part.

New sites or a new strategy for an old one seems to be where the money is at ( For the OWNER).

Every new site brings a flurry of sign ups, money for upgrades, ref purchases and new ads...and the money flows....for a month or so....just long enough to get everyone signed up and owed....

Then the stories start, the TOS change,forum posts get deleted and the begging for "understanding" emails become a regular occurrence....

BUT....in all my years around PTR etc. I have never come across another site with such a blatant rip-off plan as well as openly admitting to being a ponzi scam.

How can anyone still possibly believe this will turn out well....They are openly admitting that YOU ( the member) must send them money so they can pay YOU ( the member )...DUH!!!

They want you to read that admin message and find it in your heart to "understand"....I'd like you to read that admin message and find it in your brain to face the truth.

They are scamming you and you are willing to scam the next poor sucker in line so you get some of your money back.

Classy act.....

They also plead with members to not admit they are not being paid because it will hurt the owners ( IM ) in getting new "investors". Think about it!!!!

Please do not tell anyone the TRUTH because if you do they will not keep sending me their money.

I guess for the few getting paid its all OK....If they get theirs then to hell with everyone else.

For the ones who feel ( or act) this way I guess maybe IsabelMarco is the right site for you.

Have a good one...

[bellestraker]

Oh, I forgot to say that they did what they had said they would do and now people are allowed to use their balance, without cashing out, too. Just FYI.


That covers one out of how many things they said they would do.



They also said they would pay members.

They also said free members could earn and be paid.

They also said a forum was set up for members to post...

They also said they would treat members with respect.


Just wondering how they are coming along with all that?

I am sure there are many more things they SAID which are not done but hey....why bother.

Belle

[marketplacerep2]

They also said they would pay members.
So far I have always been paid. This last time took the longest but they did ask for us to be patient. I am sure it is frustrating but after having been burned by so many others, I cannot really complain. PTC's are like other investments, they are volatile, therefore you have to go in with some suspicion and also be smart. I never invested a dime of my own money, only want I earned on sites.

They also said free members could earn and be paid.

I think that many of the sites are turning to not paying upgraded members because of all of the cheaters out there. Cheaters are not investors and this has cut back on losses to these type of people. I cannot say I disagree with them on this. Since they now allow conversion of funds for upgrading, there is nothing holding people back. I wish they had that when I first started with them and I joined them from the first month that they started.

They also said a forum was set up for members to post...
There is a forum and people do post. People who do not follow TOS of the forum are not answered and if they break rules, they are banned, just like on other sites.

They also said they would treat members with respect. Anyone who treats them with respect gets it back. I have not seen anyone (personally) treated poorly, unless they are nasty people. This is my own experience.

I am sure there are many more things they SAID which are not done but hey....why bother.

That is the great thing. No one is twisting anyone's arm here. I feel that if I join a site, I can leave at anytime, and I have done with others, but I also cannot say that I would leave IM at this point because I have been paid 9x for clicking and got my first IM shares payout (in 3 days) and just put in for my second payout.

I am doing NOTHING to earn this money. Nothing!! I sit in front of the TV, watch my favorite shows, click... how easy is that? And I should complain?

Now there were people out there who were not thinking clearly, jumped in with big investments and then, on many sites, were burned, and I say to them, "What were you thinking?" No one can know for sure which site will fail but from talking on the forums, a lot, you get a feel for the owners and have a mental map of how things are going.

So, for as long as it goes the way it is going, I will remain a member. Are they perfect? No, but PTC sites are hard to run.

Oh, and by the way, the owners should make money but many people feel that they should not. I have run my own business (successfully) and I was always amazed at how people perceived you making money as a bad thing. What the.....?!!

:baaa:

[jeesh-louise]

Now there were people out there who were not thinking clearly, jumped in with big investments and then, on many sites, were burned, and I say to them, "What were you thinking?" No one can know for sure which site will fail but from talking on the forums, a lot, you get a feel for the owners and have a mental map of how things are going.

What were they thinking? Oh, I don't know, maybe trying to BELIEVE in the same site you are trying to brag about right now, hmmm? Are you aware that if these "suckers" didn't invest big time, I can PROMISE YOU that you wouldn't have been paid what you have been paid.

Instead of ridiculing those "suckers", how about thanking them for believing in IM so IM can rip off some more people and have people like you keep promoting them.

Yep, thats how the game works.

[bellestraker]

So far I have always been paid. This last time took the longest but they did ask for us to be patient. I am sure it is frustrating but after having been burned by so many others, I cannot really complain. PTC's are like other investments, they are volatile, therefore you have to go in with some suspicion and also be smart. I never invested a dime of my own money, only want I earned on sites.



Where do you think the money you earned came from?

What am I missing. Since when did PTR,PTC become an "investment"?


I think that many of the sites are turning to not paying upgraded members because of all of the cheaters out there. Cheaters are not investors and this has cut back on losses to these type of people. I cannot say I disagree with them on this. Since they now allow conversion of funds for upgrading, there is nothing holding people back. I wish they had that when I first started with them and I joined them from the first month that they started.



In life there will always be cheaters...The trick is to find THEM and not pay THEM. NOT to pick a group and grab THEIR earnings to cover the loss of a mis-managed business.


There is a forum and people do post. People who do not follow TOS of the forum are not answered and if they break rules, they are banned, just like on other sites.


You must know this is BS. Members are banned if they dare to ask about or complain about not being paid....


Anyone who treats them with respect gets it back. I have not seen anyone (personally) treated poorly, unless they are nasty people. This is my own experience.


What would you consider nasty? Someone who asks when they will be paid or someone who "complains" because the site is not doing what they said they would.... Is THAT nasty?



That is the great thing. No one is twisting anyone's arm here. I feel that if I join a site, I can leave at anytime, and I have done with others, but I also cannot say that I would leave IM at this point because I have been paid 9x for clicking and got my first IM shares payout (in 3 days) and just put in for my second payout.


You are right...no-one is twisting any arms. Maybe a lot of not so subtle BS to rope in some more newbies so their money can be used to pay those who will run out and promote some more...and on it goes.........but arm twisting?...nah.


I am doing NOTHING to earn this money. Nothing!! I sit in front of the TV, watch my favorite shows, click... how easy is that? And I should complain?


And you are the one talking about cheaters?...yeah OK.

Who do you think is paying for those ads you click while you watch TV and "do nothing"?

Those advertisers are trying to make a few dollars just like you and I but they are sure not going to continue to support someone who is kicked back on the sofa watching TV.

Yes advertising is a gamble and no they cannot expect a sale on every ad but they DO expect their ads to be VIEWED and considered by someone who MAY purchase....not someone who isnt even going to see it because they are too wrapped in in the TV show.

You are right about the cheaters....you just have the wrong people.


Now there were people out there who were not thinking clearly, jumped in with big investments and then, on many sites, were burned, and I say to them, "What were you thinking?" No one can know for sure which site will fail but from talking on the forums, a lot, you get a feel for the owners and have a mental map of how things are going.


I agree it is unwise ( to put it nicely) to invest in these sites but the problem is...IM was NOT set up and promoted as an investment site and if they wished to change the rules....simple...just pay those who worked under the original TOS and THEN turn it into whatever they like...

I signed up as a free member. I made over $9.00, requested cashout and THEN the rules were changed. That money is now held in my account. Not only can I not get paid I can't even use it for ads.

Yeah...IM pays alright.....the problem is they pay SOME people and when the free ride the current promoters are getting ends because they run out of new people to scam....Goodbye IM...but no fear...the promoters will just move on to fresh faces.


So, for as long as it goes the way it is going, I will remain a member. Are they perfect? No, but PTC sites are hard to run.


Every business is hard to run IF it is run professionally. The trick is to DO it....not slide through with the least effort for the most gain.


Oh, and by the way, the owners should make money but many people feel that they should not. I have run my own business (successfully) and I was always amazed at how people perceived you making money as a bad thing. What the.....?!!

:baaa:

Who ever said they should not make money....If you ran a business and people did not think you should make money then i am afraid you were dealing with idiots....kinda like now.

Belle

[wagdoll]

I think what marketplacerep2 is basically saying is that people need to understand which of these sites are being run unsustainably and either starting as ponzis or forced to operate as ponzis due to being unsustainable and the upgrade 'investments' being the only source of money and either accept that with its risks or not.

It seems pointless now to pretend these type of sites are PTC sites any more than the hyip autosurfs were autosurfs. Sure that is one aspect of them, but it's not the important aspect.

I'm not saying that is right. What I mean is that at least if members could be a little more savvy in recognising which is which that they might save themselves some heartache in the long run if they don't want to become involved in that.

[marketplacerep2]

I think what marketplacerep2 is basically saying is that people need to understand which of these sites are being run unsustainably and either starting as ponzis or forced to operate as ponzis due to being unsustainable and the upgrade 'investments' being the only source of money and either accept that with its risks or not.

It seems pointless now to pretend these type of sites are PTC sites any more than the hyip autosurfs were autosurfs. Sure that is one aspect of them, but it's not the important aspect.

I'm not saying that is right. What I mean is that at least if members could be a little more savvy in recognising which is which that they might save themselves some heartache in the long run if they don't want to become involved in that.

What you say is true. When I first started with these sites, I did not believe in them but tried them anyway. My "antenna" went up and in the back of my mind I am thinking "be VERY cautious!".

So, I went into these just as I would into the lions' den. Knowing it could be problematic so taking every precaution, knowing it could fail but not setting myself up to be devoured.

You have to know that any and all of them can fail and most likely all will, at one point, if they continue to do what many of the failed ones have done.

A few of the sites who are doing well are making some changes and trying new things. IM has been trying to keep it going by bringing in money in other ways. I am not saying that it will work, but I see an honest effort to make it work.

Actually, I cannot imagine the colossal task of tracking and paying all of those members. Just trying to seek out the cheaters, alone, is a daunting task!

[cumby]

oh please, this person just signed up to post in this thread, they paid you some money for IM shares? wow, congrats, you are involved in a criminal enterprise! it's illegal, everything they are doing is illegal.

The whole idea of PTC is that you sell ads, somebody pays for visits to their website, people click, the difference between what you charged, and what you pay out, is your profit, that's how you make money from free members.

Who do you think you are dealing with here? You think none of us own or have owned websites? I've owned dozens of websites from huge traffic exchanges to PTR's and PTCs all over the net.

HYIP is against the law, it's a ponzi scheme, and it counts on people like you to help the crooks behind it talk other people into paying money into the scam.

Nobody said they haven't paid some people, we are running the boycott campain against them because they are conducting illegal activities and praying on people who don't know any better in order to squeeze the last few ounces of cash out of their scam before they take off, and as long as people like you continue to defend their scams they will continue to milk it for all it's worth.

dirtyweb had "problems with Alertpay"? :p I know somebody who works at Alertpay. They were cut off by Alertpay and their accounts were seized because Alertpay is a legit company and they figured out that whoever is running dirtywebs was using their payment processor for a criminal enterprise. When they signed up to use Alertpay, they certainly didn't list dirtyweb as the site that they would be using the account for, they pulled a bait and switch on Alertpay, signed up with some benign website then they started using it for the porno HYIP.

[jeesh-louise]

Actually, I cannot imagine the colossal task of tracking and paying all of those members. Just trying to seek out the cheaters, alone, is a daunting task!

Thats what automated scripts are for. Its not that hard or that time consuming and if POs want to use this as a crutch or an excuse, they need to either work on their skills or get out.

So what you guys are saying is because of the "naviety" of the viewer, its their fault for taking a site at face value and assuming that what they have to offer is true?

No wonder this industry's audience is shrinking. You have to be highly skilled at detecting BS sites and even then, you still run a 50/50 chance of getting screwed. The newbies in the crowd are going to get burned MANY times before they reach this skill level (if they even hang around of course).

In the immortal words of Belle: pfffft!

[bellestraker]

What you say is true. When I first started with these sites, I did not believe in them but tried them anyway. My "antenna" went up and in the back of my mind I am thinking "be VERY cautious!".

So, I went into these just as I would into the lions' den. Knowing it could be problematic so taking every precaution, knowing it could fail but not setting myself up to be devoured.

You have to know that any and all of them can fail and most likely all will, at one point, if they continue to do what many of the failed ones have done.

A few of the sites who are doing well are making some changes and trying new things. IM has been trying to keep it going by bringing in money in other ways. I am not saying that it will work, but I see an honest effort to make it work.

Actually, I cannot imagine the colossal task of tracking and paying all of those members. Just trying to seek out the cheaters, alone, is a daunting task!

This is an honest question because I am interested. It is not asked to put you down BUT........doesn't it bother you to know that the only way you will make money is to con some other poor fool into paying into a program where they either lose...or they must continue on by scamming the next in line?

[wagdoll]

Thats what automated scripts are for. Its not that hard or that time consuming and if POs want to use this as a crutch or an excuse, they need to either work on their skills or get out.

So what you guys are saying is because of the "naviety" of the viewer, its their fault for taking a site at face value and assuming that what they have to offer is true?

No wonder this industry's audience is shrinking. You have to be highly skilled at detecting BS sites and even then, you still run a 50/50 chance of getting screwed. The newbies in the crowd are going to get burned MANY times before they reach this skill level (if they even hang around of course).

In the immortal words of Belle: pfffft!

As for the bold, when hasn't it been like that? Then add in that some people are happy to work with the scams on the assumption they may be lucky enough to profit if it can last long enough, and it's not convenient to them to have it boycotted or slagged off publically because they know, like IM say, that the confidence trick is going on and they need the "investors" confidence so they will profit. That just complicates matters more for the wary newbie or experienced member who is just looking for a regular site to earn honestly at.

How I read your post is that you don't think the onus should be on the member to watch out and try to be proactive in what they're joining, but something else should happen? Like what? We don't seem to be abe to stop the sites starting, even known scammers manage to buy up and sell sites as they want, we can't shut them down and if we did that wouldn't get anyone paid, we can put them on a boycott list, but that normally happens only after people have been scammed in some way, and then if it's a big enough scam like 12daily they 'might' get the SEC involved and then they can try to work out the mess of who paid what and who profited and should pay back and who didn't profit and needs paying out from those who have already been paid etc and doesn't really fix a thing because the box is opened and you can't put everything back in as it was before the scam started.

So what does that leave other than members trying to learn what to watch for and not to join, members trying to help other members avoid these sites in the first place wherever possible, or at least warning others when the signs start to appear?

The truth is we don't have any perfect solution, so what are the next best things that we can do?

What have I seen about these PTC/bux sites (not the regular PTCs)? Well they offer high click rates to the extent that very few people would buy ads there. Then they guarantee a certain number of clicks per day, forcing them to put up their own ads (unpaid) if they don't have enough advertisers. Then they have upgrade options that instead of coming with ads, come with higher earnings per click and higher referral earnings which usually mean that even if the prices on the ad page were sustainable (if overpriced for the market to the extent they won't sell) in the first place they are now unsustainable. So the sites encourage members to upgrade so they have revenue coming in, then they pay everyone out of the upgrade revenue but it won't go far enough so the sites crash or they play games like zeroing free members earnings and then crashing.

Paypal won't allow most of these type of sites due to the upgrades, that can be a warning sign too if you see all of these things happening together in one site, and you don't want to end up in some ponzi or ponzi-esque unsustainable site don't join in the first place and then they can't zero your earnings. No you won't get in early and earn the hundreds of dollars that a very small fraction of 'lucky' ones boast of but at least with playing the lotto you know up front it is a lottery where hardly anyone will 'win', these sites are conning people into thinking *everyone* can win, but they can't do because to do that these sites would have to pay out far more than they take in, and that is impossible.

Look at donkeymails, they boast nearly 200,000 members and they send ads for 1/4 cent or less. What makes anyone think the vast majority of people who just buy a bux script are going to be able to do better than that and send ads for 1 cent, 5 cents, 15 cents and actually sell those ads at a sustainable price?

[jeesh-louise]

You are correct, the only thing that we *can* do these days is try our best to educate the members (if its not too late). We can also alert everyone as soon as possible about scam sites (or sites that, after you crunch the numbers, must be scams).

My take is, I constantly think of a little old lady who may have been reluctant all this time to get on a computer, finds her way to the internet and gets bombarded with these "too good to be true" type sites. In the old days, people had a more trusting outlook toward one another.

I *hate* it when I hear one of these types of people being *duped* by the new "scammer 2.0" type people simply because they had a bit more faith in mankind than us seasoned veterans that first think of HOW a site can be a scam and they need to prove to us they are honest.

I hate having to feel so bitter and untrusting but you must be that way on the 'net much more so than in real life. <shrugs>

[bellestraker]

This will be a bit off topic but I have to say it.

Normally when someone makes a good post I hit the "Thanks" button but that has become so overused as to be almost meaningless so I decided to say it this way.

The posts above by Wagdoll and Jeesh-Louise are excellent examples of what the members here are trying to do. We don't always succeed and we often get waylaid along the way....but we try.

The posts by Wags and Jeesh-Louise show how frustrated members are becoming with the constant scam sites and the ever changing ways they use to grind another couple dollars from those who may not realize they are being conned.They ALSO show they still care enough to keep trying. Over and over again they "find and sort through" what these sites are doing and then break it down in a way we can all understand.

Against all the flak they have taken they still TRY....they explain, they warn and more importantly....they try to find a solution.

Yes, This site is partially about complaining but the complaints are supposed to serve a purpose. They are supposed to educate and warn by example but even more important are the posts above by two members who genuinely care....yes they get angry but that anger comes from caring and frustration and thank goodness instead of leaving they choose to share their knowledge and experience.

Before i ramble for another page I guess all I want is to say THANKS for caring...

Belle

[MissMoneyHunter]

Totally support what Belle said and my thanks as well to Wagdoll & Louise.

I let a pretty big balance go with IM. It was not $1000+ like DealBarbie's but it was more than I like to give up on and enough it could have paid my utility bill this month. I just turned it in for advertising (that I never saw run personally, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt that it did) and never looked back.

I think it's important to point out, too, that I was not a free member and had invested in advertising on the site at the point that the TOS changes and restrictions that sent so many running began.

There's been a good point brought up in this thread about why they and their people have so much time to open new site after new site, but no time to pay those they owe. Considering the weeks and months that go into opening websites, that really does look bad to anyone watching.

I was over there the other day out of curiosity to see what new changes were afoot.

Yeah, they have a forum for users to express whatever in. One they just recently announced they were removing all negative stuff about IM from, and apparently did.

I seem to recall back around November and the last time I really paid attention to what they were saying about the payments that had not been made that they were projecting they would be able to start paying the balances still owed in February.

When I was there the other day (shortly before February 1st), their important announcement was mainly centered around how much time it was still taking to catch up and blah, blah, more of the same they've been saying since, what, September? It just seemed to me they are laying the groundwork for what will probably be another announcement that they still can't catch up their overdue payments and a projection that maybe they'll be able to by May, June, July, whatever...

If everybody that's been waiting all this time to get paid, while they open up site after site after site, does eventually get paid, great. The writing on the wall makes it look pretty doubtful, but if people want to keep supporting a site that makes them wait five months or six months or more, and show that they believe that's okay by continuing to be active and continuing to wait - hey, go for it, more power to you.

I personally don't feel that should ever be okay, and I'm not a cheater nor was I a free and non-investing member. So when more excuses are given as to why they can't pay anyone soon, as they've been projecting they would pay around this time for months now - and if months from now, those people that have been waiting since last August or September are still waiting, or the site has disappeared altogether - I'll be looking forward to hearing why what IM did is still okay, from those who have continued to believe so.

If they ever make things right and pay all who are owed - and I do mean ALL - and the site continues and gets back on a regular monthly or so payment schedule, then I'll be glad to admit I was wrong. I just have serious doubts it's ever going to happen.

[cumby]

Isabel removed insult home page now redirects to a porno site, nice, real classy.

[wagdoll]

Isabel removed insult home page now redirects to a porno site, nice, real classy.

They have some nasty iframes on there... I'm typing this as I go through it.

First of all at the bottom of isabelmarco.com's index page is a 0 iframe

<iframe height="100%" frameborder="0" width="100%" src="http://www.wet-clicks.com/index.php?ref=fahim1191">

That loads up the site wet-clicks in an invisible 0 iframe...

That's cheating, plain and simple, but the real nasties are elsewhere.

<iframe height="36" frameborder="0" width="150" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" vspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.promaestro.com.mx/afiliados/afiliate.php?usr=QuackYou">

That appears visually as a small side banner on the index page, but it's hiding a lot of stuff...

<iframe height="60" frameborder="0" width="486" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" vspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://xoads.com/ads.php?usr=iboa">
</iframe>
<iframe height="60" frameborder="0" width="486" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" vspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.promaestro.com.mx">
</iframe>
<iframe height="60" frameborder="0" width="468" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="1" vspace="1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.advpoints.com/promote10.php?uid=10674">
</iframe>
<iframe height="60" frameborder="0" width="468" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="1" vspace="1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://ourbesthits.com/index.php?id=shalashaska">
</iframe>
<iframe height="62" frameborder="0" width="470" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" vspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.sendptp.com/sbanner.php?u=shalashaska">

All of those are really nasty things - I'm familiar with xoads, advpoints, ourbesthits doing 0 iframe autosearches. No site should willingly put this type of stuff on their site. This may be where the porn framebreaker came from.

There's another dodgy banner here too
<iframe height="36" frameborder="0" width="150" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" hspace="0" vspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.bigptp.com/aff.php?usr=quackyou">

The main problem with this right now is that the banner inside it is too big for the frame containing it. But there is also an iframe in there that currently seems to be empty.

<img height="60" width="468" longdesc="BIG PTP! Earn money online with your website adding this banner.

You can see there the banner is sized 60 x 468 which is a bit larger than 36x150 that it's inside, so you can't see the whole banner.

The additional iframe in there which has empty source code:

iframe height="100%" frameborder="0" width="100%" scrolling="o" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" src="#">

[bellestraker]

I see IsabelMarcos is certainly following their tos to the letter when it comes to deleting for inactivity.

I have just passed the one month mark without logging in and my account has disappeared.

Another winner PO.

[pietro]

Could be worse Belle, they could leave your account as "active" to pad their numbers.

[jpomeranz]

This is old but I just saw this and it brought me back to the days when Isabel Marco was popular. This was a nice site and it is too bad that they turned into a scam. Does anyone remember when they tried to open a GPT Site called IMPiggyBank? It was such a nice site but I don't think they were prepared for the GPT industry.

[oycott]

I also 've request my payout