Paid to surf program, $30+/day, just look!

[emdkay]

I was the first one to call this complete BS and a scam, but it's worth taking a look into.  I don't want to sound like a salesman or anything, but I really have to share.  In a nutshell, here's how it works.  You sign up for free and are given $10 in your account.  Every day that you surf the minimum amount of sites (between 50-200 depending on your account level), you earn 1% of the amount in you account. 

Example:  you start with $10 free in your account today.  You surf the minimum amount of sites today (200 sites for the $10 level, 20 second browser auto-refresh, can leave it open in a firefox tab).  You've just earned $0.10.  You surf the minimum amount of sites tomorrow, and earn another $0.10.  This comes out to $3.00 in an average month.

You can upgrade your account by adding funds and earn more money each day.  Example:  you add $100 into your account.  You now have $110 in your account, so you earn 1% of that every day, or $1.10/day.  At the end of the average month, you've earned $33.00.  In three months you've basically doubled your money.

I started with $3,000.00 in my account.  For every day I surf (only have to surf 50 sites/day at my level), I earn $30.00.  At the end of the average month, I will have earned $900.  You can roll over that $900 earned, and start the next month earning 1% on $3,900, or $39/day.  It increases each month, depending on how much you want to keep investing. 

Basically, in four months your money will have doubled, regardless of the amount in your account.  All money past the four month period will be pure profit.  If you have an extra $100 or more to play with, you should really give this a shot - or at the very least, try the $10 free account and earn an extra $3/month.  There have been many people not willing to invest any money and have turned a free account into $100 in under a year by continually compounding what they've just earned. 

Check it out, at least try a free account.  If you use my referral link, I'd be every so grateful.  I get 10% of the amount you upgrade your account by.  I'll glady split that with you.  Put in $100, we split $10.   
http://www.studiotraffic.com/index.php?refid=109660

All of this ranting is meaningless without reading discussions on people who have actually been paid.  This site has over 100,000 members, many of which who have posted and shown proof of their consecutive monthly payments.  When you visit the site, go to their forum and look in the "I've been paid" sub-forum.  You can ask me any questions you'd like and I'll try to answer them, although their forum is filled with helpful people, including Studiotraffic staff. 

Also, if you have a site that you want to advertise, for every site that you visit, you're given credits that can be redeemed to display your site for that many number of visitors to see your site. 

[Buddabing]

That looks like a classic Ponzi scheme. Beware.

[Ken Layton]

One of our local (Seattle, Wash.) tv stations consumer reporter did an investigative story on this very thing and guess what? IT'S A SCAM ALRIGHT!

[Sephroth57]

i dunno that sounds pretty shady, i dont like how you cant actually receive cash unless you have 100$ in your account, and you cant go under 100$. so no matter what you will never get your 100$ back.

also this part basicly says, if they want they can decide to shut down and keep all your money

Are payout's guaranteed at StudioTraffic?

[emdkay]

You can start with the free $10 and work up to $100 and get paid out.  If you have a pay account over $100, you can request a payout once you have earned over $5.  I know it sounds like complete BS, but they have an "i've been paid" forum with tons of people vouching for it:

http://www.studiotraffic.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Everybody is lying? 

[emdkay]

also this part basicly says, if they want they can decide to shut down and keep all your money

Are payout's guaranteed at StudioTraffic? 
  We cannot guarantee earnings because we don't have control over the rate of growth of StudioTraffic. However, as long as we are growing, we should have money pooled from different studio programs to pay out to our members. Please understand that we only take a small percentage for operating expenses and we are doing our best to make sure that all our members are happy with us. We do our part by answering emails well within 24 hours, implementing continuous upgrades, advertising our site, and paying out on time. Your daily earnings are added to your account balance at the end of the month
We might decrease the proposed daily earnings of 1% in times of slow growth and in a worst case scenario this could potentially reach zero to keep StudioTraffic operating. However, we are experiencing steady growth, and as long as this is the case all members will be assured of higher payouts Currently our reserve is growing, and every member can expect the payout they are entitled to.
 

Do you think that's what it says?  It only sounds like they talk about your earnings possibly going lower than 1% - nothing about losing the balance you put in.

[ChadTower]

Sometimes these programs are legit but never drive that much cash.  I remember when the big thing a few years ago was to put banners on your website, and for every click you got like half a cent.  I was using AllAdvantage.com to provide the banners and was probably pulling in $25-40/month until that type of advertising was passed by.

[emdkay]

I remember alladvantage.com.  I used their toolbar for a certain amount of time every month and made about $60.  It was decent gas money.

Yes, some programs have been proven to be scams, but not this one.  This particular one - Studio Traffic - has a legitimate track record.  Read their forums.  Yes there is risk involved.  That doesn't stop people from playing the stock market. 

[RayB]

Do the math and figure out how much you make per hour of surfing the sites they tell you to. Bet a job at McDonald's pays more.

[emdkay]

Do the math and figure out how much you make per hour of surfing the sites they tell you to. Bet a job at McDonald's pays more.

$30/day * 30 days in an average month = $900/month

30 minutes/day surfing = $60/hour

[Sephroth57]

ok so i signed up... what do i do now im confused heh

[RayB]

Surfing 200 sites in 30 minutes? That's 1 site every 10 seconds...

[emdkay]

It's a 20 second browser auto-refresh.

Free accounts need to view 200 sites/day.  Higher account holders need only surf 50 sites/day. 

[emdkay]

ok so i signed up... what do i do now im confused heh

Just log into your account, and click on "surf4spots".  A new browser window will open, which will automatically load a new page every 20 seconds.  Once you have surfed 200 pages (since you're at the free account level), you'll be given your daily 1% of your account balance (1% of $10 = $0.10).  At midnight tonight you can do this again. 

If you upgrade your account to $100 for example, you'll be earning 1% of $100 daily, or $1/day. 

[Sephroth57]

yeah so, i threw 10$ into my account. what the hell, see if this crap works

[emdkay]

yeah so, i threw 10$ into my account. what the hell, see if this crap works

nice! 

http://www.studiotraffic.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

[Magnet_Eye]

you can lose the money you put in....once you put it in, its gone until you earn it back so it seems. sketchy.

[emdkay]

It's not really gone, you just can't withdraw money until you have earned $100 for free account holders.  A CD works in a similar manner.   If you have a paid account over $100, you can withdraw money at the end of the month if you've earned over $5.  Which, if you have $100 in your account, your earnings at the end of the month will be at least $30 if you've browsed that entire month.

[NIVO]

and i'll bet they are earning interest on all this"invested money" that people add to their accounts, just to make a minimum return on. Yea sorta like a bank but this is way cheesy. Even if it is legit, i still see a cloud over it. Good Luck, hope they dont decide to walk away some night. 

[Gunstar Hero]

So if we refer you do we get a free marquee out of it? 

[emdkay]

Nivo I know it is risky but it's hard to ignore their forums with everyone consistently being paid month after month, with any earnings from the 3-month period on being pure profit. 

Gunstar sure!  If you put in $100, why not 

[gprime]

Keep in mind they own the forum. For freeipods we found out it wasnt totally a scam because of a bunch of third party sites, but with this it could be the owners making a bunch of accounts and saying they got money. You have to admit, all the people who are making the "big bucks" sure have the same writing style. And the "no contacting" rule is a bit fishy, you aren't allowed to email any of these people on the forum because of the threat of child abduction? Sure...

[emdkay]

Freeipods isn't a scam at all, I actually received one from that program.  I know a forum could be faked, but to fake post 33 thousand posts, 2,300+ in the "i've been paid" forum alone sounds very unlikely.  The writing style may sound the same because people are saying the same thing over and over "Hi, I've been paid". 

Where do you see a no contacting rule?  You can contact anybody you want through their public profile - through AIM, MSN, Yahoo, email, private message, etc.  Feel free to do so.

This program isn't for skeptics - if you have doubt please do not sign up!  If you have even a little bit of faith, try a free account, or add some money that you're willing to test with.

[emdkay]

Interesting post..

StudioTraffic - An Innovative Earn While You Advertise Approach
Ranked in the top 3, right after Google and AOL in gaining the most referrals on the net. This shows it is way ahead of other programs out there. It has a few thousand members using surf4spots at any given time. Studio traffic is the best place to advertise all your websites.

[gnateye]

i signed up for a free account with your refferal. cant hurt to try it for free..

[gprime]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to stir up anything. I just find the rules a bit weird.

The specific rule you are questioning is in place because Studio Hug will soon be available and we would like members to make personal contact through that. Whether it be for chat or on-line conferences. As I mentioned above we are a FAMILY forum this means that not only do we have adult members but members that are also minors. We are all aware of the dangers of chat rooms and minors having contact with people they do not know other than from forums or chat rooms. If we can encourage members only to contact each other through Studio Hug the danger to our younger members is reduced due to the fact that contact/meetings can be regulated and made a note of. I can apreciate that the above is not a nice thought, however it is a responsible move by Studio to consider the safety of all of its members/family who come from all walks of life.

[gprime]

Interesting post..

StudioTraffic - An Innovative Earn While You Advertise Approach
Ranked in the top 3, right after Google and AOL in gaining the most referrals on the net. This shows it is way ahead of other programs out there. It has a few thousand members using surf4spots at any given time. Studio traffic is the best place to advertise all your websites.

Sorry I really don't mean to be negative, but how trusted can that news site be if they link to their own referal link: http://www.studiotraffic.com/index.php?refid=32394 masked behind a .go.to address?

[RayB]

I think if your "job" is taking people's money, you'd take the time to post thousands of fake posts. It would be worth it, no?

[DrewKaree]

emdkay, figured I have nothing to lose with the free account, and I can let this run in another tab like my gmail, so it's a "nothing to lose" proposition for me.

I read thoroughly through the terms and conditions, and here is a better explanation of the "system".  Since there is nothing required to join in, I should have 13 bucks in my account at the end of the month, 16 the next, 19 the next, and so on, and so on, unless they pay a touch more the more money you have in your account.  I don't expect to get paid UNLESS I put money into my account, but for now, I have nothing to lose. 

Here's the site's 'splanation:

Disclosure

Studiotraffic.com is a "paid to surf" traffic exchange. It provides free members with the opportunity to earn money for viewing other members' web pages. You do not have to pay anything to earn money or to receive sales commissions. You can increase your rate of earnings by paying to upgrade your account.

The money you pay to upgrade your Studiotraffic.com account is a membership fee. It is NOT an "investment" or "deposit". Money paid to you by Studiotraffic is earned by you for your use of the services and is not "interest". Please be clear on this term.

Your membership fees are never returned to you. They are not refundable under any circumstances, unless you change your mind and request a refund within 7 days of your first payment.

By paying a membership fee to Studiotraffic, you have accepted all terms an conditions disclosed on the site. You understand that there is NO GUARANTEE of earnings or profits, that monthly earnings may be reduced to zero at times if necessary and that you may not earn your money back or make any profit. However, if your spot did cycle on studiowalker, we guarantee that you will get your payout.

Any sales commission paid to you is a once-off percentage of membership fees paid by your direct referrals. Studiotraffic.com does not pay on multiple "levels", at variable rates, or any commission on the earnings of others.

All payments made by Studiotraffic.com are derived from the net proceeds of the sales of upgrading their accounts, website advertising, additional traffic credits, and any other revenue producing activities undertaken by Studiotraffic from time to time.

[Magnet_Eye]

The money you pay to upgrade your Studiotraffic.com account is a membership fee. It is NOT an "investment" or "deposit". Money paid to you by Studiotraffic is earned by you for your use of the services and is not "interest". Please be clear on this term.

Your membership fees are never returned to you. They are not refundable under any circumstances, unless you change your mind and request a refund within 7 days of your first payment.

You understand that there is NO GUARANTEE of earnings or profits, that monthly earnings may be reduced to zero at times if necessary and that you may not earn your money back or make any profit.

Wow. I really hope this is not a scam, otherwise emdkay has just lost $3,000. 

Keep us posted. Let us know when and if you get paid.

[DrewKaree]

Well, from what it sounds like, it'll take several months to a year before I see a dime, but it ain't costin' me a dime.  The "pay to surf" thing is currently running in another tab right now, and hasn't slowed down my browser a bit, so to me, it's "worth" what I'm putting into it 

ZOINKS!   I just re-read emdkay put in $3000!

After four months, then, he will have made $600 (recouped his 3k and made that much extra).

I believe that's how they are making money on the whole thing.  Advertisers pay them to be included, they get to keep the money paid to upgrade accounts, and they pay out based on a percentage of the money they make per month, which is subject to change.

If what I read is correct, then indeed, emdkay IS out 3 grand until 4 months into the program...thus far, sorry.  If, in 4 months he's made 6 beans, EXCELLENT!

THEN I'll throw in my $10

[emdkay]

Thanks for the concern guys - I hope I'm not out the 3,000, but it feels like something I'm willing to take the risk on and am very confident.  I just don't find it plausible to fake 30,000+ message board posts, AIM, MSN, Yahoo accounts, email addresses for every individual and respond to all of those messages almost simultaneously.  Drew - I'm not sure if you're clear on the percentages and how they pay out.  They pay you 1% of your account level every day.  At $3,000, it's $30/day, or $900 in an average month.  If you have a paid account over $100, you can withdraw your earnings at the end of the month. 

Come April 1 (strikingly and oddly enough on April Fool's!), I should be able to walk away with $900.  The month after that, another $900 (or more if I compound those $900 in earnings).  I will keep everyone posted.  I just feel like I found such a great chance to earn some money on the side, I want to include the BYOACers, skeptic or not 

[Quarters]

Buddabing got it right on the first reply. This is a Ponzi scheme.

emdkay,
You can make money with this. The trick is to know when to take your money back before the inevitable collapse.

[FractalWalk]

Buddabing got it right on the first reply. This is a Ponzi scheme.

If it is a Ponzi scheme then it is illegal.

[emdkay]

I will keep everyone posted 

[GreenKnight37]

I started with $3,000.00 in my account

Wow...Risky, but I've got to say, thats got guts in some odd sense.  As long as the company isn't going horribly bankrupt any time soon, it will probably work out as you had planned.  But just watch out, cause every company like this always leaves in a clause that they can change their terms at any time. 

So keep us updated and good luck with this one.  If it works out, buy me supplies to build a shiny new Mame cab, I've got a birthday coming up

[emdkay]

I started with $3,000.00 in my account

Wow...Risky, but I've got to say, thats got guts in some odd sense.  As long as the company isn't going horribly bankrupt any time soon, it will probably work out as you had planned.  But just watch out, cause every company like this always leaves in a clause that they can change their terms at any time. 

So keep us updated and good luck with this one.  If it works out, buy me supplies to build a shiny new Mame cab, I've got a birthday coming up

I admit it was quite ballsy on my part, but it's a little extra I have right now to hopefully turn into some profit.  If you put in only $90, you'll be earning $30 the first month, $39 the next, and $50 the third month.  That's $119 in 3 months from your initial $100. 

It's true that you don't get back your initial investment, but according to the math, if you hit your quota each day without fail, your ROI will be 265% at the end of the year.  That's a great ROI. The only problem indeed is that the money is not guaranteed.  If the company goes out of business before the end of the year, you won't get your full 265% return on investment.  That's how it is with practically any investment you make in life though.  Even with the freeipods sites or whatnot, if they go out of business, any referrals you've brought to them will be gone as well.  If you invest $20,000 into a rental property and it goes bad and you're forced to sell it, you lose money.  If you put money into a stock that tanks, you lose money there.  This isn't for the person who won't be able to eat if they lose money.  If you are comfortable putting some money into it, you can get a nice return.  Only put in what you're comfortable with.  If it's nothing - then try a free account and just earn some gas money each month. 

[emdkay]

So keep us updated and good luck with this one.  If it works out, buy me supplies to build a shiny new Mame cab, I've got a birthday coming up

I need a new cocktail cabinet actually, so I will keep you posted 

[Effayy]

Ah! long time no see...

My project is currently on hold (Canadian winters suck and I need a tablesaw to continue *cry*) but I actually Googled this thread while looking for scam info regarding Studiotraffic.

I signed up this weekend too, but I doubt I'll invest any of my own money into this.  I have to be honest, it really does sound too good to be true, which as we all know usually means it as well.

One thing I'm almost sure of is that the people in the forums all cheering about how they got paid, they're real.  Using the invested money of new recruits to help pay off the older members is a great way to purchase some nice advertising.  Those happy people will undoubtedly tell everyone they know (and perhaps recruit them on their downline...)  Eventually when the bubble has become big enough, the website will pull the plug, and any money currently in the machine will be lost.

emdkay:  I really really hope that your investment works out for you, but if I can just offer a small peice of advice, it's this:  You're in, so go big but don't compound your interest until you can withdraw at least your original investment.  So for the first 3 months, take out your balance.   Afterwards, since you have your capital back, teh rest is gravy... roll it as long as you'd like.  If you keep rolling over your original investment, you're liable to lose it all if (when) the company decide to close up shop.

And on that note, I also hope that my downline members invest money so I can upgrade my account without having to invest any of my own!  (*coughcough* refid=113925 *coughcough*)

If you have a few minutes, read http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/ponzi/.  You'll probably spot an amazing similarity with the original and Studiotraffic.

G'luck! I'll keep you posted on my progress as well.

- Effayy

[RayB]

If I were Emdkay, I'd be nervous for the next 4 months, cuz that's how long it will take before he gets his money back prior to withdrawal. I say this because in the next 4 months this company will probably disappear with his $3000.

Did you bother to research where the business is registered?

[emdkay]

If I were Emdkay, I'd be nervous for the next 4 months, cuz that's how long it will take before he gets his money back prior to withdrawal. I say this because in the next 4 months this company will probably disappear with his $3000.

Did you bother to research where the business is registered?

Yea the next 4 months is the risky part.  Other people have gotten past this hump and from that point on everything is profit, with no risk.  The business is registered in Panama to avoid taxes, and Studiopay, where they send payments from,  is located in NY.  It won't kill me if I lose my money, but I'm confident enough to take the chance. 

[emdkay]

Some snippets from the latest newsletter...

The change in the StudioPay system signals a secure and stable program. We have great plans for StudioPay. StudioPay has made around $20,000 profit just from StudioTraffic alone this month. With the introduction of debit cards, we are confident StudioPay will hit $50,000 within 3 months. We are preparing to open StudioPay to the public in approximately 2-3 months time. With a wider target market, we are looking at around $100,000 - $200,000 of pure profit per month within a year from now. Annually, we are looking at around $2 million in profit with revenues of $25 million within a year.

We have decided to open this office in the Niagara region of Ontario, this location has been chosen specifically for several reasons, one of the main reasons being cost effectiveness. It is still our goal to keep our expenses as low as possible and if we were to set up office in one of the main cities, such as Toronto, the operating costs would be through the roof. A small 1000sq foot office space in Toronto costs between $2000 and $3000 a month + utilities. The same office space can be acquired in the Niagara area for between $1000 and $1500 a month + utilities. As we will be employing upwards of 20 staff we feel that it is not necessary for us to have to bear the high real estate costs that come with a big city. We are an internet based company, and we pride ourselves on being able to keep our costs to a minimum in order to keep the funds flowing back to our members.

Within the coming 3 months, we will focus on building StudioPay. We will also start an aggressive promotion campaign to increase our customer base from thousands to millions. Our radio station at Studiorocks.com will also launch next month, we are confident of drawing lots of new members to all Studio Programs. The foundation of Studio Programs is growing stronger and stronger every passing day.

I am proud to announce that our reserve has hit all high. After deducting everything, our reserve is nearly half a million, sitting there doing nothing. We will continue to grow our reserve which will reinforce the stability of all Studio Programs.

Cheers,
John Horan
StudioTraffic.com

[Effayy]

Keep this in mind...

Visit Studiorocks.com and check out what's there.  In my opinion, a purchase option wrapped around a Winamp Shoutcast radio stream won't bring in the kind of revenue that will drive this company.

Visit SurfnStore.com ... The items they plan on selling won't keep the company afloat for long. (Mugs, Hats, Keychains?)

What WILL keep the company afloat are new members willing to invest.  The new money will funnel to the older members, paying them.  Once the influx of new members can't keep up with the existing demand for money, you have a pyramid collapsing on itself.

Essentially, you've taken a bet that the site will be around 3 months from now, and to be honest I think it will be.  From the looks of things, membership is still growing.

Collect your monthly pay, don't roll anything over until you've made back your initial investment.  Then take turns each month between rolling over and withdrawing.  that way you'll be sure to catch your profits every 2 months, before the site tumbles.

And don't use StudioPay, only use PayPal.  StudioPay is run by them, and a scammer with credit card information is evil indeed.

- Effayy

[cholin]

Well earlier on when I went to www.myfreephotoipod.com I got sent over to this site after a little message saying the site was under investigation, so I looked into this studiopay thing.  Later on, I see this forum, so sounds convincing.  I signed up like 10 minutes ago, ate a few chips downstairs and came back up.  I've viewed 52 sites so far with like 26.5 credits.  Lets see how this baby works out.  Just letting you know, through this thread alone, they've made money.  Think about it.  They gave one person a deal, who invested 3 grand.  He then told people, and they probably got 10 new referrals, etc.  This is how the companies plan to grow.   Just thought Id make it noticable.  Now i gotta do some reading:  what do referrals get you?  How many sites do I need to leave open each day

[DrewKaree]

what do referrals get you?  How many sites do I need to leave open each day

Referrals get you squat - they don't increase payments like that.  They may get you cents on the dollar, but they aren't building their base through referrals like THAT...they're scamming us through sneakier methods

You don't have to leave ANY open each day OTHER than your browser window that's refreshing every 20 seconds.  Use Firefox and open that thing up in another tab, and when it's done, it'll beep and pop up a message about surfing away from the page and blah blah blah your computer will blow up if you don't stick with our page blah blah.

You won't even notice you're following their instructions if you do it like that.  If they ever change it, just leave that window open and open up another instance of their browser.  You don't have to look at the web sites unless you have a fetish for online impulse purchasing

[cholin]

Just checked it out.  I was doing the firefox thing, I meant how many does it have to go through   Misworded that   Apparently, I need at least 200 and at most 200, leaving me at.....somewhere around 200   Referrals get you money if they upgrade...so if someone happened to upgrade $3000, thats one hell of a referral!

[emdkay]

Referrals do indeed get you $.  If a person that you referred upgrades their account, you get 10% of the upgrade.  Somebody upgrades by $1,000, you get $100.

Yes, as a free member, you have to surf 200 sites a day.  As a higher level member, you need to surf less - the minimum being 50 sites/day. 

[emdkay]

By the way, you are allowed to refer yourself and open a second account.  Refer yourself and put in $1,000 - earn another $100 bonus. 

[cholin]

That sounds great, except one part:  I dont have anywhere near $1000 to spare, I probably have 10 or so if I look hard enough -- but that will be spent within the next few days Im sure.

[DrewKaree]

Yeah, bad explanation of the referrals.  The referral ITSELF doesn't pay you anything, the referral needs to "invest". 

Thanks for clearing it up, guys.

[Magnet_Eye]

so what's the status of this program for you guys?

Any money yet?

[DrewKaree]

I won't be able to collect for a WHILE, but my account IS increasing.

I know, that's a rather underwhelming response, hey?

[quarterback]

[cholin]

Well, thats why theres free accounts.  I have a free one with 90 cents built up in it.  Whatever money I make from ads, Ill invest into this, meaning, whoever I signed up under will get a few extra bucks after Im done spending!

[emdkay]

I got paid twice today - once from my regular job, and once from StudioTraffic 

My check for surfing in March:

[GGKoul]

Congrads!! I have to sign up!!

[gprime]

Wow, good job!

But... 3 months to go to see if they are legit

[emdkay]

Wow, good job!

But... 3 months to go to see if they are legit

Indeed!  Almost there!   

[SOAPboy]

I got paid twice today - once from my regular job, and once from StudioTraffic

[emdkay]

Paid again, $30/day for every day in April.  Where's everyone that called this a scam?   

[quarterback]

Where's everyone that called this a scam?

[gprime]

How exactly are they making money? Do you just give them your money, do absolutely nothing, and then they they slowly pay you back with other peoples money?

Still not sure if I understand how this works :S

[emdkay]

How exactly are they making money? Do you just give them your money, do absolutely nothing, and then they they slowly pay you back with other peoples money?

Still not sure if I understand how this works :S

It's a pay-to-surf concept.  You surf the minimum number of sites every day depending on your account level (I surf 50 sites/day, or about 15 minutes/day) to earn 1% of the amount in my account.  I put $3,000 into my account, so that's $30/day for every day I view those minimum number of sites. 

They're able to pay people with the funds that others use to upgrade.  They also keep 2% of the money that they pay out to others at the end of every month- this also helps to pay all members.  They have other programs such as StudioPay, StudioWalker, debit cards will be available soon, etc.  These are all other programs they have that also keep the program alive. 

It looks like nobody on here is willing to take the risk and still believes its a scam or will crumble, and it isn't for those who won't be able to eat if they lose some money.  If you decide to join, only put in what you're comfortable with. 

[gprime]

I would invest, but I would probably forget to surf every day and end up losing all my money. 

[emdkay]

Well when you have a lot put into the system and will earn $30/day for about 15 minutes of your time, you tend not to forget.  Also, you wouldn't lose any $ by forgetting to surf for that given day, just not make any.

[gprime]

I just signed up to see how it works. I clicked something in my profile and now Im watching these pages refresh. Every site so far has been "StudioPay.com." Is this normal?

[emdkay]

I just signed up to see how it works. I clicked something in my profile and now Im watching these pages refresh. Every site so far has been "StudioPay.com." Is this normal?

I don't remember the sites you see when you first create an account, but watch your "sites surfed today" number go up in the top-right corner and keep surfing until you hit the minimum number of sites for your account level:

Free member

[gprime]

Bah I was about to test it out, but they denied my credit card. Apparently they don't take PayPal anymore, so maybe they don't like PayPal funded credit cards either.

... guess I'll have to get a *real* CC one of these days (which is hard to do, being a student without existing credit) ...

[tmasman]

Emdkay,

Do the pages automatically refresh? Or do you have to click on the links?
If it's automatic, couldn't you just leave the page open in the background?

What types of sites is it sending you to?
Has there been anything fishy about the site/company that you've noticed since you've been involved with it?

I'd be willing to give it a try, but I'm worried that it would tank before I got my investment back out of it.  I'd probably go in @ the $1000 level, but to really be a viable income (mor ethan just a little extra play $$$), it'd need to be at least $3K-$4K invested ($900 - $1200/month).

I just wish I had the balls to get in a few months back... That way, I'd almost be in the black by now & wouldn't have to worry about the stability of the "company" so much.

I'll always live in fear of losing my money... This sucks.

[DrewKaree]

Emdkay,

Do the pages automatically refresh? Or do you have to click on the links?
If it's automatic, couldn't you just leave the page open in the background?

I use firefox, and I opened the links page you have to view in another tab.  It scrolls through various site links.

Indeed, you CAN just leave the page open in the background.  It DOES sap some bandwidth, but if you're earning money for it, you can deal with it.  It's just hard to remember to do it if you DON'T have tall cash invested like emdkay.  To think, in another few months, I might actually get a nickel check!

[RayB]

I recently heard (2-3 weeks ago) about a company that was in hot water because of something like this. Apparently the advertisers are getting pissed off that their sites are merely being clicked to (in an automated fashion) rather than actually "surfed".

Is it this company?

[Magnet_Eye]

it's only a matter of time before this cookie crumbles.

there have been a lot of these types of programs. they last for 6 months to a year and go under.

 

[cholin]

Wow, Ive been slacking on this program, when you realize how slow your free account builds, it hardly seems worth it.  I don't quite get one thing though:

It says you need 100 dollars to pay out, yet it also says you need 5 dollars to pay out, which one is it!

[hyiu]

sorry to be negative, but my instincts tells me this is a scam...

a scam that is very close to a scheme called "pyramid selling"
(that's how its called in Chinese...)

and yes, the company WILL pay out cash, in the beginning...
because new users are signing up, and probably there are other
guys like you who are putting $$ in !!!...

They use those cash to pay out, DRAW A HUGE AMOUNT of ppl to sign up, and invest in... then they'll just fold....

do ppl make $$ out of it ?? Of course, they do, but only the creator, first group of ppl who jumped in, and they have to PULL OUT FIRST also... anyone who is a bit greedy, or jumped in too late...  too bad...

ps: as stated in their rule, they can change the percentage anytime, or I can see they can also change the withdrawal minimum (or any rules...)

anyway, good luck on all the guys who jumped in....

------------------------------------------

to tell you a similar story happened in Hong Kong before,

a company stated that a plant is VERY much needed for medical purposes... and they're willing to pay people to plant a plant for them for cash...

what they do is... you buy a small plant for like $20, take it home, water/sun/care for it for 4 wks, and once there are like 5 leaves comes out (or something like that, they'll buy it back and pay you $120....)  (amount is not exact... but close...) also, they give precise instructions on how to care the plant, and its not hard at all....

a few people says, what the heck, and tried, and it works, plant is not hard to keep alive and grow, and they got paid !!!...

words spread fast on these deals (as you can imagine...), espeically housewifes who doesn't have much to do.... they buy LOTS of those small plants, and the company was paying out for a few months....

and then Wham.... they closed down.... owner fled the country...
Then after a few yrs, the owner was tracked down and he actually came back to Hong Kong !!!  People lawsuited him... and he won... because after a couple of years, noone even kept those plants and the company is already closed... owner ruled not responsible...

bottom line ?? the owner of the company makes sh!tload of $$, a few people did make some $$ (non-greedy ones...) but sh!tload of people lost sh!tload of $$....

sad story.... 

--------------------

similar here... by clicking, you're not BUYING anything on those sites, (generating traffic, yes, actually helping the company that pays for ads to make $$ ??  NO....)

In this case, it is defying the very basics of a business...
(you're making $$ but you're not generating revenue...)
and the red light bulb behind my head is FASHING badly...

please beware....

sorry for such a long post, I don't post often anymore, but I do care about people on this site.  So, I really would hope everyone THINK 100 TIMES before putting your hard earn $$ in....

spending some time clicking... etc... I guess its ok... but losing hard earn $$... bad....

[emdkay]

Emdkay,

Do the pages automatically refresh? Or do you have to click on the links?
If it's automatic, couldn't you just leave the page open in the background?

What types of sites is it sending you to?
Has there been anything fishy about the site/company that you've noticed since you've been involved with it?

I'd be willing to give it a try, but I'm worried that it would tank before I got my investment back out of it.  I'd probably go in @ the $1000 level, but to really be a viable income (mor ethan just a little extra play $$$), it'd need to be at least $3K-$4K invested ($900 - $1200/month).

I just wish I had the balls to get in a few months back... That way, I'd almost be in the black by now & wouldn't have to worry about the stability of the "company" so much.

I'll always live in fear of losing my money... This sucks.

As it comes time to for me to get paid again, I'll answer some questions in this thread the best I can.


You can leave it open in a separate tab or browser window.  You don't need to actively click or even view the ads.  Most sites in rotation are referral/commission sites in one fashion or another. 

[emdkay]

I recently heard (2-3 weeks ago) about a company that was in hot water because of something like this. Apparently the advertisers are getting pissed off that their sites are merely being clicked to (in an automated fashion) rather than actually "surfed".

Is it this company?

I keep up on studiotraffic and haven't heard anything like this.  Most advertisers are actually other users of studiotraffic. 

[emdkay]

it's only a matter of time before this cookie crumbles.

there have been a lot of these types of programs. they last for 6 months to a year and go under.

 

They're going on three years now..

[emdkay]

Wow, Ive been slacking on this program, when you realize how slow your free account builds, it hardly seems worth it.  I don't quite get one thing though:

It says you need 100 dollars to pay out, yet it also says you need 5 dollars to pay out, which one is it!

I don't think you fully understand how it works.  Starting your account at $1,000 turns into $3,600 in one year.  That's if you withdraw your earnings every month.  If you put your earnings back in, you can easily earn $6,000+ in one year on an initial $1,000 upgrade.

$1,000 on an average savings account will turn into $1,040 in one year if you're lucky.

Also, you can withdraw funds whenver you want, as long as your account LEVEL (the amount you upgraded) is at $100 or more. 

Your BALANCE (or earnings) must be at least $5 to withdraw. 

[emdkay]

sorry to be negative, but my instincts tells me this is a scam...

a scam that is very close to a scheme called "pyramid selling"
(that's how its called in Chinese...)

and yes, the company WILL pay out cash, in the beginning...
because new users are signing up, and probably there are other
guys like you who are putting $$ in !!!...

They use those cash to pay out, DRAW A HUGE AMOUNT of ppl to sign up, and invest in... then they'll just fold....

do ppl make $$ out of it ?? Of course, they do, but only the creator, first group of ppl who jumped in, and they have to PULL OUT FIRST also... anyone who is a bit greedy, or jumped in too late...  too bad...

ps: as stated in their rule, they can change the percentage anytime, or I can see they can also change the withdrawal minimum (or any rules...)

anyway, good luck on all the guys who jumped in....

This claim has been made numerous times and simply isn't true.  You're saying the creator and the first few people who joined will actually get paid.  I joined three months ago and been paid $900 every month since.  I was roughly the 144 thousandth (144,000) member to join since they started about three years ago.  After this point, every penny I make is pure profit.  If the company crumbles tomorrow, I still walk away with profit.

[gprime]

Congrats, you beat the system

[SOAPboy]

i started one of those things recently.. search engine crap.. works pretty decent, its easy, and what not.. only problem, i need refereals..

its free tho, so thats good (links in sig)

If i get this job im hoping for, ill for sure drop a few bucks into this one emdkay is doing.. 3 months, and hes broken even.. ^_^

[paigeoliver]

I wouldn't trust that company with 15 cents, much less thousands of dollars.

Think about it for a minute. Think how this works, they are selling ad impressions to companies.

FAKE ONES.

Thus they are ripping off the companies they are doing business with by selling them what they think are genuine banner ad placement, and instead they are providing an autorefreshing window that is not being viewed (nor clicked) by anyone.

Easier to understand example. You own a business, you would like a billboard, you contract with a company for a billboard and they put up your billboard facing away from the road where no one can see it.

So we have established they are ripping off people on one side of things. If they are ripping off companies with lawyers, what makes a person think that they would think twice about ripping off Joe Average?

[emdkay]

This isn't really how the system functions.  It doesn't rely on payment from advertisers.  The ads you see are mostly not paid for by anyone.  They are added for free by other studiotraffic members.  Anybody who pays for their ad to be placed into rotating is well aware that the ads do not have to actively be viewed or clicked on.  The paid advertisers know the nature of their site views (auto-surf is clearly defined as how their users come to the ads).

Studiotraffic make money from various sources: members upgrading obviously, members withdrawing money (Studiopay takes 2-3% percent of withdrawls are kept as a fee), studiopay visa debit cards will allow you to spend your earnings directly from your account - fees will be taken for atm withdrawl fees, cash advances, etc., studiowalker offers domain hosting, web site creation & design, allows members to accept credit cards. etc. 

If you don't trust them with any of your money, they offer free accounts and even give you $10 to start with.  It's very little, but compounding over a year can earn you $100.  If you don't trust them by even wasting your time, it's not your cup of tea.  The $900/month I earn for spending ~8 hours/month is well worth my time.  As with any business venture, no risk and playing it safe usually ensures little success. 

Well it's the end of the month - time to collect again 

[SOAPboy]

emdkay you should sign up on mine ^_^

 

[danny_galaga]

That looks like a classic Ponzi scheme. Beware.

thanks budda, i learnt something interesting today!

http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/ponzi/

and now i know who it was that first started selling swampland in florida (",)

by the way, i still have 20 acres left if anyones interested...

[emdkay]

It's that time of the month again, to cash my check from Studiotraffic for spending about 20 minutes/day surfing some web pages.  I know this "doesn't work" and is still "about to crumble" after almost three years, but tell that to my bank account

[gprime]

are you investing more? your checks keep getting higher

congrats at making $100/h in your spare time

[gprime]

.. and what is the max you are allowed to invest?

[emdkay]

They are getting higher but I haven't invested anything since I started.  The extra cash has come from referrals.  Every check should average $900/month if I get no referrals.  The maximum you can have on one account is $15,000.  You can have 2 accounts. 

[thetered]

I'm signing up with you!

You got your money back in four months, does that work true for any amount assuming all goes as planned? I mean if i put $100 in, I should have it back in 4 months, or is that only because you put alot in?

[emdkay]

I'm signing up with you!

You got your money back in four months, does that work true for any amount assuming all goes as planned? I mean if i put $100 in, I should have it back in 4 months, or is that only because you put alot in?

Awesome    Yea that works for any amount of money.  If you start with $100, you'd earn about $30/month, so in 4 months, that's $120, what you started with plus some.  Every dime from that point on is profit.  In a year, the $100 will have turned into $360.  Or, $1,000 will have turned into $3,600. 

[thetered]

ok 1 more question, If I put in 100 bucks and make $30 the first month can i instantly pull it, or do i have to build up to $100 in earnings before I can pull it?

I'm thinking about going a bit higher than 100 though


Also I get half the commission right? 

[emdkay]

Yes you can take that right out at the end of the month. 

Your account LEVEL is the amount that you deposit.  Your account BALANCE is how much you have earned.  Your balance grows at the end of each month for the days you have surfed that month.  You can withdraw from your balance anytime you want, as long as your LEVEL is at least $100.

Yea!  If you put in $100, I would earn $10, and give you $5.  I'd keep doing this for however many times you want to upgrade.  Too bad I found out about this on my own - somebody would have earned $300 on my $3,000 upgrade. 

[thetered]

blah it looks like i'll have to wait till next month to pay, cause they are not accepting paypal right now but said they should be again starting next month

[hyiu]

I'm happy that you are making $$ out of this system, and I agree that this is just not my cup of tea...
 

but let me see the simple math....
assuming you and part of the people are investing $1000.
and some other people (who is willing to try, but is more causious, is just putting in time clicking...)

so, you got your $1000 back in roughly 3-4 months....
from there on is PURE profit...

now, let me see where the money is from ??...

you said it is NOT mainly from ads... (ok, maybe a small portion...)

by charging a % fee on deposit / withdraw is not enough to keep your paycheck... (this is NOT income...)
by giving away other people's investment does not work either... (since you got yours back in 3 months already.... which means everyone else will draw their bank dry in 3 months...)

now... domain hosting, web site create and design...
this is legit source of income.... but to support thousands of clickers like you this math is simply not right....

good for anyone who is making $$, and I hope noone is losing $$ on this....

but just like the dot com bubble, when simple income and expense does not add up, I really believe that soon or later it'll explode...
its kinda like playing "music chair"... when music stops... the slow one will get burned....

This isn't really how the system functions.

[emdkay]

I'm not sure if you're aware, but upgrades expire after one year.  This is a big part of how the system continues to work.  Once you put in $100 today, your account level will be back down to 0 in exactly one year, after you have turned $100 into $365, making about $265 profit. 

You can then put $100 back into the system (you earned this $265 profit already anyway) and earn $30/month for 12 months again, or you can walk away and not be paid anymore. 

Also note that you can upgrade as often as you like - with each upgrade expiring one year from the day you upgrade. 

[RayB]

I'm not sure if you're aware, but upgrades expire after one year.

[emdkay]

I'm not sure if you're aware, but upgrades expire after one year.  This is a big part of how the system continues to work.  Once you put in $100 today, your account level will be back down to 0 in exactly one year, after you have turned $100 into $365, making about $265 profit.

So what happens to your $3k at your 1-year anniversary date? You lose it?

Once you start with $3,000, it isn't gone at the end of that 1 year anniversary - it's gone immediately.  It's used to help pay other members. 

At the end of that first month, you will have earned $900, then $900 the next month, and so-on.  That's what we were referring to by taking 3-4 months to have earned back your initial investment.  At the 4th month, they will have given you $3,600, which marks the $600 profit mark for you. 

From that 3.5 month period, everything you earn is profit, with no risk.  I'm beyond that 3.5 month point now - so every penny I earn is profit, even if the system would collapse tomorrow - which it doesn't show any signs of doing. 

Total Membership Fees to Date $ 6,526,210.00
Total Studio Traffic Members 189,382

[cholin]

So basically, it does go away after the year, but he would have gotten (possibly) several thousand more dollars that he can put back into the system if he so wishes.

[emdkay]

Exactly, you stop earning money on it after a year, but you can put money back in using hte profit you already earned.  My $3,000 I put in a few months ago will have turned into $10,800 at the end of 12 months.  I can put $3,000 of that back in, or only $1,000, etc., or walk away. 

[hyiu]

but what I still don't see is how they can survive ??

you put in $1000 (or whatever X amount), then you got it back in 3 months... make 9 month's pure profit.

As you can see, everyone's amount will be flushed out in their 3 months!!!

what supports the company to pay you the extra 9 month's profits ??  don't tell me other people's investments, because theirs will be gone in 3 months also !!!! (if that's the case, it pays you off by other people's investments.. then it IS a real pyramid scam.... thats exactly what it is...)

Ads ?? as you told us, ads is not the main source of income...
% transaction fees ?? remember... those $$, you already made up also within the 3-4 months time !!!

the only other legit source of income is you said web hosting / design...
which I'm pretty sure at your rate of clicking... (with thousands of users like you... or even hundreds of users like you...) that little web hosting /design won't cover at all....

so, unless you tell me how they can balance their books, it looks like a scam to me....

maybe you have missed somethings you didn't tell me...
maybe this company has a billion dollar trust fund that supports it to burn its cash....

but bottom line is....
you are not helping this company generate profit, it does not make any sense that the company pays you for this "clicking"...

keep in mind that I am FULLY AWARE that you are already making pure profit... and I'm happy for you....

just that I'm convinced that this is against the very basic rule of economy until you can tell me exactly how this company is willing to pay you for just clicking and this clicking is NOT related to their making $$...  and this is not a scam....

or how they balanced their book.....

just like the early dot coms.... they give out free gifts... sign up and get $10.... sure... they're all legit... but they're burning the venture capital funds !!!! and after a few yrs... that fund finished burning... and the bubble burst....

up till now, I still see that the basic law of economy still applies to ALL companies... including yours.... so, either there's something wrong with this company, or you missed telling us something important...
cos the facts does not come together to 1 piece....

anyway.... good luck to all that do jumps in... may you all make $$...

I think I have said more than enough in this topic...
 

[emdkay]

Most of the money to pay others comes from your own upgrade, withdraw fees, upgrade fees, etc.  Also, for every day that you're not able to surf the minimum amount of sites for that particular day - you don't get paid.  It's your responsibility to remember to take a good 20 minutes or so every single day to earn your pay.  Granted, people with a lot of money invested will not be able to forget, many people do. 

You're also forgetting that you don't need to put in a penny to start an account.  They give you $10 free to start, which you can build up and compound every month into enough money to withdraw, or to continue to compound again.  Pyramids require a membership fee.  You don't have to put in anything other than your time to earn money from ST.  I'll post an example below that another ST member listed, using a completely free $10 account:

Month 1: Account Level = $10.00 Earnings = $3.00  (the best strategy is take this $3.00 and upgrade your account with it so that you will now have a $13.00 account level and from here on out, we will upgrade your account level with your earnings until you have an account level which makes a decent amount of money)
Month 2: Account Level = $13.00 Earnings = $3.90 (earnings is more now because you upgraded your account level from last month's earnings, you still didn't spend $1 of your own money)
Month 3: Account Level = $16.90 Earnings = $5.07
Month 4: Account Level = $21.97 Earnings = $6.59
Month 5: Account Level = $28.56 Earnings = $8.57
Month 6: Account Level = $37.13 Earnings = $11.14
Month 7: Account Level = $48.27 Earnings = $14.78
Month 8: Account Level = $63.05 Earnings = $18.92
Month 9: Account Level = $81.97 Earnings = $24.59
Month 10: Account Level = $106.56 Earnings = $31.97
Month 11: Account Level = $138.53 Earnings = $41.56
Month 12: Account Level = $180.09 Earnings = $54.03
Month 13: Account Level = $234.12 Earnings = $70.24
Month 14: Account Level = $304.36 Earnings = $91.31
Month 15: Account Level = $395.67 Earnings = $118.70
Month 16: Account Level = $514.37 Earnings = $154.31
Month 17: Account Level = $668.68 Earnings = $200.60
Month 18: Account Level = $869.28 Earnings = $260.78
Month 19: Account Level = $1130.06 Earnings = $339.02
Month 20: Account Level = $1469.08 Earnings = $440.72
Month 21: Account Level = $1909.80 Earnings = $572.94
Month 22: Account Level = $2482.74 Earnings = $744.82
Month 23: Account Level = $3227.56 Earnings = $968.27
Month 24: Account Level = $4195.83 Earnings = $1258.75
Month 25: Account Level = $5454.58 Earnings = $1636.37
Month 26: Account Level = $7090.95 Earnings = $2127.29
Month 27: Account Level = $9218.24 Earnings = $2765.47
Month 28: Account Level = $11983.71 Earnings = $3595.11
Month 29: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00 ($15000.00 account level is the limit they set. You cannot have an account level more than $15000... however, now you just take the earnings of $4500.00 and spend it on whatever you like!)
Month 30: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 31: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 32: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 33: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 34: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 35: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00
Month 36: Account Level = $15000.00 Earnings = $4500.00

Maybe I haven't explained it well enough or don't know the economics enough to explain - check out their forums:  http://www.studiotraffic.org/forum/  Look for the threads of people calling it a waste of time or asking how it could survive..

[hyiu]

emdkay, for now, I'm not interested in how much you would got paid for each level, but I'm more interested in
HOW THE COMPANY GOT THE $$$MONEY$$$ TO PAY YOU ?!?!  and if you're not directly or indirectly helping this company to make profit, WHY do they pay you ??

if they pay you because you click and generate traffic, that's a scam. because that's FAKE traffic.

if they pay you NOT because you click, then it doesn't make sense.

[paigeoliver]

Its the EXACT same way Charles Ponzi paid his investors, heck it is just about the exact same timeframe. They just tossed in some nonsense about traffic and clicking so that people think they are somehow earning money.

Here, from another websites.

    * "As you note, some people actually made money in the original and now famous 1920's Charles Ponzi scheme, or so they thought until it went into bankruptcy court. "


That Studiotraffic is a ponzi scheme can be seen by the fact that their value (assets-liabilities) has been negative since day one and they will continue to incur more debt until they shutdown and run with the remaining money.
Reply With Quote

[emdkay]

Hm, I said that most of the money comes from the upgrades of others, withdraw fees, them not surfing cetain days, etc.  They also have Studiowalker - a web hosting solution service, as well as a huge reserve. 

There is no "clicking" involved.  Please read their FAQ and forums.  Start a topic - ask an honest question where the money comes from and you'll receive detailed responses. 

I know - this is a scam, bla bla, pyramid, ponzi, bla bla.  The money I've been making is not real too I suppose      JK, but if you aren't willing to take the risk, then use a free account.  If you don't want to waste even your time, then just pass this up.  I'm taking the risk here so you guys can learn from me, or laugh at me if that is the case  ...if I fail, or even make some $.  I'm just reporting my progress and how I understand the system to work.

[paigeoliver]

There are certain indications that are usually typical for scams. In
the case of StudioTraffic.com, I have found a number of these
indications.

I. The lack of proper contact information
Reputable companies do not conceal their real address, phone and fax
numbers. Scam companies do this, and so does also StudioTraffic. Their
address is not listed anywhere on their website. I have checked for
the owner of their domain name, and the result is most suspicious. The
domain has been registered for StudioTraffic by a company named "Whois
Privacy Protection Service, Inc". This is one of the anonymizer
services spammers and scammers use to avoid being traced by their
victims. A reputable company just does not have any reason to hide
their face.

II. Questionable ways of advertising
I have searched the Usenet archives and found out that in numerous
cases, StudioTraffic has been advertised by persons who are
suspiciously enthusiastic about the service - and who have been
spamming various Newsgroups with similar advertisements for other
"make money fast", "make money by surfing the Web", "get paid for
surveys" services. I have no doubt that they are professional spammers
who regularly advertise obscure scam companies, using anonymous and
easily replacable Yahoo and Hotmail e-mail accounts. A reputable
company does not use such means of advertising their services.

III. Sign-up fee
As a general rule: If a company demands a sign-up fee and similar
payments for granting you the privilege of working for them, then it's
scam time. I have had a look at the FAQs - and there is not the
slightest guarantee that you will ever earn notable amounts of money
after having signed up with them. Basically, they use many words to
say: 'You give us money, and after that there is a slight chance but
no whatsoever guarantee that you will earn any money. You can give us
more money, but that won't change anything except that your account
status will have a more fancy name'. Or, as they say in their FAQ:
"Are payouts guaranteed at Studiotraffic? - We cannot guarantee
earnings..."

IV. Discrepancy between claims and reality
I have found virtually thousands of sites, forum postings and Usenet
postings that enthusiastically praise StudioTraffic - allegedly by
users, but the word choice looks amazingly similar in many cases, down
to identical phrases. Many included magniloquent statements, along the
lines of the "phenomenal growth" of the service. But there are not
many postings of people who have actually earned noteworthy amounts,
although one should assume that the huge number of enthusiastic users
must be proud of their easy money and tell the world how much they
earned. Much advertising disguised as customer opinions, but very few
manifest cases of success - highly suspicious.

My conclusion: Be cautious. StudioTraffic demand money without
ensuring earnings, use questionable ways of advertising, and hide
their identitiy and location behind an anonymizing service. That is
not the behaviour of a respectable company. Even if they are
reputable, their behaviour disqualifies them. I advise against signing
up with them.

Not much has changed since the above study was done, except they now do list an address, one in PANAMA!

[emdkay]

I've read those posts over and over.  They're based in Panama to avoid paying taxes.  Online casino sites do the same exact thing.  Their banks are all over the USA and Canada though - with physical offices in Canada and europe. 

Part I - reputable companies do not conceal their real address, phone, fax?  Sure they do.  Depending on the nature of the business, you don't need people contating the site owner, finding out where they live, etc.  It's just not necessary.  I have my domain registered through whoisprivacyprotect.com  I don't need my personal information publically listed. 

Part II - they're concerned about questionable methods of people spreading the word about studiotraffic?  ok  The same can be said about free i pods*.com and that's legit. 

Part III - this is completely false.  There is no sign-up fee.  As I posted above, you do not have to put in a dime.  You start with a $10 account completely free.  This person clearly didn't do their homework.  They also can not guarantee investments will return money.  Have you ever invested in a stock that has guaranteed anything?  Of course there is risk. 

Part IV - again, completely false.  I've posted payment after payment I've received.  View the "i've been paid" forum to see hundreds of users taking the time to scan and post the checks and payments they've received:  http://www.studiotraffic.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

[emdkay]

oops, meant to edit my post above for the free i pods .com mention

[sc1103]

Part IV - again, completely false. I've posted payment after payment I've received. View the "i've been paid" forum to see hundreds of users taking the time to scan and post the checks and payments they've received: http://www.studiotraffic.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

okay maybe Im not completely correct but heres my two cents.  This is a ponzi style scheme, in fact, it reminds me of one where christian colleges invested in a company, which guaranteed to double the money.  Hundreds of schools invested, and the money would be rerouted and sent to schools whose doubling payments were through.  People still made money off of the scam, much like this one, but in the end, many lost out.  If you've already made back your money and this is stil paying out, good for you.  this  is just a warning & my 2 cents worth.   

[emdkay]

Yea, again, a ponzi requires you to put your own $ in.  ST does not require or ask a dime of you.  I'm pretty much spent on this topic though.  Feel free to brainstorm more ideas or whatnot. 

[paigeoliver]

Yea, again, a ponzi requires you to put your own $ in.  ST does not require or ask a dime of you.  I'm pretty much spent on this topic though.  Feel free to brainstorm more ideas or whatnot. 

Yes, but it is almost impossible to earn anything from a free account, thus assuring that people will invest.

Face, nothing about the business model makes sense in any rational way. The numbers don't add up, the advertising bit and free account bits are just a red herring, and the companies debt continues to mount daily.

[sc1103]

It may be the free account lures people into a sense of security, and the company then hopes to see a nice influx in the account which they then can use to pay off other people. 

[cholin]

All I know, and care about, is that you get paid.  You throw in what, a hundred bucks, not a huge loss, but you will get it back.  People are skeptical about iPod things too but guess what, take it while it works.

[paigeoliver]

All I know, and care about, is that you get paid.  You throw in what, a hundred bucks, not a huge loss, but you will get it back.  People are skeptical about iPod things too but guess what, take it while it works.

And all are dishonest/bad/sketchy business models.

Free iPod/Minimac/inflate-a-goat are all based on the idea of a company that is getting paid by a commision by other companies for legitimate referalls.

But the referalls aren't legitimate. It is just a bunch of people signing up for things and then cancelling them before they are billed so they can get a toy. What these companies are doing is the equivalent of working in a store and paying your buddies to come in and buy stuff and then return it after you get your commission.

Meanwhile a few people forget to cancel, end up getting misbilled, or otherwise spend money on something they don't want. Thus making it a doubly dishonest tactic.

Or maybe I am the only one here who believes in conducting business ethically. I don't care a whole lot about legalities, but I do care about ethics and honesty.

[Fat_Trucker]

Its exactly like a pyramid scheme. The levels of return are indeed genuine and enormous. The difficulty is that you have to get in at the right time. At some point these things run out of investors at which point everyone waiting for cash gets the shaft.

These scheme's can only pay out while the number of people joining the scheme is growing at the correct rate. If the number of people joining slows or ceases then the cash quickly disappears and all the investors who haven't taken their money get nothing.

Just a question of whether people want to gamble large amounts of cash on an all or nothing proposition.
If you wouldn't be comfortable sticking that money on one spin of the wheel at a casino then these scheme's definitely aren't for you as the risks involved are pretty much the same.

[emdkay]

...my monthly "been paid - yet again - by Studiotraffic" post.  Here's my direct deposit statement for $931.00 for surfing 30 minutes/day in the month of June 

[pointdablame]

I'm seriously half tempted to try this with the free $10.  No, I won't be making that much money, but I really wonder if it'll actually work... and hell... if they last a while maybe I can actually build up some decent amount of cash.

[emdkay]

It does work so you'd be wasting your time with the free $10 account.     I've been paid $3,483.00 in the last 4 months from an intial $3,000 investment.  That's $483.00 profit at this point, and now the next 8 payments I receive of ~$900.00/month - all of that will be all profit.  Previous payments by check, paypal, and now direct deposit from now on:

    

[bossyman15]

screw it i will sign up tomorrow

do you need to surf 200 page per day? and what happens if you don't do it for one day or you miss one day?

[emdkay]

screw it i will sign up tomorrow

do you need to surf 200 page per day? and what happens if you don't do it for one day or you miss one day?

The amount of pages you need to surf each day depends on the account LEVEL you are at:

Free member

[DrewKaree]

I'm seriously half tempted to try this with the free $10.  No, I won't be making that much money, but I really wonder if it'll actually work... and hell... if they last a while maybe I can actually build up some decent amount of cash.

I looked into it further after starting with the exact same idea. 

The "money" resets after a year, IIRC, so doing the $10 will only net you enough to POSSIBLY make a few bucks by the end of a year. 

You'll have to invest in order to make any money quickly - and by quickly, I mean after the "X months" period after you've invested your initial nut.  Did we determine that it's 3 or 4 months?

Going the $10 route is simply an exercise in frustration.  You'll have wasted the time seeing if it "works".  If this is something you'd like to try, emdkay's testimony and standing as a respected member of this community should be enough.  I'm not saying anyone HAS said they don't trust HIM, I'm just trying to fast-track your success if you decide to give it a try.

For the record, this isn't a risk I'M wanting to take, and haven't done anything other than the $10 thing, and I've let that fall by the wayside as well. 

[Effayy]

emdkay:  Grats on the new cheque.  Just have one small peice of advice....

No matter what people say or how you feel about the whole ST deal, no matter how much money you return with this program, just promise me you'll do this:  Don't spend ANY of your money (including initial investment money, not just the profit you make after 4 months). 

Hear me out.  I don't have the link to the news article currently, but in the past there was another HYIP program (which ST is a flavour of, let's be honest) which ended in it's profitting members being court-ordered to return ANY money given to them (including initial investment)... So take the money if you wish, but hold on to it for a couple of years after the site goes down.  The money will still be yours, but just don't spend it right away. Please.

My rationalization for this is the fact that the only method of withdrawl is now through a verified StudioPay account.  All "paid" members now exist in the StudioPay database with a record of all transactions.  If ST turns out to be illegal, you could lose that money if the courts get involved.

Once I get home (at work right now) I'll pull up that article and post it. 

And for the record. My account is at $210 with $23 in referrals for this month. I haven't withdrawn, and I don't believe I ever will.  I'm just surfing day to day now as more of a game to see how high this can go.

Anyway, just promise me that.  Please.

- FA

[emdkay]

My rationalization for this is the fact that the only method of withdrawl is now through a verified StudioPay account.  All "paid" members now exist in the StudioPay database with a record of all transactions.  If ST turns out to be illegal, you could lose that money if the courts get involved.

They've always required funds to be transferred into studiopay before withdrawing, but I'd still like to see the article.

[Effayy]

Ok, as promised, here's some reading material:

First, an article profiling the possibility of repayment... Please ignore the fact that it's from a religion website, the article has no religious slant to it at all. (For the record, I'm as religious as the chair I'm sitting on right now)

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/7384

Here's another explanation of repayment further down on this page:

http://townsend-law.netfirms.com/ponzix.htm

Here's an MSNBC article (once again, sorry for the source, but MSNBC is better than Fox)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3078800/


And last but not least... I'm sending you a PM.

- FA

[emdkay]

I skimmed those links real quick, but thanks for them - good reading material when I have more time later. 

Studiotraffic has an enormous terms of service page, which you're required to agree to before signing up:  http://www.studiotraffic.com/terms.php

It states that in the event that funds run low, they can pay you less than 1% daily, or nothing at all.  All members must agree to this before signing up for an account.  Everybody is aware of the risks.  The terms of service are huge, but here's a snippet:

30) Indemnification and Hold Harmless

    * User agrees to indemnify and hold harmless StudioTraffic.com, its officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates and representatives from and against any claim, cause of action or demand, including but not limited to reasonable legal, accounting and other professional fees that may result from your use of our website services or your breach of these Terms and Conditions.

    * Studio Traffic.com will notify users of any such claim, suit or proceeding in a timely manner.

    * User acknowledges and agrees that StudioTraffic.com

[RayB]

It does work so you'd be wasting your time with the free $10 account.

[quarterback]

It does work so you'd be wasting your time with the free $10 account.     I've been paid $3,483.00 in the last 4 months from an intial $3,000 investment.  That's $483.00 profit at this point, and now the next 8 payments I receive of ~$900.00/month - all of that will be all profit.  Previous payments by check, paypal, and now direct deposit from now on:

So, 4 months of 30 minutes a day surfing... That's 4 x 15 hours = 60 hrs. You made $483 in that time. Wow. That's barely more than minimum wage.

But you don't even really surf.  You open up a window and let it automatically scroll through pages that you never see.   

The facts I've gleened from this thread:
(1) You don't get 'paid' unless you surf
(2) You don't have to actually look at any of the pages that you're "surfing"
(3) Even though you only get paid if you surf, the money you're getting paid doesn't come from advertisers, it "comes from the upgrades of others, withdraw fees, them not surfing cetain days, etc."

Basically you get paid for doing nothing.   Well, not really 'nothing'.  You get paid for doing nothing except:
(a) paying the initial "membership fee" (it's not an investment, it's a fee that you pay)
and (b) referring others....

oh, and opening up a browser once a day to 'surf' sites you never see.

We cannot guarantee earnings because we don't have control over the rate of growth of StudioTraffic. However, as long as we are growing, we should have money pooled from different studio programs to pay out to our members.

Sums it up.  You get paid out of money that comes from other users like yourself.  As long as the program keeps "growing" (i.e. people keep putting money into it), you'll continue to get paid.

As far as I can tell, the only significant income (money going INTO this company) comes from people like emdkay.  The money going out to people like emdkay comes from people like emdkay.   There are a finite number of people in the world and anybody with basic math skills can figure out the problem with that formula.

[quarterback]

I finally remembered the name of the previous scam that sounded so similar.

[emdkay]

It does work so you'd be wasting your time with the free $10 account.     I've been paid $3,483.00 in the last 4 months from an intial $3,000 investment.  That's $483.00 profit at this point, and now the next 8 payments I receive of ~$900.00/month - all of that will be all profit.  Previous payments by check, paypal, and now direct deposit from now on:

So, 4 months of 30 minutes a day surfing... That's 4 x 15 hours = 60 hrs. You made $483 in that time. Wow. That's barely more than minimum wage.

..well next month when I spend 15 minutes/day again for another 30 days = ~8 hours and earn $900, that's about... $112/hour for the next 8 months.

This thread has gone from "its a scam - does not work" to "yea you're getting paid now, but good luck earning back your initial investment" to "yea you've made profit now, but you may have to pay it back eventually".   

[Raleigh]

Not to sound harsh, but my question is are you really that naive to think that it is anything but a Ponzi Scheme, or do you realize that it is and are shamelessly promoting it to try and encourage new people to fund your investment?  Whether or not you get your money back or a nice profit it irrelevant of the scam, you have become a integral piece of the scam, by promoting it here and elsewhere.  It may not be you who gets screwed, and it may not be the people that you lead into the scheme, but eventually people WILL get shafted, people who have seen your testimonies and others like yours.  I am glad you appear to make it through the scheme ahead, but I hope you have realized, or will realize that it is a scheme and you will stop heavily promoting it.  Count you lucky stars and distance yourself from it, don't let yourself be a pawn in the scheme any longer.

Quotes from http://townsend-law.netfirms.com/ponzix.htm:

"How You Get Into a Ponzi Scheme"

"1.  Know someone who is being paid.  A close friend or relative often will innocently induce the investor into the deal by proclaiming that he has been timely paid.  It is true that the friend or relative has been timely paid, because the promoter makes sure that certain people are

[emdkay]

I'm not heavily promoting this at all.  All the posts are from people saying its a scam - so clearly this isn't a place that I'm trying to promote the program. 

the promoter makes sure that certain people are

[Sephroth57]

ah theyre just hating EMD, good job on actually making money on it. either way youre in the clear now it was a risk for you in the beginning and still a risk for anyone that joins. but youre an example that SOMETIMES a risk pays out. i dunno what this guys problem is, if you dont like it then dont worry about it

[emdkay]

I'm keeping posting about studiotraffic to a minimum since it stirs up the waters a little, so here is a quick update:

Initial deposit early this year:  $3,000

Monthly payment amounts thus far (average month would be $900.  months with less indicate I missed surfing a day or two.  months with more indicate I earned referral commission)

$704
$864
$982
$931
$1046
$946
$2331

total earned back ~$7800

profit ~$4800

http://www.emdkay.net/wordpress for payment photos

[Harry Potter]

a shameless bump man. Not cool.

But still, hope you don't loose money on this.

[pointdablame]

a shameless bump man. Not cool.

But still, hope you don't loose money on this.

did you even see his numbers?

He's already more than doubled his initial investment.  Even if the site dies today, he's made an almost $5k profit.

I wish I had the money to start this up when you did emdkay

[Harry Potter]

a shameless bump man. Not cool.

But still, hope you don't loose money on this.

did you even see his numbers?

He's already more than doubled his initial investment.  Even if the site dies today, he's made an almost $5k profit.

I wish I had the money to start this up when you did emdkay

From the look of it, he's been lucky so far but who knows how long it will last.

I'm not saying i'd like to see him crash and burn. It's just i've seen plenty of scams to have a bad feeling about this one.

[pointdablame]

my point was that you said you hope he doesnt lose any money.

He cant.

He's made back his principle and then some.  Even if it crashes and burns today, he's not out any money.

[missioncontrol]

It's a good thing I didn't jump in or else it would have been doomed from the start.

[JackTucky]

Back from the dead

SEC shuts down $50 mln Internet Ponzi scheme

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060228/wr_nm/sec_dc

It's a different one, but the SEC has warnings for all...
http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/autosurf.htm

Jacktucky

[Harry Potter]

I love a good ressurection.

*Braaaaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnnssssss

[Ken Layton]

So it just goes to prove that the "paid-to-surf" programs are indeed illegal Ponzi schemes!

[RayB]

So it just goes to prove that the "paid-to-surf" programs are indeed illegal Ponzi schemes!

...and the last remaining question is whether participants will then be forced to pay back any earnings...

[clanggedin]

I personally know a guy who has $4000 tied up in the whole 12dailypro scandal. They had a guy on the news that has lost over $27K.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it is.

[jbox]

Not to mention someone can't do their math properly either:

     $50M / 300K scammers ~ $166 refund per scammer

Not counting legal fees and so on. Most likely about 1/3rd of the people will say "hey, another $166 of profit for me baby" while the last 2/3rds will of course be out anywhere between a few hundred up to tens of thousands of dollars.

And yet, I still have a hard time drumming up enough sympathy for people who are either too stupid to keep that money anyway, or realise deep down that they are essentially petty crooks themselves, but just not as good at it as the scheme founders.

[hypernova]

...And the last remaining question is whether participants will then be forced to pay back any earnings...

I've got two more:

Why haven't they shut this one down?  They're up to nearly 400k users now.

Will emdkay reinvest?  He could mathematically reinvest EVERYTHING he's made profit wise, never get paid again, and still come out even.

I know you wanted PMs, but could you give us an update?  So long as you don't try to promote them, I think people should be civil.  (They were before, just highly skeptical.)

The only way this company could be making money is if surfers were ACTIVELY surfing and doing business with the sites that were being advertised.  But how many of us do that with banners on any website we visit?  So it's not likely that enough other people are as well.

Oh...one more question.  This is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL.  Should this company ever close, and emdkay knows people who invested heavily as a result of his promotion of the service, but lost most/all of their money, would he feel morally responsible?  I'm not trying to bring you down or anything if you read this emdkay, but that's something you seriously need to consider.

Hey RayB...do they normally make people pay back their earnings in these types of cases?

[hypernova]

emdkay...Heck...Would it even matter if you knew the investors should this site close down?  Just knowing that I took part in the "thievery" (for lack of a better word...) basically, would haunt me forever until I gave away the money to charity or something...

Or would I care?  Hmm...sitting on the outside, I know I should care and I would, but I can't honestly say I would if I had a return like emdkay's.

Just one of those things you can't really say for certain unless "you were there."

[Dartful Dodger]

Don't worry about emdkay, as long as a couple of BYOAC members join each time he bumps this thread, he'll be okay.

[hypernova]

Well, so long as he doesn't reinvest more than he's profited from it, there's no need to worry for him. 

[RayB]

Hey RayB...do they normally make people pay back their earnings in these types of cases?

I don't know. I think it depends on proving the members knew something was illegal. They could also be viewed as victims. Hard to say. IANAL

[hypernova]

ianal.  Separate the I...looks bad on you!

Funny how things work...I was looking at that for about 30 seconds, couldn't figure it out.  Stopped thinking about it as I turned away to look at the tv for five seconds.  Turn back around.  Immediately I realize what it stands for.

[Ed_McCarron]

I tried to convince a friend it was a scam.

He invested $9k.

He got in early enough that he made back the $9k and picked up about $3k more.

Bastard.

I guess its a gamble.  You know its wrong, but try to beat the system anyway...

[quarterback]

Will emdkay reinvest?  He could mathematically reinvest EVERYTHING he's made profit wise, never get paid again, and still come out even.


Oh...one more question.  This is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL.  Should this company ever close, and emdkay knows people who invested heavily as a result of his promotion of the service, but lost most/all of their money, would he feel morally responsible?

It seems to me that the answers to both of those questions are already in this thread.:

I know this is not going to last forever.  I took the risk of hoping it did not collapse soon enough for me to make profit, which I have.  I've won

emdkay knew/knows it wasn't/isn't going to last forever.  His hope was to get in, make his profit and get out.  He did that and considers himself a winner.

So, even though he knew it wasn't going to last forever he started this thread so he could "share".... IOW, so he could (a) increase the likelihood of the scam continuing until he "won" and (b) because the more people who used his referral link, the more money he'd make.

I was the first one to call this complete BS and a scam, but it's worth taking a look into.  I don't want to sound like a salesman or anything, but I really have to share.

Basically, in four months your money will have doubled, regardless of the amount in your account.  All money past the four month period will be pure profit.

Check it out, at least try a free account.  If you use my referral link, I'd be every so grateful.

Based on his posts, hypernova, I believe the answers to your questions are "no" and "no".

[quarterback]

it's a tried and true formula.  Get the early guys in to do word-of-mouth advertising for you, then get lots of money up front and leave town.

Done and done. 

Studio traffic has packed up and left town:
http://www.studiotraffic.com/

[Dartful Dodger]

it's a tried and true formula.  Get the early guys in to do word-of-mouth advertising for you, then get lots of money up front and leave town.

Done and done. 

Studio traffic has packed up and left town:
http://www.studiotraffic.com/

Lets hear the scores.

Who won, who lost, and how much?

[Ken Layton]

So what does emdkay have to say about all this? You've been awfully bquiet about this for quite a while.

 Did studiotraffic.com just disappear overnight?

[quarterback]

Apparently it disappeared around April of this year.   One post I read said that their forums shut down on April 1st, but I don't know if that's true or not.

There is a backup of their forums (being hosted elsewhere) from March 18th where the wheels are clearly in motion for them to go down.  Prior to that point, there were complaints that people were being prevented from cashing out, but the March 18th forums show the 'management' making their last ditch efforts after some kind of major lay-off or resignation of all "top management", causing offices to be closed in Canada and elsewhere. And there are statements about them "cut down our manpower from 150 to less than 15 or 20 people."

Whatever.  My guess is that this whole scam was run by 2 to 5 people.

And there was apparently some kind of attempt to get people to buy stock in the company (or something) and the forums show a number of members volunteering their time/energy to keep StudioTraffic alive.

Frankly, reading the forum backup makes me feel ill.  There are way too many people who, even to the dying day, are pledging their allgiance to Studio Traffic.

Here are the forums:
http://oldstforum.studiotraffic.co.uk/

And a couple informative threads:
http://oldstforum.studiotraffic.co.uk/showthread275c.html?t=43489
http://oldstforum.studiotraffic.co.uk/showthread1343.html?t=43593

NOTE: studiotraffic.co.uk is NOT StudioTraffic's UK division.  It's a website that saw the scam that was going on and, on March 18th, archived the StudioTraffic forums before they completely disappeared.

Other talk can be found via google at places like talkgold.com where StudioTraffic has its own forum with a number of interesting posts:
http://www.talkgold.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=58

[JackTucky]

Reading those forums, it's just sad.  There are posts from moderators that things are great now that everyone has resigned and been laid off.  I bet all along they were still collecting the $.

Jacktucky

[Ken Layton]

I was correct from the very start-----it's a scam very definitely. After reading the forums referenced in the above post it's sad to see all the people who lost money.


And suddenly where is emdkay in all this now? He sure is silent now isn't he?

[JackTucky]

I think Emdkay got his money out.  But obviously, his money was someone elses loss.

Jacktucky

[hypernova]

He invested, and made out like a bandit. 

Just hope for his sake he didn't reinvest big...

[Ken Layton]

Funny how he hasn't replied to this thread in a very long time. I hope he's happy with his ill-gotten gains.

[missioncontrol]

Funny how he hasn't replied to this thread in a very long time.

perhaps now he is a brazillionaire and is too good for us.....

[Dartful Dodger]

Last time he said he made 4,800 profit and he believed in this investment.

With that kind of gain on a 3,000 dollar investment, he may have tried reinvesting the initial 3 grad, plus the 4,800 to get even more cash.

Hopefully he didn't and we shouldn't judge him either way.  As far as we know he thought he was doing us a favor by telling us about it.

[quarterback]

Last time he said he made 4,800 profit and he believed in this investment.

With that kind of gain on a 3,000 dollar investment, he may have tried reinvesting the initial 3 grad, plus the 4,800 to get even more cash.

I seriously doubt that.  He admits on July 19th that he knew that the whole thing was going to go down at some point and he just wanted to get in and out before it did.  Like he said, he "won".  It doesn't sound to me like he was going to put any more money in.

Here's his statement:

I know this is not going to last forever. 

I took the risk of hoping it did not collapse soon enough for me to make profit, which I have. 

I've won, and that was the risk in joining.

The only point he ever admitted that he knew it was going to collapse is after he got his money and concluded that "It looks like nobody on here is willing to take the risk"  Prior to that it was all free money for everybody and lots of gloating "smilies" for the nay-sayers.   

we shouldn't judge him either way.  As far as we know he thought he was doing us a favor by telling us about it.

Yeah, "doing us a favor" but promoting something that would (A) make him more money and that (B) he knew was going to collapse.    Doing us a favor?     Give me a break.    Anybody he could drag onto the sinking ship (the thing he knew was going to collapse) just meant more money in his pockets. 

What kind of money could be made by bringing new people in?  In one month alone he made $1431 in referral commission:

Initial deposit early this year:  $3,000

Monthly payment amounts thus far (average month would be $900.  months with less indicate I missed surfing a day or two.  months with more indicate I earned referral commission)

$704
$864
$982
$931
$1046
$946
$2331

total earned back ~$7800

profit ~$4800

http://www.emdkay.net/wordpress for payment photos

Interesting final link there.  I just went to it to see his "payment photos"... check them out...

[Effayy]

I have some Studiotraffic info, and since I'm at the lazy end of a workday, I'll blab on a bit here....

Out of morbid curiosity, I was popping in and reading the Studiotraffic forums once in a while for about last year of it's existence.

Basically it imploded, just like other ponzis.  The influx of new money wasn't enough to maintain the consistantly rising payouts by older members.  Starting in about October 2005 you could start to see people becoming concerned over how they were to receive payment (in some cases the check was in the mail, so to speak).

Around the same time, the company started "hiring" staff and volunteers to help run the site, process payments, moderate forums, etc.  From what I read on anti-ponzi sites, it's a common practice for accumulation of "staff" so in the end if things go dreadfully sour, anyone affiliated with the company could potentially be held accountable.  Something about that just doesn't sound right in my head (I have no clue of the law in this regard), but I'm relaying the info here in case someone else DOES know the thruth behind that statement.

Anyway, As the new year began, the situation became worse, the head guy "John Horan" started becoming reclusive, eventually even the hired staff stopped hearing from him altogether.  In February, most of the members clued in to the fact that the party was over, and it crumbled.

I forget the exact order of things, but bear with me... But I believe the Studiotraffic FORUMS website registration (www.studiotraffic.org/forums) was scheduled to expire in April or close to it, and it was never renewed.  The staff pulled out the pitchforks, the forums became one big victim-fest in the weeks before the registration expired. Everyone cried about the money they lost (newer members obviously).  Many started discussing their legal options, and some members started up new forums for the victims to help each other in this time of need etc etc... Just for the record, I never bothered checking out these new forums. That's too morbid even for me. 

What I found the most interesting, though, was this:  For the longest time, the forums were very highly censored.  If you had any reservations about the studiotraffic program, your post was either deleted by moderators, or the thread was locked.  You weren't allowed to post any external links on the forums at all, etc...  That kind of moderation is typical of ponzis.  Once everything started crumbling, the moderators created a sticky annoucing that since they didn't have faith in the integrity of the program anymore, they wouldn't moderate any of the messages.  THAT is when things got interesting and all hell broke loose.

Ok well, long post, sorry about that.  As I said though, it was a morbid fascination to watch something like that fall.

- FA

[Dartful Dodger]

The influx of new money wasn't enough to maintain the consistantly rising payouts by older members.

So in a way emdkay's big payouts helped topple this scam.

Three cheers for emdkay!

Hip, Hip...

[Ken Layton]

I know this is an old topic. So in the end this turned out to be a big rip off?

[ark_ader]

You would make more money with online poker.

[Cakemeister]

Yeah, read Effay's post.

[Ken Layton]

So the bottom line is that every "get paid to surf the web" is a scam.

[lilshawn]

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyup

[Ken Layton]

It did turn out to be nothing but the usual Ponzi scheme.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studiotraffic

A quote from it:

"Studiotraffic is now defunct; its domain names have been taken over by MyFileHut.com. Many of its former members found themselves almost bankrupt as the site shut down without prior warning. The owner of the site <John Horan> disappeared and has not been heard from since."

[ark_ader]

So I hope Saint will put a provision in the rules against advertising such schemes on the forum.

[SlammedNiss]

I had a friend get caught up in the Zeek Rewards ponzi a couple of years ago. He tried to get me to "invest" but after doing some research, I knew something didn't seem right. A few short months later he told me he was having problems getting paid from his initial "investment", which was a few $thousand$. I don't know if he ever got any money back or not, as I was too afraid to ask.

http://behindmlm.com/companies/zeek-rewards/zeeks-top-ponzi-pimps-delaying-victim-payouts/

[pbj]

Seems like some don't remember the conga line forum.  I used that specifically as an example in a consumer marketing class about how people would attempt to game any system you invented.

Only one I ever got caught up in was something like collegestudent.com where you got "points" for every e-mail you sent.  The first few people obviously got nice stuff and tons of points, but the rewards and everything went down as more joined.  We were doing crap like running 10 computers at once e-mailing fake addresses using text from Alice in Wonderland.

Far too many hours later, what do I earn?  A plastic bottle opener keychain.  Then my car got broken into and they took the key chain.

 

[yotsuya]

Just re-read this whole thread. I wonder if he "upgraded" again before the bubble burst. I bet he did, and lost all that.

[leapinlew]

Emdkay is still a member. A respected member at that. I bought a marquee from him a couple years back. He should chime in and tell us how it all worked out. Hell, I think we've all been the victim\benefactor of a scam.

[Howard_Casto]

Eh sometimes it isn't a scam, it's just kind of shadie.  Like back in the 00's when you could sign up so many people for a free offer and get a free ipod?  I've still got my free ipod and zune. 

I do wonder about a person that drags up a 4 year old thread just to say they are right though... even if they are right. 

[leapinlew]

Eh sometimes it isn't a scam, it's just kind of shadie.

And sometimes it's both...