Greenough Ads Review: Three-tiered Ponzi scheme
Greenough Ads launched in early 2014 and names a Samuel Thomas Gillespie as the owner of the company on their website.
The Greenough Ads website domain (“greenoughads.com”) was registered on the 3rd of December 2013 and provides an address in the UK. According the Google, “Tollgate House” in Cardiff, Wales is a “waste transfer station” in the middle of an industrial lot.
No further information Gillespie is provided, with the Greenough Ads website only offering up the following vague marketing spiel:
My Name is SAMUEL THOMAS GILLESPIE the head of a team of admins running these Great Home base website which is an hybrid (sic) Program with four powerful sustainable incomes plans.
I myself was unable to find any further information on Gillespie in association with the MLM industry.
Due to the obviously fake address used, broken English on the Greenough Ads website and generic anglo-saxon sounding admin name used, I’m going to raise a red-flag and suggest that Gillespie does not exist.
It’s a common enough approach for scammers operating out of Asia (typically India) to register companies in the UK with bogus details.
As always, if a MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money.
The Greenough Ads Product Line
Greenough Ads has no retailable products or services, with affiliates only able to market affiliate membership to the company itself.
Once an affiliate has signed up, they are then able to purchase various positions within the Greenough Ads compensation plan.
The Greenough Ads Compensation Plan
The Greenough Ads compensation plan revolves around affiliates either investing or purchasing cycler and/or matrix positions.
Investment Positions
Greenough Ads offer affiliates three investment plans: Platinum, Silver and VIP.
- Platinum ($10) – 1.5% ROI over 100 days
- Silver ($250) – 2% ROI over 80 days
- VIP ($500) – 3% ROI over 70 days
Note that affiliates who invest at the Platinum and Silver levels must view company-supplied ads in order to qualify for their daily ROI.
Referral commissions are offered on all affiliate investments, paid out down three levels of recruitment:
- level 1 – 7%
- level 2 – 3%
- level 3 – 2%
Matrix Commissions
Greenough Ads affiliates can purchase $50 positions in a 2×2 matrix. A 2×2 matrix places an affiliate at the top of two positions, which in turn break out into two additional positions each:
When these positions fill in the first matrix, an affiliate is then paid $30 and given a new position in another 2×2 matrix. An additional position in Greenough Ads’ second-level matrix system is also created.
Note that additional positions created at the first-level subsequently pay out $150 each cycle and do not create new second-level matrix positions.
This second matrix is also a 2×2, paying out $80 when complete. When this happens, an affiliate is entered into another second-level 2×2 matrix and also given a new position in the third-level matrix.
Note that additional positions created at the second-level subsequently pay out $300 each cycle and do not create new third-level positions.
The third-level matrix (2×2) pays out $550 when full and creates a new position in another third-level matrix. These created positions subsequently pay out $600 when their matrices are full.
A $50 bonus is also paid when a personally recruited affiliate cycles a position out of a third-level matrix for the first time (paid once per recruited affiliate).
Cycler Positions
Cyclers are essentially straight-line queue systems for purchased positions. An affiliate purchases a position in a cycler and the position joins the queue. The money paid for each new position purchased in the queue goes towards a balance for the position at the top of the queue. When this position reaches a pre-determined balance it matures, and every position in the queue moves up a place.
The process then repeats itself with all new purchased positions generating revenue to mature the newly moved-up top position.
GreenoughAds affiliates buy a $20 cycler position, which matures when it reaches a $60 payout balance. At this point $20 is returned to the affiliate and a new position is created in a second cycler queue.
Positions that mature in the second cycler queue pay out $40 and create a new position at the end of a third cycler queue.
Positions that mature in the third cycler queue pay out $80 and create a new position at the end of a fourth cycler queue.
Positions that mature in the fourth cycler queue pay out $160 and create a new position at the end of a fifth cycler queue.
Positions that mature in the fifth cycler queue pay out $750, create one new queue position in the first three cycler queues and also a $50 matrix position (see “Matrix Commissions” above).
Referral commissions when a personally recruited affiliate’s position cycles out of the fourth and fifth cycler queues are available, paying out $16 in the fourth queue and $30 on the fifth.
VIP Recruitment Commissions
For an undiclosed “VIP” fee and minimum $500 spend on matrix positions, GreenoughAds promises affiliates
- “payment of earnings within 30 minutes of withdrawal” (request?)
- a cut of 25% of all VIP membership fees paid by affiliates in your personal downline
- the “ability to withdraw large earning pay out at once”
Joining Greenough Ads
Basic affiliate membership to Greenough Ads is free, with VIP membership costing at least $500.
Note that for basic affiliates, they will need to invest or purchase matrix and/or cycler queue positions if they wish to earn commissions.
Conclusion
Shaky company ownership and the mandatory ask that affiliates drop at least $500 if they wish to “withdraw large earnings at once”. That alone should tell you everything about Greenough Ads but then of course there’s the compensation plan.
In short, we’re looking at a basic two tier Ponzi scheme with a matrix-driven pyramid scheme tacked onto it.
Both the cycler queues and investment positions require new affiliate investment to pay out. With six queues, I suspect the amount of time it will take for sixth level positions to mature is likely to be measured in decades.
The direct investment positions just collapse (no daily ROI) when new investment dries up. I imagine those who have invested won’t know about a collapse until their positions have matured (no actual daily cash payout).
The matrices? No affiliates buying $50 and they go kaboom too.
I’m a bit behind in my new MLM companies reviews and looking at the Greenough Ads website today reveals they’ve only paid out $182 in commissions since the January launch.
I’m thinking Greenough Ads is probably DOA at this point.