Cash Tracking System Scam Revealed
Cash Tracking System is one of the more notable scams that hit the internet in recent years, and it’s easy to fall into the trap if you’re not careful.
Unfortunately, when one site shuts down, another pops up. In this piece from IBuyIReview, you’ll discover everything I’ve learned about the Cash Tracking System.
This review is intended to be an honest review piece, and in no way am I affiliated with Cash Tracking System or any of its affiliated sites.
Let’s dive in and learn about how the Cash Tracking System works, and where it is today:
Table of Contents
What Is Cash Tracking System?
The Cash Tracking System is an internet scam that requires you to recruit other people to complete your financial ‘pledge’ to the company.
You can only join by invitation, and once you login, you’re required to pay a one-time setup fee and enter into a monthly subscription.
The one-time setup fee is $25, and the subscription fee is $34.95. In addition to this, your pledge must be in any of the following amounts:
$500 – $1500 – $3500 – $6500 – $10500
Once you sign away your money, you’re given a custom page to bring new recruits to – something they call a ‘website’ – which helps you rope in other unsuspecting members who will make a ‘pledge’ and pay a subscription fee to the company just like you have.
How Do You Make Money with the System?
First and foremost, you shouldn’t expect to make any money with the system. There is no way to make money – so says the terms on the site itself – and unlike in an MLM company, there are no products to market or PV volumes to make. The only requirement is that you recruit other members.
Scams like the Cash Tracking System aren’t difficult to find, you only need to toss a stone to find a similar practice on the internet. (1)
It’s no secret that the government is aware of these kinds of scams, but it’s difficult for a single department to handle alone.
Is It Easy to Make Your Money Back?
No, it’s not. If you join Cash Tracking system, prepare to never see your money again.
In most business models like this one, even if they’re a legal MLM company with a focus on product sales, the chances of making enough of a net profit to see a sustainable income are 1% or less, and that’s with more networking and quotas to meet than typical 9-5 jobs.
With scams like this, you have even less of a chance of making your money back. The site even says right on the cover before you join that you should not expect to make or earn any money with their system and forces you to agree that you’re on the site for charitable purposes.
Is Cash Tracking System A Pyramid Scheme?
After everything we’re about to learn today, I’d say it’s a no-brainer that the Cash Tracking System is a pyramid scheme cleverly disguised as a way for their company to take charitable donations through their “setup fees” and “monthly subscription” fees. (2)
There’s no secret that pyramid schemes have only one beneficiary, and that’s the person at the very top. Everyone else who joins is getting roped into a dangerous financial game, likely to end up in debt. At the very least, it’s safe to say that this system is a complete scam.
Are They BBB Accredited?
No, the Cash Tracking System or affiliated websites are not accredited by the BBB. Not only is “Cash Tracking System” or any of their affiliated websites non-existent in their basic database, but it’s not available in any related websites like TrustPilot or Yelp.
If you pull up a Google site for CTS or a sister site, you won’t find glowing reviews from participants who made thousands of dollars. Instead, you’ll find plenty of reviews just like this one warning you away from the illegal cash-gifting scheme. If anything, I’ll take that as a sign that it’s not likely to find its way onto the BBB accredited list anytime soon.
Red Flags With Cash Tracking System
If you’re still considering joining Cash Tracking System, be on the lookout for red flags. There are several red flags that I noticed about the program, from a lack of transparency – which is a minor red flag by itself and can be accidental – to huge red flags indicating it is a pyramid scheme to the core.
When you’re looking for a way to make money online, it’s important to be aware of the kind of scams and red flags that pop up with illegitimate offers. The list below includes some of the top red flags I came across when researching the Cash Tracking System.
1. No Live Customer Service
When you first get onto the site, you might notice that there’s not a lot of information available to contact anyone from the Cash Tracking System team.
This is a common practice for scams that are trying to fly under the radar; no contact information means it’s harder to trace, and they won’t get flooded with emails and phone calls asking for refunds.
Thus, there’s no Contact Us page, there’s no About Our Team page, and no way of getting in touch with a live chat member or call center representatives. You’re in it alone from day one, investing your money in a faceless organization that can disappear at any moment. Talk about scary.
While you do have access to a defunct knowledgebase if you search hard enough, you can’t ask or comment on any of the topics unless you are signed in with an account that has been accepted into their inner circle.
Most of the messages are from 2007, but a few are from 2016, and I managed to find a single message from March of 2021.
Some of them were even recommendations to download a flash-based browser on your phone to view your mobile site. Flash hasn’t been supported for years!
2. No Company History
Because there’s no company information readily available on the site, there’s no company history that we can follow to identify whether the founders are offering a legitimate opportunity. This frustration is doubled by the fact that anytime you feel like you’re getting close to some kind of answer, the hype and jargon kicks in.
I’m certain whoever is behind the Cash Tracking System is indeed grateful for every individual person who has registered with the program and gifted their mysterious company money.
3. Different Website Domains
There are multiple sites that are under suspiciously similar to the CTS business model, with strikingly similar graphics, content, and system model.
Unfortunately, because there’s no contact or founder information, there’s no good way for someone to prove that it’s the same business, rather than someone new copying the same business model.
Still, the amount of similar content across similar domains, from the Cash Tracking System is enough to make one pretty certain that the sites are all the same domain.
If nothing else, we know that two are the same because they employ the same logo and very similar copy, which would be a ripoff of their branding if it were to be someone else. It’s doubtful that this is done under a misguided attempt to actually increase their trustworthiness on the internet.
4. Charitable Purposes???
Supposedly, Cash Tracking System makes it clear on the terms page that they’re a private institution and by allowing you to join, you’re freely exercising your right to give away your money to their organization for “charitable purposes.”
First, if you’re there for charitable purposes, is it tax deductible? I think any accountant would have a hard time letting you get away with that. They state right there on the same page where you join the program that you’re giving them your hard-earned money with no expectation to make it back.
Uh-huh…
I think I’d rather keep my money or invest it into a legitimate charity for a transparent cause.
5. Conflicting Information
After you’ve read all the hype and talk about how the Cash Tracking System is such a powerful cash-generating system and you finally click the Join button, you’re presented with a clear view of their terms of use. In it, you get a lovely message that conflicts with everything else they’ve said on the site:
This single line is vitally important for anyone keeping an eye out for a scam, but if you’re just focused on the opportunity, blinded by all of the flashy lingo on the page beforehand, chances are, you’re not going to look too hard at the terms of use page. Like most other fine print on the internet, you scroll right down to the button that gives you access to the material.
6. Requirement to Recruit
If you’ve gotten in a little too deep and you find yourself inside the Cash Tracking System as a member, the cycle doesn’t end there. Once you’re feeling the deep throes of regret, they give you another benchmark to hit: you can make your money back, but you have to recruit people.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why the program is considered a pyramid scheme. Ignoring the fact that it skirts the illegality of a “cash gifting model” by claiming you will not make your money back on a single page, this is one area it can’t dispute.
When the focus is entirely on recruitment, it becomes a pyramid scheme, even if it’s disguised as something else.
7. Lack of Transparency
The whole site is a mess of opaque, vague information. Without any clear contact or team information, there’s no way to know what company is behind the scheme or how long the domain will remain in operation. No where on the site, even in the terms of service page, does it ever mention a legitimate registered business name outside of “Cash Tracking System.”
At this point, I’m ready to believe that when they wrote the entire opening page content about how it’s a powerful “cash-generating” model, they were writing an internal memo about the benefits of being on the inside of the program, and just happened to slap it up onto a website.
What Hasn't The FTC Shut This System Down?
The Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, has been working to shut down income scams like this for years, but due to the difficulty of tracking down a perp when they can simply stop hosting the domain and pop-up somewhere else under a different name, it’s not an easy task.
Furthermore, the cybersecurity team has their hands full with the sheer number of schemes and scams that pop up on a regular basis that they might not get around to investigating reported pyramid schemes for a few months.
Overall, the FTC is a busy place, and while you can report companies that you suspect to be pyramid schemes, it’s difficult for one organization to keep a strong foothold in a place as large as the internet.
While it’s unclear the exact reason that the owners of the original “cash tracking system” name decided to branch out, they have not removed the domain. As mentioned before, it’s possible they were trying to show “trustworthiness” of their site by operating multiple properties.
My 100% Honest Opinion
You asked for it.
Well, you might not have directly asked me for my opinion, but you read this article knowing it would be an honest and opinionated review based on the research I’ve done.
Do I think that the Cash Tracking System or any sister site of the company is a legitimate offering? By no means!
This is just another predatory business model waiting to snatch away your hard-earned money at a moment’s notice.
Not only that, but we’ve already discussed how they’re a pyramid scheme through-and-through. They also operate multiple domains and considering there’s no way to hold them liable for taking money or not following through with promises, it’s easy for them to pack their bags and remove the domain, leaving for another site that is starting to pick up.
Scams like these are ones that you can use to scare someone away from the internet with, and it’s not just for those who are “too old for technology” – the FTC reported that they’ve seen a trend over the past few years of millennials getting wrapped up in scams and online fraud more often than seniors. (3)
Unfortunately, as the digital world becomes more and more a necessity to integrate with, there’s no stopping our exposure to them. The best thing that you can do is keep an eye out for any red flags before you become a victim.
Do I Recommend Cash Tracking System?
The Cash Tracking System is one of the more predatory scams I’ve seen around on the internet, and there are plenty like it. By no means would I recommend you get involved with this site or invest your money into it.
The red flags are all there: domain hopping, no customer service, requirements to recruit… This is a legitimate, full-blown pyramid scheme that has managed to evade shutdown long enough to scam a series of unfortunate people out of their hard-earned money.
If you come across anyone involved with this site, or even a similar business model, you’ll do well to stay far away from their offer and avoid giving them any money at all. It’s worth noting that you should also keep other people from joining this program as well if you care about their financial wellbeing.
Sites like these are what give legitimate online business models a bad reputation, leaving you wondering if it is even possible to make an honest living in the digital age. You’re not alone – I’ve been there, and I’ve felt the same frustrations.
Fortunately, there are business models out there that provide legitimate, real offerings. All you have to do is look in the right places…
Surely There's An Easier Way...
If you’re like me, then you’re probably tired of all these scams around the internet promising to give you results, only if you pay them a little bit of money.
With so many of these ‘opportunities’ waiting in the shadows for the moment you pull out your credit card, it can feel like a battle. There’s only enough red flags an entrepreneur is going to be able to tolerate before you start feeling like giving up.
I get it. I spent years searching for some kind of legitimate business offering that could provide me with the tools necessary to start a business that didn’t make me feel like I was ripping someone else off.
Fortunately, there is an easier way to make money – all it takes is a pinch of learning and a dash of hard work; the rest is mapped out…
This program is called Local Marketing Vault, and it’s been my preferred program for a while now.
Why Did I Choose Local Marketing Vault?
I chose the Local Marketing Vault as my preferred business program not because of the business model it employs – and while it’s a handy model that does generate quite a bit of honest profit – it’s also a program that teaches you valuable skills about digital marketing.
When I first got into the world of digital marketing, there were so many options in front of me, and it seemed like everyone was offering some sort of deal or business model. It’s like when you first get into the industry, the sharks smell blood in the water and come swimming over, waiting to see whose program you’ll buy to start learning first.
That’s why I made it a point to buy into programs that didn’t just give me a business-in-a-box mentality. I knew that if I played my cards right, I could authentically learn these skills and they would be transferrable to any other area of digital marketing.
Boy, was I right.
In this program, it does give you a business model to follow, and a lot of students have seen success with this model – but that’s not where the true value of the course is. The true value is the skills it teaches you for a budding career in digital marketing, something that a lot of people pass up in favor of a business-in-a-box, which tends to wear out its welcome.
Not sure if it’s right for you? Check it out below:
References:
- FTC.gov, Income Scams: Big Promises, Big Losses, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2020/12/income-scams-big-promises-big-losses
- Forbes.com, What Is a Pyramid Scheme, https://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2014/03/18/what-is-a-pyramid-scheme/?sh=5f7d9a766f46
- Huffpost.com, Millennials Are Scammed Twice As Often As Seniors, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/millennials-scammed-more-than-seniors_l_5d77f62fe4b0752102345620
I buy and review courses so you don’t have to. Sometimes, I even find courses that are legitimate and worthwhile; and that’s how I accidentally came across one that led me to building a 6-figure business in a little under 5 years. Now, I still review courses because it’s my favorite hobby. 🙂 Learn more about me here.
