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Is That "$10,000 a Month Online" Video a Scam? A 5-Minute Check

US and UK regulators have acted against 'make big money online' offers. The FTC alleges the claims were false in several cases, and the UK ad regulator ruled five ads misleading. See how the trick works, run a 5-minute checklist, and learn what to do if you already paid.

Genius Forges Editorial

Published · 8 min read

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A phone showing a video with a big dollar number, a red warning triangle beside it, and a checklist with ticked boxes.
Designed illustration; not a photograph, chart or real data.

At a glance

  • The FTC alleges that some sellers charged $45,000 or more for 'AI-powered' online stores. In the Click Profit case it says over one-fifth of the stores earned no money and another third made under $2,500 in lifetime gross sales. These are allegations, and the settlement orders are proposed.
  • The UK ad regulator (ASA) ruled five money-making course and coaching ads misleading on 15 October 2025. We found no study that says how many such videos are scams, so this page does not claim a percentage.
  • Run the 8-question checklist in 5 minutes. Three or more YES answers is our rule of thumb for 'do not pay today'. If you already paid, call your card issuer or bank at once.

The short answer: give any big income claim a 5-minute check

It is late. A video shows a laptop on a beach. A calm voice says, "I make $10,000 a month online, and you can too." You pause. That is normal, and it is not your fault. A big number is built to catch your eye.

This page shows how the trick works, gives you a 5-minute checklist you can screenshot, and says what to do if you already paid.

We read the regulators' pages and a law firm's summary on 9 November 2026. We have not bought or tested any course. This is not legal or financial advice.

  • The pattern: a big income claim, a "proven" system, an upfront fee, then more to buy.
  • What to copy: the checklist further down.

What it feels like from the inside (imagined example)

Imagined example, not a real person. Maya is 19 and wants extra money. She sees a reel: "I made $30K last month from my phone. Free training inside."

She taps. The "free training" is a page to book a call. On the call, a friendly coach says the full program costs $1,997 and the spots close tonight. Maya pays by card.

In week two comes a "done for you" setup for thousands more. Nobody has shown Maya what the average buyer earned. She has a card bill and no income.

It only takes an exciting number, a deadline and a reason to skip the questions.

How the trick works, one step at a time

Regulator cases describe these steps. Here they are in order.

  1. The big number. "$10K a month" or "in 90 days." A UK ruling covered an ad that claimed "£20-30k a month" while working "only ... 4 hours a day."
  2. The proof. Income screenshots, cars, beaches, hotel rooms and happy customers. We found no regulator or study that counts how often rented cars or hotels are used, so that is common talk, not a statistic. A screenshot shows only what someone chose to show. It cannot show refunds or costs. The FTC's advice is to "read success stories and testimonials with skepticism."
  3. The "free" hook. In one UK ruling, the ad offered a "free beginners guide" and "the exact course I took." The ASA found the wording implied both were free. Only the guide was free. The course cost £390.
  4. The fee, then the upsell. The FTC alleges that one company took an upfront fee for store setup and then required more spending on inventory. It alleges another sold training for almost $2,000 and "done for you" stores for tens of thousands.
  5. The deadline. In one UK ruling, an ad said a course was free "for the next 48 hours." The ASA found the offer was "not actually time limited."
  6. Pressure on reviews. The FTC alleges one company pressured buyers to edit or remove negative reviews.
  7. Pay for bringing in buyers. Some offers pay you for bringing in new buyers. Be careful when the money comes from recruiting more than from selling a real product. We found no study on how common this is, so this is a check, not a finding.

What the regulators say (allegations are not verdicts)

Click Profit (FTC, 18 March 2025). The FTC alleges the company sold an "AI-powered" way to run online stores. It says ads called the opportunity "safe, secure, and proven to generate wealth." It says buyers paid a "management fee" of "at least $45,000" plus inventory money. It alleges that over one-fifth of the Amazon stores earned no money and another third made under $2,500 in lifetime gross sales. A federal court paused the business on 5 March 2025.

In August 2025 the FTC announced proposed settlement orders. They include a permanent ban from any involvement in the sales, marketing or operations of any business opportunity. The orders only have the force of law once a judge approves and signs them. We could not confirm that a judge has signed them.

Operation AI Comply (FTC, 25 September 2024). Five cases were announced. Three involved online business opportunities. The FTC alleges one used testimonials about clients who "generate over $100,000 per month in profit" and that its sales agents called the business "risk-free." Of another, it alleges social media ads claimed $10,000 a month with no evidence. Then-Chair Lina Khan said: "Using AI tools to trick, mislead, or defraud people is illegal."

UK ASA (rulings 15 October 2025). Five course and coaching advertisers were found misleading. CAP's guidance on these rulings says ads "must not imply that exceptional success is typical." In one ruling, the ASA said disclaimers "contradicted rather than clarified the bold headline claims."

The scale: people reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC in 2025. In 2024, "business and job opportunities" reports totalled $750.6 million.

The 5-minute red-flag checklist (copy this)

Screenshot this. Answer YES or NO for any offer. One point per YES. Two minutes to read the page, three to search.

Offer name or link:
Date I checked:
    

  1. It promises a monthly income or a date ("$10K a month", "in 90 days").
    2. 

  2. It says "guaranteed" or "risk-free".
    3. 

  3. The proof is screenshots, cars, beaches or testimonials, not typical results for all buyers.
    4. 

  4. There is a countdown or "only 3 spots left".
    5. 

  5. I must pay a large amount before I can see how it works.
    6. 

  6. It says "AI does it all for you".
    7. 

  7. Refund terms are missing, vague or only in small print.
    8. 

  8. It pays me more for recruiting buyers than for selling a real product.
    9. 



Score: __ of 8
My rule: 3 or more YES = do not pay today.
Then: search the company name + "FTC" or "complaint". Wait 48 hours.

The 3-YES rule is our own suggestion, not a law or a study. It is there to slow you down.

Filled sample (imagined offer "AI Store Blueprint"): Q1 YES ("$15K a month in 60 days"). Q2 YES ("risk-free"). Q3 YES (screenshots only). Q4 YES (timer on the page). Q5 YES ($1,997 up front). Q6 YES. Q7 YES (refunds only in small print). Q8 NO. Score 7 of 8. Action: do not pay; searched the name plus "complaint"; sent the checklist to a friend.

Try this today (10 minutes)

Open the last "make money online" video you saved or liked. Run the checklist on it. Write the score in your notes with today's date.

Then send the checklist to one friend who might be tempted.

If you already paid: do these in order

You are not the first, and being scammed says nothing bad about you. Move fast. The FTC says to act "immediately."

  1. Contact the company you paid with. Card: call the number on the back, report it and ask for a refund. Bank transfer: ask the bank to reverse the payment. Payment app: report it in the app and ask for a reversal. The FTC page gives no number of days. Some card rules have short time limits, and we did not check them for your country, so do this today.
  2. Write to the seller and ask for a refund, in writing, and keep the sales page, receipts and messages. This is our suggestion.
  3. Report it. In the US: ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and your state attorney general. Elsewhere, search for your country's consumer or fraud agency.
  4. Stop paying more.
  5. Watch for recovery scams. Be careful if someone contacts you and offers to get your money back for a fee. That is very likely another scam. This is our warning, not a source's finding.

Related: Spot a Fake Job Offer Before You Share Your Documents and Job Message Scam Check.

Honest limits: what we can and cannot say

We found no study that counts how many online money courses are scams, so this page does not claim a percentage. What it does show: in every case above, a regulator found the claims misleading, or the FTC alleges they were false.

  • Honest teachers exist. They usually teach a skill and promise no income.
  • FTC cases are allegations or proposed orders. Defendants may dispute them. Some use a countdown for a real sale, so one flag proves nothing; a pattern matters.
  • Our sources cover the US and UK only. The checklist is ours and untested.

Next step: see what real income data look like

If you still want to earn something online, start with honest numbers. Our companion page, How Much Do Short Books and Digital Products Really Earn?, shows real income data and a 30-day test that costs almost nothing.

Do this today in 10 minutes: run the checklist on one saved video, then send it to one friend before either of you pays anyone for a secret.

Sources

Reviewed 9 November 2026. Figures were re-read on the pages below that day.

About the author

Genius Forges Editorial

Editorial team

Practical AI reporting, original exercises and clearly attributed primary sources.

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Review evidence

Documentation-based review · 2026-11-09

We read the regulator pages and a law firm's summary on 9 November 2026. FTC case details are the FTC's allegations or proposed orders, not court verdicts; we could not confirm that a judge has signed the Click Profit orders. The UK ASA rulings are described through the law firm Osborne Clarke (19 December 2025) and the ASA's own news item (9 April 2026), because we read the second for principles and the first for example claims. We found no study that counts how often screenshots, rented cars or recruiting pay are used, so the page says so. The checklist and its 3-YES rule are our own suggestion and were not tested. Not legal or financial advice.