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Passive Income Autopsy

Case index

Every income claim we have examined, with its verdict, confidence grade and filing date. Each case states the claim at full strength, runs it against primary evidence with access-dated citations, and ends with what would change the verdict.

By month

October 2026

3 cases filed

  1. #021“that depositing cryptocurrency into Celsius's Earn Interest Accounts was a way to earn a high yield without doing anything and without taking real risk. The original complaint alleges Mashinsky described the model as "sleep to earn", and quotes him: "you don't have to do anything, you just go to sleep, and every Monday we pay you yield." It alleges Celsius advertised yields "up to 17% per year".”BUSTEDHigh confidenceCrypto
  2. #020“that a prospective Premier Martial Arts franchisee reading the franchise homepage was looking at what an average PMA studio grosses. The Federal Trade Commission alleges the homepage carried "average 2021 gross sales" of $548,345 from 2022 until at least 24 August 2026.”OPENHigh confidenceFTC
  3. #019“that PlanNet Marketing's 2025 Income Disclosure Statement works as what the company's own compliance team calls "a strong marketing tool", because it shows the average Rep earning $38.15 and "a small amount of extra effort" lifting that to $752.71.”BUSTEDHigh confidenceMLM

September 2026

5 cases filed

  1. #018“IBOs who build a team of 25 to 48 IBOs will have 'earnings' of about $40,000 a year." That sentence is not marketing copy pulled off a website. It is the Federal Trade Commission's description, at paragraph 17 of its complaint, of what Amway-approved recruiting presentations tell prospects.”OPENHigh confidenceFTC enforcement
  2. #017“Put in $24,000, take 25% a year with compound interest, and in ten years you have $1,000,000 and can retire on $250,000 a year.”OPENHigh confidenceSEC enforcement
  3. #016“Your money funds our lending business, and your guaranteed return comes out of what the borrowers pay back.”BUSTEDHigh confidencePromissory notes
  4. #015“Buy into the companies everyone will want at IPO, at market prices, before the market can.”OPENHigh confidencePre-IPO
  5. #014“that buying into Location Ventures and its URBIN affiliate was — in the SEC's own phrasing, not ours — a set of "passive investment opportunities" in South Florida real estate: capital in, a share of the development profit out, none of the developing.”OPENHigh confidenceReal estate

August 2026

7 cases filed

  1. #013“that you can find out, before you sign anything, what a typical Scentsy Consultant is actually paid — because the company publishes the figure itself.”CONFIRMEDHigh confidenceMLM
  2. #012“that the Botanic compensation plan, with its published bonus ladder running from $500 to $50,000, describes an earning opportunity a prospect can evaluate.”INCONCLUSIVEHigh confidenceMLM
  3. #011“that money placed with Capital Funding ASAP LLC would fund short-term loans to small businesses and pay a fixed return of 22% to 53% on a one-year investment, or 9% to 10% over two to three months, with the principal guaranteed and, for some investors, secured by collateral.”OPENHigh confidenceSEC enforcement
  4. #010“that placing money with Goliath Ventures through a "Joint Venture Agreement" would generate "ongoing passive income" from crypto liquidity pools, at 3% to 10% a month, with the principal guaranteed to come back.”OPENHigh confidenceCrypto
  5. #009“that a real estate sponsor had "grown their business, protected the entirety of the principal, and never missed a distribution.”OPENHigh confidenceReal estate
  6. #008“Copy the EXACT system hundreds of my students use to make $1k to $3k a month in passive income.”INCONCLUSIVEHigh confidenceFTC enforcement
  7. #005We Sent 50 AI Agents to Find One Faceless Etsy Success StoryINCONCLUSIVENot gradedEtsy

July 2026

6 cases filed

  1. #007“Real estate done for you — put money in, collect the rent, do none of the work.”OPENHigh confidenceReal estate
  2. #006“Connect your account and crypto mining pays you recurring passive income.”OPENHigh confidenceCrypto
  3. #004“Faceless print-on-demand stores are passive income.”BUSTEDHigh confidencePrint on demand
  4. #003“Start a blog, earn passive income in months.”BUSTEDModerate confidenceBlogging
  5. #002“Day trading for a living is learnable by most people.”BUSTEDHigh confidenceDay trading
  6. #001“MLM is a real path to passive income.”BUSTEDHigh confidenceMLM

By verdict

BUSTED7 cases

  1. #021“that depositing cryptocurrency into Celsius's Earn Interest Accounts was a way to earn a high yield without doing anything and without taking real risk. The original complaint alleges Mashinsky described the model as "sleep to earn", and quotes him: "you don't have to do anything, you just go to sleep, and every Monday we pay you yield." It alleges Celsius advertised yields "up to 17% per year".”High confidenceCrypto
  2. #019“that PlanNet Marketing's 2025 Income Disclosure Statement works as what the company's own compliance team calls "a strong marketing tool", because it shows the average Rep earning $38.15 and "a small amount of extra effort" lifting that to $752.71.”High confidenceMLM
  3. #016“Your money funds our lending business, and your guaranteed return comes out of what the borrowers pay back.”High confidencePromissory notes
  4. #004“Faceless print-on-demand stores are passive income.”High confidencePrint on demand
  5. #003“Start a blog, earn passive income in months.”Moderate confidenceBlogging
  6. #002“Day trading for a living is learnable by most people.”High confidenceDay trading
  7. #001“MLM is a real path to passive income.”High confidenceMLM

CONFIRMED1 case

  1. #013“that you can find out, before you sign anything, what a typical Scentsy Consultant is actually paid — because the company publishes the figure itself.”High confidenceMLM

INCONCLUSIVE3 cases

  1. #012“that the Botanic compensation plan, with its published bonus ladder running from $500 to $50,000, describes an earning opportunity a prospect can evaluate.”High confidenceMLM
  2. #008“Copy the EXACT system hundreds of my students use to make $1k to $3k a month in passive income.”High confidenceFTC enforcement
  3. #005We Sent 50 AI Agents to Find One Faceless Etsy Success StoryNot gradedEtsy

OPEN10 cases

  1. #020“that a prospective Premier Martial Arts franchisee reading the franchise homepage was looking at what an average PMA studio grosses. The Federal Trade Commission alleges the homepage carried "average 2021 gross sales" of $548,345 from 2022 until at least 24 August 2026.”High confidenceFTC
  2. #018“IBOs who build a team of 25 to 48 IBOs will have 'earnings' of about $40,000 a year." That sentence is not marketing copy pulled off a website. It is the Federal Trade Commission's description, at paragraph 17 of its complaint, of what Amway-approved recruiting presentations tell prospects.”High confidenceFTC enforcement
  3. #017“Put in $24,000, take 25% a year with compound interest, and in ten years you have $1,000,000 and can retire on $250,000 a year.”High confidenceSEC enforcement
  4. #015“Buy into the companies everyone will want at IPO, at market prices, before the market can.”High confidencePre-IPO
  5. #014“that buying into Location Ventures and its URBIN affiliate was — in the SEC's own phrasing, not ours — a set of "passive investment opportunities" in South Florida real estate: capital in, a share of the development profit out, none of the developing.”High confidenceReal estate
  6. #011“that money placed with Capital Funding ASAP LLC would fund short-term loans to small businesses and pay a fixed return of 22% to 53% on a one-year investment, or 9% to 10% over two to three months, with the principal guaranteed and, for some investors, secured by collateral.”High confidenceSEC enforcement
  7. #010“that placing money with Goliath Ventures through a "Joint Venture Agreement" would generate "ongoing passive income" from crypto liquidity pools, at 3% to 10% a month, with the principal guaranteed to come back.”High confidenceCrypto
  8. #009“that a real estate sponsor had "grown their business, protected the entirety of the principal, and never missed a distribution.”High confidenceReal estate
  9. #007“Real estate done for you — put money in, collect the rent, do none of the work.”High confidenceReal estate
  10. #006“Connect your account and crypto mining pays you recurring passive income.”High confidenceCrypto

New case files, as they open

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