Thomas Riley, CEO of Deep Profit Streams, launched 10xBitcoin in January 2017, a cryptocurrency-based scheme operating as a seven-tier 2x15 matrix pyramid. This venture emerged directly after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shut down the Traffic Monsoon Ponzi scheme, a move suggesting a strategic pivot by Riley's organization.

Deep Profit Streams itself began in 2016, marketing itself as a "revenue sharing" program. This term often serves as a euphemism for Ponzi schemes within multi-level marketing (MLM) circles. The company's official Facebook page, in an October 7th post, explicitly linked 10xBitcoin's creation to the Traffic Monsoon legal action. The post stated the SEC's lawsuit against Traffic Monsoon, described as "the main & strongest company in the entire revenue sharing industry," caused Deep Profit Streams to "pause, wait for, and look closely at the outcome of that legal battle."

Riley’s company then sought to restructure its offerings to avoid similar regulatory problems. Deep Profit Streams appeared to stall after the Traffic Monsoon shutdown. 10xBitcoin represents a relaunch, now with a cryptocurrency wrapper. The company's privately registered domain, 10xbitcoin.com, became active on January 27, 2017. Information regarding Riley's prior multi-level marketing history is not readily available. His public online presence includes frequent religious posts on Facebook.

10xBitcoin offers no tangible retail products or services to consumers. Instead, its affiliates promote only membership in the 10xBitcoin program itself. New participants must purchase positions within a seven-tier 2x15 matrix pyramid structure. This matrix places an affiliate at the top, with two positions directly below them forming the first level. Each subsequent level doubles the number of positions, extending down to fifteen levels. A full 2x15 matrix contains 65,534 positions.

Affiliates pay a monthly fee to maintain their matrix positions. They earn commissions when new fee-paying affiliates are recruited into their matrix, regardless of whether the recruitment is direct or indirect. The commission structure varies by level: 5% of monthly fees for levels 1 through 8, 4% for level 9, 3% for levels 10 through 13, 4% for level 14, and 5% for level 15.

The monthly fees for each of the seven matrix tiers are: Bronze Matrix for $5, Silver Matrix for $20, Gold Matrix for $50, Platinum Matrix for $100, Diamond Matrix for $250, Double Diamond Matrix for $500, and Titanium Matrix for $1000. A minimum Bronze Matrix position at $5 per month is required for affiliate membership. Full participation across all seven tiers costs $1925 each month.

10xBitcoin also pays a one-time Fast Start Bonus. This bonus activates when an affiliate places their first three personally recruited members into the matrix, either through initial purchase or upgrade. The Fast Start Bonus amounts are: $1.50 per position for Bronze Matrix, $6 for Silver, $15 for Gold, $30 for Platinum, $75 for Diamond, $150 for Double Diamond, and $300 for Titanium.

All transactions, both payments into the system and commission payouts, are conducted exclusively in bitcoin. The shift to cryptocurrency indicates Riley and Deep Profit Streams likely assumed the SEC would be less inclined to pursue crypto-based schemes than those using fiat currency. However, the SEC has taken enforcement actions against multiple cryptocurrency operations within the United States. While no major MLM cryptocurrency scheme has yet faced SEC charges, the number of such operations continues to grow.

The underlying mechanics of 10xBitcoin mirror a traditional fiat pyramid scheme. Participants join, pay a recurring fee, and earn money by recruiting others who also pay fees. As long as new recruits continue to join and existing members maintain their monthly payments, commissions flow upwards. This model is inherently unsustainable. Recruitment inevitably slows and eventually dries up. When members at the bottom cease paying their monthly fees, the chain of payments breaks, causing losses to ripple upwards through all matrix tiers until the entire structure collapses. Historically, the architects of these schemes, like Riley and his partners, secure top-tier administrative positions, allowing them to collect the majority of the monthly fees. A small number of early affiliates might see returns, but the vast majority of participants ultimately lose their money.

Victims of pyramid schemes can find information and report fraudulent activity through the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.