ADV's website, advvip.com, registered privately on May 24, 2023, offers no information about its owners or executives. This lack of transparency raises immediate concerns for financial regulators and potential investors. Analysis of the website's source code reveals Chinese language, suggesting the individuals behind ADV likely have ties to China.
The ADV operation sells no retail products or services. Instead, its affiliates market memberships within the ADV program itself. Participation requires an initial investment of Tether (USDT), a stablecoin, in exchange for promised daily returns.
The scheme operates on a tiered investment structure. For example, a VIP1 membership costs 20 USDT and promises 1 USDT daily. Higher tiers demand larger investments: VIP2 costs 420 USDT for 23 USDT daily, and VIP6 requires 16,200 USDT to yield 1,215 USDT per day. These payouts typically cease after a 10-day period, compelling participants to reinvest their funds to continue earning.
ADV also incentivizes recruitment through a multi-level commission system. Affiliates earn 12% on direct referrals, 6% on investments made by their second-level recruits, and 3% from their third level. While joining is free, active participation in the earning structure requires at least a 20 USDT investment.
This model classifies ADV as another "click a button" application Ponzi scheme, disguised as a crypto trading platform. Affiliates are instructed to log into the application multiple times daily to click a button, with larger investments allowing for more button presses. ADV claims each click represents a crypto trade. This is false. The platform simply recycles new investor deposits to pay earlier withdrawals, typical of a Ponzi structure.
Identical schemes, such as Esom App, RaysBot, and WorldOTC, have already collapsed. Daily Exposed, an online investigative group, has tracked sixty-one such "click a button" application Ponzis, including ADV. Most of these operations last only a few weeks to a few months before vanishing.
These schemes typically shut down their websites and applications without warning, leaving most investors with significant losses. The underlying math of a Ponzi scheme dictates that the vast majority of participants will lose money as the system relies on an ever-increasing inflow of new funds. Law enforcement and cybersecurity experts believe the same group of Chinese scammers orchestrates many of these "click a button" frauds.
The proliferation of AI-fueled crypto scams has seen a 456% increase between May 2024 and April 2025, according to blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs. These schemes often use AI-generated voices, deepfake videos, and phony credentials to deceive victims. Regulators have responded to the surge in fraudulent crypto operations. In one instance, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission secured a jury verdict against a lead operator of a $300 million crypto fraud that targeted over 40,000 investors. Another federal judge ordered $228 million returned to investors exploited by a separate crypto scheme.