Twelve years ago Michael Deese launched the
MyAdvertisingPays
Ponzi scheme.

MyAdvertisingPays, or MAPS as it was called, is believed to have defrauded US and Europe residents out of tens of millions of dollars.

By late 2015 MyAdvertisingPays was on the verge of collapse. The Ponzi limped along throughout 2016, with
withdrawals halting
in early September.

Post collapse, Malta issued a
MAPS fraud warning
in November 2016.

As part of MAPS’ exit-scam ruse, Deese (right) claimed i
nvestor funds had been frozen
.

To that end in December 2016, Deese
filed suit against VX Gateway
alleging theft of $60 million.

Deese’s lawsuit cited the owners of VX Gateway as Celia Dunlop and Timothy Mackay, then alleged Texas residents.

Unfortunately the lawsuit ultimately went nowhere and was
dismissed
in mid 2017.

Sometime after MAPS collapsed, Dunlop and Mackay relocated to Malta. There, the Australian couple have apparently spent the last decade living the good life in a property worth millions.

That came to an end after it was revealed Polish authorities had quietly opened an investigation into VX Gateway.

The Polish investigation resulted in European arrest warrants issued in December 2024.

Polish authorities
allege
Celia Eileen Jane Dunlop and Timothy Alan Mackay, both 64, took

part in a criminal organisation and using a pyramid selling scheme to defraud individuals.

The two allegedly defrauded approximately 432 people to the tune of pound 238,603 [sic].

In February a Maltese Judge acknowledged the Polish arrest warrant and ordered Dunlop and Mackay’s extradition.

Dunlop and Mackay appealed the decision. Mackay’s appeal was
rejected
in late March and he was ordered into custody pending extradition.

A decision on Dunlop’s appeal remains pending.

Michael Deese was never brought to justice and, to the best of my knowledge, is a US resident living in Texas.  It is unclear Deese was a person of interest in the Polish investigation.

BehindMLM will try to track Dunlop’s and Mackay’s proceedings but European MLM criminal cases are notoriously difficult for us to report on.

This is primarily due to language-barriers and privacy laws that protect scammers whilst leaving consumers in the dark.

For what it’s worth I did try to suss out and local Polish reporting on the VX Gateway case but didn’t find anything.

Update 18th April 2025 – 
Celia Dunlop’s appeal was denied on March 24th, 2025.

🤖 Quick Answer

What was MyAdvertisingPays (MAPS)?
MyAdvertisingPays was a Ponzi scheme launched by Michael Deese approximately twelve years prior to the arrests. The fraudulent operation is believed to have defrauded residents across the United States and Europe of tens of millions of dollars before collapsing in 2016.

When did MyAdvertisingPays cease operations?
MyAdvertisingPays began experiencing severe financial difficulties by late 2015 and continued operating throughout 2016 with increasing problems. Withdrawal services halted in early September 2016, effectively marking the scheme's operational collapse and subsequent shutdown.

What legal action did Michael Deese take following the scheme's collapse?
In December 2016, Michael Deese filed a lawsuit against VX Gateway, claiming theft of approximately $60 million in investor funds. The lawsuit named Celia Dunl

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