Below is our criteria checklist for evaluating new projects. Use it as a guide for your own research — and if you think we've missed anything, we'd love to hear from you.
🔍 The Checklist
1. Passive Income Potential Can investors earn passively, or is income solely dependent on recruiting others? Recruitment-only models are a major red flag.
2. Founder Credibility Research the founders thoroughly — search engines, LinkedIn, publications, and media coverage. Do they have a verifiable track record?
3. Fraud Warnings Check major fraud alert channels including the SEC, FCA, and other leading regulatory bodies for any warnings or sanctions against the project.
4. Regulatory Compliance Is the company registered with relevant regulatory bodies, particularly for forex or binary trading? Do they hold any patents for their technology?
5. Transparency Is there clear, honest communication about what they do, how they generate returns, and where your money goes?
6. Independent Audits & Endorsements Are there third-party audits or endorsements from reputable, verifiable entities?
7. Physical Presence Do they have a verifiable address — owned or leased? If leased, can the landlord confirm occupancy?
8. Professional Website Does their website reflect professionalism across all audiences? Look for typos, poor grammar, vague language, or inconsistencies.
9. Scam Alerts Are there existing scam alerts? If so, has the company formally addressed and disputed them through proper channels?
10. MLM Structure ⚠️ Is there a multi-level marketing component? 99% of MLM-based opportunities turn out to be illegitimate. This category requires the deepest investigation, including:
- Google Trends analysis
- Regulatory body checks
- Company registrations and historical records
- Employee and associate background checks
- Audited financials and demonstrated revenue documents
- EDGAR filings, FINRA and APD checks
- Website functionality and withdrawal history
- Affinity fraud indicators
11. Leadership Accessibility Are the founders and corporate team willing to meet — in person or via video call? During any meeting, assess:
- Openness to challenging questions
- Body language and communication style
- Defensive behavior or evasiveness
- How heavily scripted or "salesy" the pitch feels
A Final Word
This checklist covers just one of eleven categories we evaluate — so consider this the surface level.
Some projects fall apart within minutes. Others — especially high-profile ones — require weeks of layered investigation. Due diligence is never a overnight process; it's complex, time-consuming, and absolutely worth doing right.
We hope you find this framework useful. If you feel we've missed anything, please reach out — we're always refining our process.
