Urals Authorities Uncover Pyramid Scheme Promising Marketplace Bonuses

The Ural Main Directorate of the Bank of Russia has identified the Deep Cashback project, which operates as a financial pyramid scheme. The company Dobrolife from Izhevsk offers clients to purchase cards for money, promising bonuses in return that can be exchanged for certificates from popular marketplaces.

According to data from the Kontur.Focus service, the firm Dobrolife was registered in March 2024. Its manager and co-owner is Yevgeny Dobrogorsky, who owns a 30% stake. The remaining 70% belongs to entrepreneur Vladislav Chirkov. The main activity is software development, and revenue for the last year amounted to 288 million rubles (approximately $3.2 million at current rates).

The essence of the scheme is as follows:

• Participants buy cards costing from 5 to 100 thousand rubles.
• Bonuses are credited to them, the size of which can exceed the cost of the card by 5–10 times.
• Additional bonuses are credited for attracting new clients.
• These bonuses, according to the organizers, can be exchanged for certificates from well-known marketplaces.

The project has no own offices, but its representatives hold meetings in various cities, photos from which are then posted online.

The Bank of Russia notes that the company does not conduct real economic activity and cannot ensure promised payments. Partnership agreements with marketplaces are also not confirmed. In this regard, Deep Cashback has been added to the warning list of organizations with signs of a financial pyramid scheme.

Vladimir Khimenko, head of the department for combating illegal activities at the Ural GU of the Bank of Russia, stated: «The project is built on the principles of network marketing. Payments are made at the expense of funds from new participants. Deep Cashback does not conclude any agreements with users on attracting money, and all communication with clients is conducted through Telegram. When a person tries to withdraw funds, the channel administrators refer to temporary technical difficulties, and then stop responding altogether.»

The legality of a financial organization«s activities can be checked on the official website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

This is not the only case of such schemes. Earlier, the company Lemon Mall was identified, offering investments in the creation of a marketplace with a guarantee of high income. In Yekaterinburg, a firm was also discovered that attracted money under the guise of investments in power bank rentals, making payments to previous depositors at the expense of new ones. Moreover, there was a financial pyramid aimed at children and teenagers, where earnings were promised for simply listening to music.