History of online high yield investing

rcox · #1 02-27-2005, 06:56 PM

I'm rather new to this forum. what I was wondering is what the history of online high yield programs is. does anyone know about when the first online program was started?

Does anyone know when talkgold first lauched? Was it the first high yield investing forum? what was the first rating site created?

what are some of the criminals that were in this arena? anyone of them caught? if so, what happened to them? If not, why not?

I'm just interested in learning some of the history of these programs, and I realize a large amount of these turn out to be scams. before investing into many of them, I would like to learn the past

Let's here it

Rick

**talkgold** · #2 02-27-2005, 07:19 PM

As far as I know, the first HYIP related forum was probably one that belonged to goldgames.org.

Thebesthyip.com was created in February of 2002, and as far as I know was the very first rating site for HYIPs. You can see what it looked like when it first launched: http://web.archive.org/web/200202120...ebesthyip.com/

Goldgames.org, I believe was created in May of 2002. You can see what it used to look like here: http://web.archive.org/web/200205230...goldgames.org/
They had a forum but it was quite inactive and unorganized which was located at: http://web.archive.org/web/200208020...php?name=Forum

As for poolofgold.net I'm not sure exactly when that first start, but I think it was slightly after goldgames.org.

Talkgold.com wasn't created until January of 2003. It was the first major forum in the HYIP arena, although Thebesthyip.com did have a rather popular forum at this time. You can see what talkgold looked like when it first lauched: http://web.archive.org/web/200301091...old.com/forum/

I actually created talkgold.com after I had success running gamesofgold.com, which launched in August of 2002. You can see what that first looked like at: http://web.archive.org/web/200210171...ster/index.cgi

Now today, there are hundreds of rating sites, and a handful of forums. Many of the rating sites (and I mean many) get under 40 hits per day, but are just designed to make money. A good resource to tell which sites are more popular is alexa.com.

Anyhow, I'm sure other members here could give you more history of HYIPs, and tell you some of the criminals, etc.

Brian

Sstugatz · #3 02-27-2005, 09:09 PM

HYIPs and rating boards existed much before these times

I use to cruise by the Smartdog forum which was the reference back when Crystal Capstone, GemOnline, Westside Holdings, Income-Ventures and company were the big payers.

I'm bad with dates, but I think these were around in 2001, maybe even before. But like Brian said, it's gold games that started it all!

westmont · #4 02-27-2005, 10:49 PM

I remember in 1999 StockGeneration was the big thing. Thats what got me started. There was also the ArtOpps. Programs were claiming they were selling art and you could buy stock in their pieces of art. Prices always went up and you could make 20% per week until it collapsed. Im trying to remember some of the Art Programs names' but i cant. Then you had the famous E-Biz in late 2000. I forgot the guy's name who ran this but he ended up running off with like $60 million but got caught eventually. Some people were making $5000 per day with E-Biz. Also, I believe the gold games and hyips actually started at Delphi Forums. I remember joining my first doubler there.

Westmont

wiseoldowl · #5 02-28-2005, 01:40 AM

hi westmont i remeber stockgeneration as well as art opps-i was in both of them-also before that was life club and program called roman-roman was done by mail-i made a few dollars off it.
i was also in j and k rent and mortgage program-most of these programs were in the late 80s to early 90s i believe-boy how times have changed in the hyip arena-lol!

nevada_9 · #6 02-28-2005, 02:13 AM

This thread brings back memoories, certainly not all good! Although I learned, and, T.G., have not lost a fortune.

StockGeneration was one of the 1st online investments for me. I remember some earlier hyip's done by snail-mail! Even with Stock Generation, I remember, there was no such thing as E-gold, or IntGold, etc. You had to mail or wire funds.

After E-Biz, Art-Opps, etc., one of my favorites, areal, real professional scam, was 'Mine for Us", or something approximating that. The interesting thing was that this came AFTER so many other scams, but really began to win confidence. I think people WANTED to believe.

Then they ran off. (I believe this was John English?) Luckily I was all set to send in an unemployment check (!), when I picked up advance info at about 2Am one morning that they were folding!

Needless to say, I have been very conservative since.

Nevada_9 (Mark)

worryabout · #7 02-28-2005, 02:31 AM

ooh, It calls me to remember my grandfather.

Sand · #8 02-28-2005, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcox

I'm rather new to this forum. what I was wondering is what the history of online high yield programs is. does anyone know about when the first online program was started?

Does anyone know when talkgold first lauched? Was it the first high yield investing forum? what was the first rating site created?

what are some of the criminals that were in this arena? anyone of them caught? if so, what happened to them? If not, why not?

I'm just interested in learning some of the history of these programs, and I realize a large amount of these turn out to be scams. before investing into many of them, I would like to learn the past

Let's here it

Rick

You can dig up some of that information if you do research ...

Quartex · #9 03-01-2005, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sstugatz

HYIPs and rating boards existed much before these times

I use to cruise by the Smartdog forum which was the reference back when Crystal Capstone, GemOnline, Westside Holdings, Income-Ventures and company were the big payers.

I'm bad with dates, but I think these were around in 2001, maybe even before. But like Brian said, it's gold games that started it all!

Crystal Capstone was around Mid-2000 and collapsed in January 2001, if memory serves. The first HYIP I ever got involved with. And how I wish I had never stumbled across this damned arena in the first place.

**talkgold** · #10 03-03-2005, 02:00 PM

I don't remember that far back, as in 2000, I was not involved in HYIPs at all. My first memories of HYIPs is a Program called IPO-Gold. Basically you bought fake shares of stock and could buy and sell the shares at anytime. Shares usually doubled within a matter of days, and I basically lost the $25 I had put into the program. I did however see many people earning a fortune, and it was extremely fun to take the risk.

Anyone else remember IPOGold? This was back in the hayday of Poolofgold and GoldGames.

Brian