stormpay investigated by the feds
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STORMPAY SOON WILLBE OUTTA BUSINESS
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State agency investigating StormPay complaints
By THOMYA HOGAN
The Leaf-Chronicle
The Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs said Wednesday it is investigating complaints involving StormPay.com, an Internet-based company in Clarksville embroiled in controversy over frozen customer accounts.
Consumer Affairs Director Mary Clement said her office has received a "large volume of complaints involving StormPay." She said once Consumer Affairs completes its investigation, law enforcement would be involved if it is determined "wrongdoing has taken place."
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StormPay owner Steve Girsky said Wednesday he welcomes the Consumer Affairs investigation. He said he plans to meet today with the Better Business Bureau to go through many of the complaints filed with them.
"I think the agencies would not be doing their due diligence if they did not check us out," he said. "I invite anyone who wants to to look at this.
"We have nothing to hide."
StormPay.com, which was launched in 2002 and does business in 200 countries, serves as a payment intermediary for online auction sites and other Internet businesses, allowing customers and businesses to send and receive money.
One of its clients, LifeClicks, owns a company called 12DailyPro, which is being investigated by the FBI and officials in North Carolina and Georgia, according to a joint statement StormPay and LifeClicks released Tuesday.
12DailyPro is billed as an "auto-surf" Web agent where customers can buy online advertising and earn commissions from advertising revenue. Under the business relationship, StormPay processed third-party payments to 12DailyPro users.
An auto-surfing program is set up to generate money every time users visit a participating Web site.
The Better Business Bureau has described such programs as "thinly veiled pyramid schemes," according to a BBB statement.
Pyramid schemes, also known as Ponzi schemes, typically promise people a large return for a small investment. But the scheme only works as long as there are new investors to cover everyone else's investment. The scheme collapses when there are no new investors.
In the case of 12DailyPro, investors signed up and bought advertising space through 12DailyPro and received commissions from visits or "clicks" on their ads. The program is free to join, but members don't get commissions unless they pay to upgrade their accounts.
A portion of the earnings is funded through incoming member fees, according to the company's Web site.
The problem, Girsky said, is that many of the people complaining about StormPay have earned commissions, but the commissions are coming from new investors. StormPay has those frozen accounts to make sure longer-term investors don't pull out their initial investment and commissions — leaving new investors with nothing.
For example, "Investor A" may start out with a $1,000 investment in 12DailyPro and earn $500 in commissions. Some of those commissions may include investments from other people.
StormPay, Girsky said, has charged back — or refunded — the entire $1,500 to 12DailyPro so "Investor A" still gets back his $1,000 and the other people whose investments contributed to the $500 in commission get back their money as well.
Several complaints to The Leaf-Chronicle allege some frozen accounts at StormPay were not connected to LifeClicks or 12DailyPro.
Girsky said he could not comment on specific accounts without permission from the account holder, but he reiterated the company is working to rectify the situation.
"We're making sure we don't process any payments for any pyramid or Ponzi scheme," he said Wednesday.
Girsky also denied allegations that checks issued to StormPay customers have bounced and StormPay has canceled customer's ATM cards connected with their accounts. He said StormPay is working to make sure people can have their money invested with 12DailyPro refunded "to the extent possible."
"Every nickel in StormPay accounts is accounted for," he said.
Clement said she could not comment on specific complaints received about StormPay.
"We are now receiving complaints from consumers, and we will continue to mediate for the consumer with StormPay, but it is in the investigative stage right now," she said in an e-mail release.
Thomya Hogan may be reached at 931-245-0282 or via e-mail at
thomyahogan@theleafchronicle.com.
Originally published February 9, 2006
