3 Types of HYIP investors — Which one are you?

James Ryan Jonas

PinoyMoneyTalk.com started in 2005, initially with the aim of providing Filipinos with an objective guide to successful investing in High-Yield Investment Programs (HYIP). In our more than two years of experience in the HYIP industry, we have seen different types of investors come and go.

In this article, we present to you what we think are the three basic groupings of HYIP investors: the Cheerleader, the Naive Player and the Informed Gambler.

Which one are you?

1. THE CHEERLEADER

Description: A person who sees only the good side of the HYIP and dislikes hearing negative comments about the same.

Unique Traits:

  • Uses positive superlatives to describe the HYIP (“FrancSwiss is the best!”, “StudioTraffic is the most promising investment program!”, “SMFund is the most popular HYIP right now!”)
  • Makes a fearless forecast about the longevity of the program (“I’m sure PIPS will last for a long, long time!”)
  • Usually boasts of his earnings and thanks the HYIP for the things supposedly bought using the profits (“I’ve already earned 200% of my principal! Woohoo!”, “Salamat sa Deutsche-Finance HYIP, nakabili ako ng Honda Civic!” [Thanks to Deutsche-Finance HYIP, I was able to buy a Honda Civic!])
  • Abhors people with negative comments against the HYIP (“If you don’t have anything good to say, just shut up!”, “Inggit lang ang mga nagsasabing scam ito kasi wala kayong perang pang-invest! [Those claiming that this is a scam are just jealous because you don’t have any money to invest!]”, “Those saying this is a scam are stupid, b*llshit, f*cking b*tch, tanga, bobo, p*ta, leche, walang kwenta!”)
  • Too excited most of the time such that all posts he makes end with an exclamation point!

2. THE NAIVE PLAYER

Description: One who invests in HYIPs without any idea about the associated high risk.

Unique Traits: 

  • Usually a “newbie” who discovers HYIPs because of a spam email (“Amazing Income Opportunity! Double your money in 1 month!”) or a friend who referred the program (“Sali ka dito, malaki ang kita! In one month, bawi ka na agad. [Join this one, you’ll earn big! In one month, you can get your capital back.]”)
  • Asks that the HYIP be given a chance when rumors of scam start to fly (“Guys, I think we should give Forex Gold Investment the benefit of the doubt and just wait for the official announcement of the admins.”, “C’mon guys, let’s just wait for updates on the website rather than fight among ourselves.”)
  • Freaks out upon reading confirmations of the program being declared a scam (“Oh my God, how can I get my money back?”, “I haven’t withdrawn anything yet, please help me.”)

3. THE INFORMED GAMBLER

Description: Knows that “HYIP investing” is actually “gambling” and recognizes that HYIPs are high-yield and HIGH-RISK investment programs.

Unique Traits:

  • Creates and applies his own set of “investing rules” to succeed in HYIPs
  • Tells other investors that HYIPs should not be considered a long-term investment
  • Treats news of HYIP closures as “ordinary” news (“Time to move on to the next good-paying HYIP!”)
  • Eventually gets tired of HYIP investing and starts to look for genuine investment opportunities

There you go, the three types of HYIP investors.

Read the Is FrancSwiss a scam? article again and try to recognize the Cheerleader, the Naive Player and the Informed Gambler from those who posted comments there.

James Ryan Jonas teaches business management, investments, and entrepreneurship at the University of the Philippines (UP). He is also the Executive Director of UP Provident Fund Inc., managing and investing P3.2 Billion ($56.4 Million) worth of retirement funds on behalf of thousands of UP employees.