TLC Trading appears to be the reincarnation of the collapsed AI trading bot Ponzi scheme, Trade Like Crazy. The original platform, which promised investors a 300% return, vanished late last year. Now, TLC Trading, operating under the domain tlctrading.ai, has emerged, showing clear links to its predecessor.

The website for TLC Trading, registered privately on March 12th, 2024, prominently features social media links that all direct users to Trade Like Crazy accounts. A quick check reveals that tradelikecrazy.ai now redirects to TLC Trading, indicating a direct lineage. Trade Like Crazy, launched in late 2023, was identified as a Ponzi scheme with alleged ties to Polish scammers. Its subsequent collapse paved the way for this apparent reboot.

To bolster its appearance of legitimacy, TLC Trading presents a shell company certificate for TLC Trading LLC. This entity was supposedly registered in Armenia on February 2nd, 2024, linked to AP Imports LLC. Armen Sargasyan is named as the sole participant in this Armenian registration. This name is significant, as a Boris CEO actor portraying Sargasyan was featured in Trade Like Crazy’s marketing videos. These videos have since been made private, and Trade Like Crazy’s YouTube channel has been renamed and scrubbed of content.

The use of actor-based marketing is a recurring theme. Trade Like Crazy reportedly used a replacement Boris CEO actor for a period before reverting to images of the original actor for TLC Trading's promotional materials. The individual in the replacement Boris CEO photo is identified as Sal Khan, a figure described as a promotional ringleader for Trade Like Crazy. Khan’s base in Dubai suggests a connection to Russian scammers who reportedly operate from that city. This aligns with a strict policy regarding Dubai-based operations in the MLM space, where any involvement with individuals or companies linked to Dubai raises immediate red flags for potential scams.

TLC Trading offers no actual products or services for resale. Participants can only market the affiliate membership itself. The compensation structure relies entirely on recruitment. Affiliates invest funds, equivalent to USD in tether (USDT), with the promise of a 300% return on investment. The investment tiers range from a $20 trial package up to a $100,000 "Galaxy" package.

The recruitment incentives are tied to an affiliate rank system. There are six ranks in total, starting with "Rising Star," which requires generating 25,000 USDT in downline investment volume. Higher ranks, such as "Manager" (250,000 USDT), "Supervisor" (500,000 USDT), and "Director" (1,500,000 USDT), require progressively larger downline investments. These ranks are a common feature in Ponzi schemes, designed to incentivize early adopters to recruit more investors to keep the money flowing.