2023
FTC v Lurn and Anik Singal
The ad'Stay-At-Home Millionaire', 'Fail 98% of the Time & Still... Make $11,453 Per Month'
Outcome$2.5M, $14.08M judgment (partly suspended), earnings-claim ban
LessonIgnoring the FTC notice raises exposure
Finance · Ad policy
Make money online and MLM ad policy on Meta and Google
Make money online and MLM ads are prohibited on Meta and prohibited on Google. Prohibited get-rich-quick: 'unrealistic financial reward for unclear or minimal effort'. The phrases most likely to cause trouble include "get rich quick", "passive income guaranteed", "quit your 9-5".
MetaProhibited
GoogleProhibited
Last checked5 October 2026
Meta rules Prohibited
Prohibited (deceptive forms), legitimate opportunities allowed
- Prohibited get-rich-quick: 'unrealistic financial reward for unclear or minimal effort'
- Prohibited investment content where 'returns... or compensation is partly or fully based on recruitment of others' (pyramid)
- No guaranteed or risk-free returns, no past-performance hype, no quick returns under 24h, no cash flip
- Jobs: no 'advance promises of salary', guaranteed jobs, advance fees, or vague 'job vacancies' with no employer info
- No false government grants or giveaways, no advance-fee money promises, no celebrity or brand bait
- Repeated negative feedback can lead to account restriction
Sources: transparency.meta.com · transparency.meta.com
Google rules Prohibited
Prohibited (unreliable claims / misrepresentation)
- Not allowed: 'unrealistic promises of large financial return with minimal risk, effort or investment', including 'Get rich quick' schemes
- Public-figure impersonation is banned, e.g. 'AI-generated videos of popular YouTubers' endorsing a get-rich-quick scheme. This is an egregious violation (suspension risk)
- Testimonials implying typical results need disclaimers
Sources: support.google.com · support.google.com
Flagged words and phrases for make money online and MLM ads
15 phrases that often lead to rejection, limited delivery or regulator action. High means the phrase or claim is named in a policy or ruling. Medium means it's our reading of a rule.
| Phrase | Why it's risky | Rule or source | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| get rich quick | Named by Google, Meta get-rich-quick rule | Google: Unreliable claims · Meta: Prohibited commercial practices support.google.com · transparency.meta.com | High |
| passive income guaranteed | Guaranteed earnings | FTC notice on money-making claims (2021) · Meta: Prohibited commercial practices ftc.gov · transparency.meta.com | High |
| quit your 9-5 | Herbalife 'quit their jobs' claims | FTC v Herbalife (2016) ftc.gov | High |
| stay-at-home millionaire | Lurn ad claim | FTC v Lurn (2023) ftc.gov | High |
| make $11,453/month | Specific unsubstantiated income (Lurn) | FTC v Lurn (2023) ftc.gov | High |
| no experience needed | FTC penalty offense | FTC notice on money-making claims (2021) ftc.gov | High |
| act now, only 3 spots left | Pressure tactics are a penalty offense | FTC notice on money-making claims (2021) ftc.gov | High |
| recruit 3 friends and earn | Recruitment-based compensation | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| be your own boss / financial freedom | Typical-earnings implication. Needs substantiation (inferred from FTC NPO) | FTC notice on money-making claims (2021) ftc.gov | Medium |
| work from home $500/day | Unrealistic reward, Meta WFH job rules | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| guaranteed job / paid training upfront | Prohibited job content | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| free government money / grant | Prohibited giveaway content | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
| secret system / loophole | Improbable-result claim | Google: Unreliable claims support.google.com | High |
| as seen on [celebrity] | Celebrity bait / impersonation | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices · Google: Unacceptable business practices transparency.meta.com · support.google.com | High |
| cash flip | Named by Meta | Meta: Prohibited commercial practices transparency.meta.com | High |
Risky creative patterns
- Luxury lifestyle (cars, mansions, beach laptop) implying typical income (FTC lifestyle claims, Herbalife)
- Income screenshots or Stripe/PayPal dashboards
- Testimonials without 'results not typical' disclosure
- Countdown timers or scarcity
- Deepfake celebrity video
- Fake news-article landing pages ('brand-bait')
Safer rewrites
Before and after examples. Swap the bracketed parts for your real details.
Before
Make $10k/month from home, no experience needed!
After
Learn e-commerce fundamentals in an 8-week course. Results vary, most participants earn little or nothing.
Before
Quit your job in 30 days
After
Build skills for a side business at your own pace.
Before
Join my team and recruit 3 people to get paid
After
Earn commission on products you sell to customers. See our income disclosure.
Before
Only 3 spots left, act NOW
After
Enrollment open until [date].
Before
The secret system millionaires use
After
Our course covers [specific topics].
Case studies
2021
FTC Notice of Penalty Offenses
The adMLM, gig, coaching and franchise earnings claims
OutcomeCivil penalties possible for recipients
LessonPenalty-offense theory turns claims into fines
2016
FTC v Herbalife
The adTold people they could 'quit their jobs' and earn thousands a month, most sales leaders earned under $300 (2014)
Outcome$200M redress, 2/3 of rewards must come from retail sales, 7-year auditor
LessonLifestyle and income claims need typical-earnings substantiation
Rules by country
US
FTC penalty-offense notice, earnings claims need substantiation
UK
Unverified for this run (no ASA/CMA MLM ruling fetched)
EU
Not verified
UAE
Advertiser Permit for all promotional creators from 31 Jan 2026, fines up to AED 10,000 (secondary source)
India
Not verified
Check a make money online and MLM ad
Platform
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Your report appears here.Each flag shows the phrase, the rule behind it, a source and a real case where a similar ad got in trouble.
This tool is a pre-launch screen, not legal advice. Meta and Google do not publish banned-word lists, so each flag is a risk signal tied to a published rule, regulator ruling or court case. Policies change often. Data last checked 5 October 2026.