What should I do if my calculated risk score exceeds 70 points?

A score above 70 indicates severe systemic predatory tactics that likely violate Section 5 of the FTC Act. Halt all further payments immediately. If you paid by credit card, initiate a chargeback under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) within 60 days of the statement date and file a formal report with ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Can a course creator legally enforce a 'No Refunds Ever' policy for digital downloads?

While merchant terms may state 'all sales final', such clauses are rendered void under federal consumer protection laws if the transaction was induced by material false claims or deceptive earnings guarantees. Major credit card networks (Visa/Mastercard) routinely override merchant terms when misrepresentation is demonstrated.

How are the weights for the 9 risk checkpoints determined?

Point values (8 to 15 points) are calibrated against enforcement priorities of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and established fraud jurisprudence, prioritizing irreversible financial harm such as earnings misrepresentation and artificial cancellation barriers.

Can I use this audit report in my credit card dispute or court claim?

Yes. While not a formal judicial order, this structured breakdown serves as contemporaneous evidence showing credit card dispute analysts and small claims judges that you were subjected to recognized deceptive trade practices.

Why are revenue screenshots on YouTube videos inherently unreliable?

Browser developer tools (DOM inspect) and video editing software allow creators to fabricate stripe dashboards or bank accounts in seconds. Furthermore, gross revenue ignores cost of goods sold, advertising expenditures, and refunds, providing zero insight into net profitability.

FORENSIC AUDIT // GURU SCAM RISK CALCULATOR

YouTube Guru Scam & Predatory Course Risk Calculator

Screen high-ticket coaching programs and passive income courses against 9 deceptive marketing indicators codified under FTC Section 5 guidelines.

[INCOME CLAIMS]⚖️ FTC ACT § 5

Does the creator guarantee specific automated or passive income without disclosing median typical results?

💡 The FTC treats earnings claims that are unsubstantiated or not typical of what buyers achieve as deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act. Ask for typical results, not best cases.

+15 pts

[EARNINGS PROOF]⚖️ EVIDENTIARY AUDIT

Are earnings claims backed only by unverified Stripe dashboards, Photoshop screenshots, or bank mobile app clips?

💡 HTML inspect elements and simulated test-mode payment dashboards are trivially fabricated. Only audited financial statements prove genuine enterprise revenues.

+15 pts

[LIFESTYLE ASSETS]⚖️ DECEPTIVE MARKETING

Does the video feature luxury rental cars, rented Airbnb penthouses, or stacks of cash to imply effortless wealth?

💡 Conspicuous luxury props are textbook predatory funnel hooks used to induce emotional decision-making and suppress critical risk assessment.

+10 pts

[ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY]⚖️ FTC § 5 COERCION

Is there a ticking countdown timer claiming 'Only 3 mastermind seats remaining' or 'Discount expires tonight'?

💡 Perpetual evergreen countdown timers manufacture fake urgency to bypass prudent contract review and due diligence.

+10 pts

[REFUND BARRIERS]⚖️ REFUND TERMS

Does the contract require 'Action-Based' proof (e.g. 50 outreach calls, building 10 websites) to qualify for a refund?

💡 Coercive conditional refund terms are engineered to make refunds practically impossible to claim once access is granted.

+15 pts

[FACELESS AUTOMATION]⚖️ SCRAPER RISK

Does the sales pitch promise '100% turnkey faceless AI YouTube channels that print money on autopilot'?

💡 Mass-generated TTS/AI scraper channels face aggressive demonetization and termination under YouTube's inauthentic content policies.

+10 pts

[OFF-PLATFORM FUNNELS]⚖️ TELEGRAM / DM FUNNEL

Does the promoter demand moving conversation to private Telegram, WhatsApp, or booking an unrecorded 'Discovery Call'?

💡 High-ticket sales reps use unrecorded telemarketing calls to make aggressive verbal promises that contradict written fine print.

+10 pts

[UPSELL LADDERS]⚖️ BAIT & SWITCH

Did a $47 'entry challenge' or ebook immediately lead to an aggressive pitch for an $8,000 to $15,000 'Inner Circle'?

💡 Low-dollar frontend products are frequently loss-leaders designed purely to harvest credit card data and qualify leads for predatory mastermind upselling.

+10 pts

[PAYMENT RAILS]⚖️ FCBA STRIPPING

Does the creator insist on Zelle, wire transfer, debit card, or cryptocurrency payments rather than standard credit cards?

💡 Non-credit payment rails strip consumers of their statutory 60-day billing dispute and chargeback rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666).

+10 pts

[ REAL-TIME RISK METRIC ]

CUMULATIVE SCORE:

0 / 100

0 (Safe)40 (Mod)70 (Severe)100

DETERMINATION:

LOW RISK (ROUTINE SCRUTINY)

📋 ACTION MANDATE🔍 Minimal predatory indicators detected. However, always request the seller's typical earnings disclosure statement and verify their refund terms before signing.

[ 📄 GENERATE DISPUTE LETTER ↵ ][ 📖 8 INVESTIGATIVE GUIDES ↗ ]

ALGORITHMIC FORMULA & FTC REGULATORY STANDARDS

Forensic Scoring Model & Statutory Violation Mapping

The calculator operates via a weighted linear sum model derived from FTC enforcement precedents against business opportunity fraud and deceptive income marketing.

[ FORMULA: QUANTITATIVE RISK INDEX ]

RiskIndex = ∑ [ w(i) × x(i) ] (i = 1 ... 9, x(i) ∈ {0, 1}, Max = 100)

Where coefficients w(i) denote statutory culpability under Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 45) and the Telemarketing Sales Rule.

ID	Category	Weight	Governing Regulation	Statutory Enforcement Remedy
01_guarantee	Guaranteed Income Outcome	15 pts	FTC Act § 5(a) & 16 C.F.R. § 437 (BizOpps Rule)	Full consumer restitution & civil penalties up to $51,744/violation
02_refund_trap	Unconscionable Refund Barrier	15 pts	FTC Negative Option Rule & Restatement of Contracts § 208	Chargeback liability via card network dispute resolution
03_upsell	Bait-and-Switch Funnel Upgrades	12 pts	16 C.F.R. Part 238 (Guides Against Bait Advertising)	Injunctive relief and administrative cease-and-desist orders
04_anonymous	Undisclosed Corporate Identity	12 pts	CAN-SPAM Act § 5 & State Corporate Registration Laws	Piercing the corporate veil; individual personal liability
05_syndicated	Fabricated/Gated Testimonials	10 pts	FTC Revised Endorsement Guides (16 C.F.R. § 255)	Strict liability for fake influencer/customer endorsements
06_no_stats	Omission of Typical Results	10 pts	16 C.F.R. § 437.4 (Earnings Claim Document Disclosure)	Mandatory affirmative disclosure violations
07_fake_proof	Gross Revenue as Profit Proof	10 pts	18 U.S.C. § 1343 (Federal Wire Fraud Statute)	Criminal prosecution and seizure of illicit profits
08_urgency	Artificial Scarcity Countdown	8 pts	FTC Dark Patterns Policy Statement (Oct 2021)	Enforcement against deceptive choice architecture
09_scraped	Plagiarized Open-Source Assets	8 pts	17 U.S.C. § 501 (Copyright Infringement)	Statutory damages up to $150,000 per willful work

EMPIRICAL CASE STUDIES & JURIDICAL FAQ

Audited Case Studies & Dispute Resolution FAQ

Real-world audit breakdowns illustrating typical deceptive course setups and effective recovery routes.

Scenario Pattern	Flagged Indicators	Risk Index	Severity	Recommended Remedy
High-Ticket 'Mastermind'	Guaranteed Income (15) + Refund Barrier (15) + Upsell Funnel (12) + Fake Testimonials (10)	72 ~ 85 pts	🚨 Severe Predator	Immediate FCBA billing dispute filing with card issuing bank. Copy transcripts and pitch recordings to FTC ReportFraud.
Mid-Tier 'Sprint Bootcamp'	Artificial Scarcity (8) + Omission of Typical Stats (10) + Upsell (12)	30 ~ 45 pts	⚠️ Moderate Risk	Request formal syllabus and audited CPA statements of typical student earnings prior to checkout.
Entry-Level Starter Guide	Plagiarized Assets (8)	8 pts	Low Scrutiny	Verify against open-source GitHub repositories or free tutorials before purchasing.

■Consumer Legal Recourse FAQ

Q1. What is the statutory deadline for initiating an FCBA billing dispute?

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666), you have 60 days from the postmark date of the credit card statement containing the erroneous or deceptive charge to send written dispute notice to your card issuer.

Q2. Does signing an online 'Terms of Service' waive my statutory chargeback rights?

No. Federal statutory protections and card network operating rules (Visa Core Rules / Mastercard Rules) supersede merchant-side adhesion contracts. Misrepresentation of goods or services invalidates waiver provisions.

Q3. What evidence is most effective when disputing with Chase, Amex, or Citi?

Provide video timestamp transcripts showing guaranteed earnings promises, promotional webinars, and documented proof of your refund request and the merchant's refusal.

Q4. Can the creator sue me for defamation if I file a dispute or leave a review?

Truth is an absolute defense to defamation. Under the Consumer Review Fairness Act (15 U.S.C. § 45b), non-disparagement gag clauses in form contracts are illegal and unenforceable nationwide.

Q5. Does YouTuber Sniper charge fees or earn affiliate commissions from course reviews?

Zero. YouTuber Sniper is a 100% independent citizen forensic archive. We do not accept sponsor fees, affiliate deals, or vendor incentives.

[ OFFICIAL REGULATORY RESOURCES ]