Ortus Review: Hidden Owners, Hidden Payouts, Hidden Dangers, Fraud 2023

Ortus promises travel discounts and “passive income” through virtual shares, but a closer look reveals a murky picture filled with red flags. It fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website in Review.

Review: Website Domains

It has two known website domains:

• ortusgo.com – registered in September 2021, private registration last updated on September 14th, 2023
• goortus.com – registered in April 2021, private registration last updated on April 25th, 2023

With a locked-down Facebook page established in 2021 and managed from South Africa, questions remain about Ortus’s leadership and true origins. Despite their Facebook page’s limited access and South African management (2021), Ortus’s true operational center remains shrouded in mystery.

Offers Ortus Go

It promotes Ortus Go, a travel booking platform claiming discounted rates and loyalty program compatibility. However, access requires either membership fees or affiliation with their MLM program.

While Ortus Go claims to offer travel discounts, it’s important to weigh the $60 annual fee or join an MLM program against potential savings and compare prices carefully across other platforms.

Compensation Plan

• Ortus’s compensation plan, hidden from public view, appears to incentivize recruiting with commissions and leverage a potentially predatory binary structure for residual income. Moreover, the inclusion of an illegal virtual shares scheme raises serious concerns about the company’s legitimacy.
• Based on an official Ortus marketing video, its compensation plan appears to involve three components: recruitment commissions, residual income through a binary structure, and a potentially illegal virtual shares scheme. It’s important to note that this information comes directly from the company, raising questions about its accuracy and completeness.

Affiliate Ranks

There are an undisclosed number of ranks within Ortus’ compensation plan, culminating at Crown Ambassador.

Note that It does not disclose how many ranks there are in its compensation plan or rank qualification criteria.

Recruitment Commissions

Its affiliates receive $4 a month per affiliate recruited.

Recruitment Volume Bonus

It pays a Recruitment Volume Bonus if an affiliate meets set recruitment criteria:

• recruit five affiliates and receive a 10% Recruitment Volume Bonus
• recruit ten affiliates and receive a 20% Recruitment Volume Bonus

The Recruitment Volume Bonus is calculated on monthly fees paid by recruited affiliates.

Residual Commissions

It pay residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.

A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):

The binary team operates on two levels. Initially, there are two positions at the first level. These two positions then split into two, creating four positions at the second level.

As the binary team expands, each subsequent level doubles the number of positions compared to the previous level. The growth of the binary team is not limited in depth.

Positions in the binary team get filled through the direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. It’s important to note that there is no maximum depth for the expansion of a binary team.

After each pay period, It calculates the fees paid by affiliates recruited into the weaker side of the binary team. Residual commissions, amounting to up to 16% of the fees paid into the weaker binary team side, are then distributed.

It’s worth mentioning that Ortus does not disclose specific commission rates based on rank or the frequency of pay periods.

Matching Bonus

Ortus affiliates receive a full 100% match on residual commissions earned by affiliates they recruit.

Pool Bonus

Ortus allocates 1% of the total company affiliate fees to finance the Pool Bonus. This bonus is distributed on an annual basis to affiliates holding the Crown Ambassador rank. It’s important to note that it does not specify the qualification criteria for affiliate ranks.

OT-Fund Virtual Shares

Ortus pitches OT-Fund as a “virtual stock options program”.

Its affiliates receive virtual shares in OT-Fund based on rank.

Shares entitle Ortus affiliates to receive a periodic passive return, purportedly funded by an undisclosed percentage of commissions from third-party travel service providers.

Joining Ortus

It affiliate membership costs $60 per year, with an additional $20 monthly fee.

Conclusion

Ortus is a travel-themed MLM company that often deviates from its travel focus. Unfortunately, besides its unlawful OT-Fund virtual shares, It operates primarily as a pyramid scheme.

In Ortus’ MLM opportunity, commissions hinge on fees paid by recruited affiliates. Travel holds no relevance except in connection with the illicit OT-Fund virtual shares scheme.

It promotes the OT-Fund virtual shares scheme as follows:

Acquire virtual shares in the OT-Fund virtual stock options program and receive net profits from global travel bookings through Ortus Go.

It labels the illegal OT-Fund virtual shares scheme as “one of the most appealing passive income streams” it offers.

From a regulatory standpoint, Ortus’ OT-Fund virtual shares scheme poses a dual challenge:

1. Ortus lacks registration to offer securities in any jurisdiction, hence the “virtual” nature of the shares.
2. Both the share offering and the annual passive returns, facilitated by the scheme, constitute securities fraud.

It asserts that OT-Fund virtual share dividends are funded by booked travel commissions, yet consumers have no means of verifying this.

The only way to verify this is through audited financial reports, periodically filed with financial regulators (in the US this would be the SEC). This is a legal requirement for which there is no substitute.

This isn’t a foundation on which legitimate MLM companies are built.

1. Anonymous Ownership: No public information about Ortus’s leadership.
2. Hidden Compensation Plan: Details on commissions and bonuses remain undisclosed.
3. Unsubstantiated Profits: Claims of travel booking profits supporting virtual shares lack evidence.

The Deception Unveiled:

1. Focus on Recruitment: Emphasis on enrolling new members, not travel bookings, hints at a classic pyramid scheme.
2. Unequal Rewards: Commissions tied to recruits’ fees, not actual travel.
3. Virtual Trap: The “OT-Fund” virtual shares scheme mirrors illegal securities offerings.

Exercise Caution:

1. High Entry Costs: An annual fee and monthly charges are required for joining.
2. Financial Risk: Uncertain rewards, and guaranteed losses for most participants.
3. Ethical Concerns: Recruiting friends and family into a potentially unsustainable system strains relationships.

Explore Safer Alternatives:

1. Direct Travel Booking: Opt for established platforms with transparent deals and loyalty programs.
2. Legitimate Investments: Choose regulated options with clear terms and verifiable returns.

Beware of Ortus’s deceptive practices. Its concealed operations and questionable methods cast doubt on its legitimacy and sustainability. Prioritize transparency, verification, and ethics in any investment or business opportunity. Research thoroughly before committing, safeguarding your financial well-being over empty promises.