'Pay for a level — get tasks': the story of a victim of the PGM (Pioneer Global Media) scheme

Enticing advertising

The outlet Kun.uz published the story of a person who fell into an online scheme called PGM — Pioneer Global Media. According to him, in the summer of 2024 he graduated from university, sent out job applications without success, and began looking for suitable vacancies through ads on Instagram. There he saw an advertisement promising earnings via the internet, left his phone number, and soon received a message on Telegram.

Simple work and the first withdrawal

According to the author of the story, company representatives explained that the main activity was advertising products online, that the company had a special app where one needed to watch videos and complete daily tasks, and that income was distributed from advertising profits; the office was allegedly located in London. In April 2025 he registered on the platform. At first no investment was required: after completing 4 tasks a day, he received 16,000 soums into his account and successfully transferred them to his bank card. It was this first successful withdrawal that convinced him the offer really paid.

Deposits for 'levels'

Soon he was told that to earn more he needed to buy one of the platform's 'levels': the higher the level, the more tasks and the higher the pay. The entry-level F1 required a deposit of 141,000 soums and gave 4 tasks a day at 2,000 soums each over 6 working days a week — that is, about 8,000 soums a day and up to 144,000 soums a month. The author of the story reinvested his earnings to move up to higher levels, and in the end he even put his disability pension into the scheme. In June 2025, moving to the next level required 3 million 550 thousand soums, which he borrowed from an acquaintance; by that point he was already treating this occupation not as a side job but as his main source of income.

Why this matters

The Kun.uz publication shows the typical mechanism of such schemes: a small real first withdrawal builds trust, after which the participant is pushed toward ever larger deposits, up to borrowed money and social benefits. The article is aimed primarily at those looking for work through social media: the practical takeaway from the facts presented is that a requirement of a mandatory deposit for 'levels' is a warning signthat Kun.uz draws readers' attention to. The fate of the money invested by the author of the story and the legal status of PGM are not disclosed in the publication.