We get this question a lot, and we totally understand the skepticism! Let's address the common concerns and explain how Atlas Earth actually works.

The short answer: Well, no.

Let's tackle the most common scam concerns:

"Fake virtual land" concerns: The worry: "I've got a lovely seafront property in Kansas to sell you" - virtual land sounds made up

The reality: Yes, "virtual land" does seem like a bit of a funky phrase, at first glance. Atlas Earth is an augmented reality game, meaning we take elements of the real world and use them in the game. Each parcel of land in Atlas Earth represents and is GPS-mapped to a 30x30 foot piece of land in the real world.

What this means: 

Real GPS coordinates - When your avatar is standing near a parcel of land in-game, you are standing near the land it is mapped to in real life
Virtual ownership only - When you buy a parcel of land in-game, you do not buy that land in real life
Real money potential - But you do make virtual rent off it every second from then on; more of it if you boost. Virtual rent can be redeemed for real-world currency
Game classification - The important thing to remember is that in the end, Atlas Earth is a mobile game. It's not an investment platform, and we do not claim it is. Remember to think of it as a game, and not anything else

"Pyramid/Ponzi scheme" concerns: The worry: Players pay real money and get real money back - sounds like a Ponzi scheme

The reality: Yes, it's possible to buy land in Atlas Earth using real money (by first buying Atlas Bucks). And yes you can redeem virtual rent for real life currency. And yes, that might sound iffy if it's all the information you have.

How we actually make money: 

Advertising revenue - However, we don't use money from in-app purchases to pay players; all of the money players redeem for their virtual rent comes from what advertisers pay us to run ads in the game
No player-to-player transfers - We never use one player's money to pay another player
Free-to-play possible - You'll notice that land in-game is bought with our currency, Atlas Bucks. Atlas Bucks can be bought as in-app purchase using real money, but there are also a bunch of ways to earn AB for free

Why Atlas Earth is legitimate:

Transparent business model:

• We make money from advertisers who want to reach our players
• Players watch ads and we share a portion of that revenue as "rent"
• This is the same model used by many legitimate mobile games and apps

Regulated platform:

• Available on official app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play)
• Subject to app store policies and review processes
• Real company with verifiable business registration

Realistic expectations:

• We don't promise get-rich-quick schemes
• Earnings are typically small amounts over long periods
• Most successful players treat it as entertainment, not investment

Hope that clears things up. Atlas Earth is a legitimate location-based mobile game that uses advertising revenue to provide small, real rewards to players who engage with the app!