iBuumerang Review (2026): The Travel MLM That Froze Withdrawals and Changed Hands

On This Page
  1. iBuumerang in One Minute
  2. How iBuumerang Worked
  3. The iBuumerang Compensation Plan
  4. What Went Wrong
  5. The CFTC Case Involving Holton Buggs
  6. Is iBuumerang a Pyramid Scheme?
  7. Is iBuumerang a Scam?
  8. If You Were an iBuumerang Member
  9. Pros and Cons
  10. Who iBuumerang Might Suit
  11. Our #1 Recommendation for Making Money Online in 2026
  12. Other MLM Reviews
  13. Frequently Asked Questions
  14. Our Verdict on iBuumerang

iBuumerang in One Minute

iBuumerang was a travel-focused multi-level marketing company that launched in 2019 under chairman and CEO Holton Buggs, a well-known MLM recruiter. It sold monthly memberships to a discount travel booking platform and paid members to recruit others. Each membership came with "boomerangs," logins to the travel site that members could hand out to friends and prospects.

The company's later history is the main reason to be cautious. iBuumerang added a forex trading product, disabled promoter withdrawals in May 2025, and was sold that autumn to Risen Live, a little-known company based in Dubai, with Buggs becoming its chairman. Separately, Buggs is a defendant in a federal fraud case brought by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This review explains how iBuumerang worked and what anyone still involved should consider.

iBuumerang Quick Facts
CompanyiBuumerang
Launched2019
LeaderHolton Buggs (chairman and CEO)
ProductDiscount travel booking memberships
MembershipAbout $49.95 to $99 a month, plus upfront packages
2025Promoter withdrawals disabled (May); sold to Dubai-based Risen Live (autumn)
Related caseCFTC fraud lawsuit naming Buggs (filed September 2024, pending)

How iBuumerang Worked

iBuumerang sold access to iGo, a travel booking platform promoted as offering up to 70% off retail prices on hotels, cars and stays, with a "refund of the difference" price guarantee. Membership levels included a set number of boomerangs, which members could give away. When someone used a boomerang and later joined, the member who shared it earned a commission.

iBuumerang Membership Levels (2019 Launch)
LevelUpfrontMonthlyBoomerangs
StandbyNone$49.955
Coach Class$250$49.9510
Business Class$500$9925
First Class$1,000$9950

The iBuumerang Compensation Plan

The plan combined travel commissions with recruitment rewards:

  1. Recruitment commissions of about $20, $40 or $80 for each new member, depending on their package.
  2. Binary residuals based on membership volume on two sides of your team.
  3. Unilevel residuals on your downline.
  4. Leadership and lifestyle bonuses for higher ranks.

There were 14 ranks, with weekly residual caps from about $1,000 at the first rank to $250,000 at the top. Those caps were limits, not typical earnings. As with most travel MLMs, the money came mainly from monthly membership fees paid by members, so recruiting new paying members mattered far more than booking travel.

What Went Wrong

Several events changed iBuumerang from a travel club into a company to approach with real caution:

  • A forex product: iBuumerang added a forex trading service, which drew a fraud warning from a financial regulator in New Zealand.
  • Withdrawals disabled (May 2025): promoters reported they could no longer withdraw their earnings.
  • Sale to Risen Live (autumn 2025): Buggs announced a "merger" with Risen Live, a Dubai-based company selling clothing, personal care products and supplements. He gave up the iBuumerang CEO role and became Risen Live's chairman. The financial terms were not disclosed, and Risen Live's website listed little about its ownership or compensation plan.

If you had money in an iBuumerang account, the key question is whether you can still withdraw it. Ask in writing, keep records, and be wary of anyone who says you must join a new company to be paid.

The CFTC Case Involving Holton Buggs

On September 30, 2024, the CFTC filed a civil fraud case in federal court in Florida against The Traders Domain, a forex trading operation, and a group of people including Holton Buggs. The CFTC charged fraud and misappropriation, and it is seeking restitution, disgorgement, penalties and trading bans. In June 2025, it told possible victims they had to file claims with the court-appointed receiver to be eligible for any recovery. The case is pending, and the allegations have not been proven. You can read the CFTC's announcement.

The Traders Domain case is separate from iBuumerang. But when the leader of an MLM is a defendant in a federal fraud case, it is reasonable to be more careful about trusting that leader with your money.

Is iBuumerang a Pyramid Scheme?

We do not make legal findings. But iBuumerang's model had the features regulators look for: income came mainly from monthly membership fees paid by recruits, recruitment was rewarded directly, and few members appear to have earned from travel bookings themselves. The FTC's guidance on multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes describes this as a key warning sign.

Is iBuumerang a Scam?

iBuumerang began as a real travel booking membership. But disabled withdrawals, a forex product that drew a regulator's warning, an undisclosed sale to an obscure Dubai company and a leader facing a federal fraud case add up to serious red flags. We would not join iBuumerang or follow it to Risen Live.

If You Were an iBuumerang Member

  • Request a full statement of any balance you are owed, and ask how to withdraw it.
  • Cancel recurring membership payments you no longer want, and check your card statements.
  • If you are owed money and cannot get it, consider a complaint to your state attorney general or the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • Be careful with "recovery" offers that ask for a fee to get your money back.

Pros and Cons

What Stands Out

  • Offered a real travel booking platform
  • Low entry level of $49.95 a month

What to Weigh Up

  • Monthly fees of $49.95 to $99
  • Pay plan rewarded recruiting paying members
  • Withdrawals disabled in May 2025
  • Sold to an obscure Dubai company with undisclosed terms
  • Forex product drew a regulator warning
  • Leader is a defendant in a CFTC fraud case

Who iBuumerang Might Suit

As of 2026, iBuumerang does not suit anyone. Travelers can find discounts through mainstream booking sites with no monthly fee, and anyone seeking income should avoid a company with frozen withdrawals.

Our #1 Recommendation for Making Money Online in 2026

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Happened to iBuumerang?

iBuumerang disabled promoter withdrawals in May 2025 and was sold later that year to Risen Live, a Dubai-based company, where Holton Buggs became chairman.

How Much Did iBuumerang Cost?

At launch, memberships ran from $49.95 a month with no upfront fee to a $1,000 package plus $99 a month.

Is Holton Buggs Being Sued?

Yes. The CFTC named him among the defendants in a September 2024 fraud case involving The Traders Domain, a forex operation. The case is pending.

Can I Still Withdraw My iBuumerang Earnings?

Promoters reported that withdrawals were disabled in 2025. Ask the company in writing for your balance and keep records of every request.

Is iBuumerang a Pyramid Scheme?

No court has ruled on that, but its income came mainly from monthly fees paid by recruits, which is the main warning sign regulators look for.

Our Verdict on iBuumerang

iBuumerang sold travel discounts, but its pay plan ran on monthly fees from recruits, its withdrawals were frozen, and it was quietly sold to a Dubai company whose chairman faces a federal fraud case. Stay away.

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