“I have an exciting new business proposal for you!”
No. Don’t fall for it. It’s a trap!
Let’s talk about ‘pyramid schemes’
Pyramid scams are only one of the many ways con artists take advantage of people’s natural greed. Even though these business-oriented scams have been around for a while, con artists continue to profit from their victims. And no one’s stopping them.
A pyramid scheme, or MLM (multi-level marketing) is a system in which participants make money by finding more and more “investors” to join. MLMs manipulate, recruit, and maintain members the same as cults do.
And like all cults, they employ thought control, magical thinking, thought-stopping, and self-blame.
Failures are blamed directly on the consultants, for lack of hard work or competence. The group has no accountability, and the leaders do not allow questions or criticism.
I gotta say, pyramid schemers know their shit. They go to great lengths to appear legitimate, making it difficult to identify the crime on the spot.
So what do we do to avoid becoming a victim of such shady practices?
Well first, you gotta look for the red flags. Never. Ignore. The Red flags.
Gather all information regarding the company, its officers, and its products or services. Get written copies of the company’s marketing plan, sales literature, contracts, etc.
Ask if you must buy a product to become a distributor. Find out if the company will buy back your inventory –you could get stuck with unsold products.
And most importantly, resist the temptation to invest just because the people selling you the program are friends or are part of your religious or social organisation.
If they’ve fallen into the MLM trap, it doesn’t mean you have to..
