Clik here to view.
HUMOR: Suspect Credential Translator
A lot of scams misrepresent their "credentials" by inflating what they do, piling on euphemisms, and stretching the definition of the term to be something that's barely relevant.MLMSkeptic has compiled...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Real Motivation: It's Magical Thinking
Motivation is a form of magical thinking in which you imagine that your words can turn useless people into high achievers. http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-08-07
View ArticleClik here to view.
MLM Myth: How Mary Kay Ash incorporated the Bumblebee Myth into company culture
A bit of link surfing on bad arguments brought me to an unexpected link... the Bumble Bee Myth, and its link to Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics.Diamond Bumblebeepin award (photo credit:Mary Kay...
View ArticleClik here to view.
JM Ocean Avenue: Why did Ocean Avenue merge with a suspect scheme out of...
Ocean Avenue *was* a nutritional supplement based MLM that started in roughly 2012. After a rough tossle with Visalus due to some people jumping ship, which culminated apparently with a theft of laptop...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam Tactics: How Do Scammers Identify What You Need?
How does a conman pick up on what does the victim needs, and thus, tailor the scam to fit? There are five different techniques. If you are aware of these techniques, then you can watch out for when...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam and Religion: What does Islam Say About Scammers (and MLM?)
Ban_pyra.gif (No to network marketing). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Previously, MLMSkeptic has covered how the Christian Bible has prohibitions against scams. Then a reader asked, what about Islam?Good...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MLM Basics: Just What is Deductible in MLM, and what is NOT?
One of the "advantages" of opening your own business, MLM proponents touted, was that you can deduct a lot expenses as cost of doing business. But can you really?In terms related to MLM, can you deduct...
View ArticleFTC shuts down Vemma for being a $200 million pyramid scheme...
It brings me no joy to see this news, which was a surprise even to me... I expect action, but not this fast. But to summarize, Vemma's assets has been frozen and operation stopped based on temporary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What do you repost? Think about it a little...
Specifically... did you fact check it first?A: "Did you fact check this before reposting it?"B: "I don't need to. It agrees with my preconceived views and biases so it must be true!"from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bad Argument: Blame game and god-complex
God-complex is a psychological condition where the afflicted has inflated belief of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. It is not a clinical term but it was coined by psychoanalysis pioneer...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MLM Basics: Six Factors to Consider When Evaluating an Income Opportunity
There are always new income opportunities launched daily. Many of them are downright... WTF? How can any one put money into something like that? While others do look pretty legitimate.However, it seems...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is Business Porn, and Why Is It Bad For You?
Ever wonder who writes those books about MLMs? Or "how to become a millionaire" type books?Probably nobody you ever heard of.G.K. Chesterton once wrote in his essay The Fallacy of Success, "...On...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam Psychology: How Context Makes You Irrational (even though it made sense...
Obamacare Protest at Supreme Court (Photo credit: southerntabitha)We are all affected by context of a question than we care to admit, and by presenting certain things with the wrong context, scammers...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vemma Lost Injunction Fight. Now What?
If you haven't heard, Vemma lost its attempt to reverse the temporary restraining order put in by FTC when it was shut down. The judge found that the claims and evidence supporting such as put forth by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will US Recognize a new mental disorder: Cult Sales Addiction?
While researching a different topic, I came across this interesting article in Changsa, China, where the local hospital had to treat at least two cases of a mental disorder that was previously...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam Tactics: Using Cultural Preconceptions and Stereotypes for Affinity Scam
As the Gemcoin scam reached national stage, a video surfaced recently of Steve Chen and company throwing some sort of USFIA Club party at a McMansion owned by one of his real estate companies (AHome)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam Tactic: Speak in Half-truths, or how Vemma is trying to create value out...
Speaking in half truths is the best way to scam. You sound as if you are telling the truth, esp. if that's all the truth you know. You can't be lying if you don't even know the other half, right?That's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scam Tactics: Two-Face, revisited
Previously MLMSkeptic has covered "two-face", i.e. present two separate distinctive personalities to different audiences, as an Herbalife tactic. Tell government and Wall Street 72% of participants do...
View ArticleClik here to view.
USFIA Update: Turns out USFIA itself is a reload scam... Successor to Amkey
Some readers have posed the question... How did Steve Chen got so big, involving possibly hundreds of millions of dollars?The answer is... he's been at this for much longer than USFIA. USFIA (as either...
View ArticleClik here to view.
USFIA Update Continued
Previously, we have covered how Amkey exited China after series of scandals (product problems, repeated changes of comp plan, sudden reversal of "opening stores" plan) and never received the direct...
View Article