Ah, MLM's & Pyramids. These easy money making schemes are very fascinating to me. I've personally been to several MLM "meetings" and for the most part they all have the similar symptoms, the most prominent symptom is the initial requirement for money to either: subscribe/signup/membership/training etc... This blog is going to be a brief summary of my research of the most recent MLM that I have been approached with. By the way it has been researched that Utah & the LDS religion are hot beds for these schemes. Here are just a few of the MLM's that I have encountered in the past:
Primerica Financial Services
Pre-Paid Legal
ACN
NuSkin
MaryKay Cosmetics
There are others, but I can't remember them all. No worries though, I'm going copy a list of noted MLMs/Pyramids in this blog (scroll to bottom).
I'm not going to bother explaining how MLM's or Pyramids work, what I am going to do is breakdown the most current MLM that I recently encountered and with any luck you can put the pieces together yourself.
It's called MMOGULS. This "company" is offering the first 100,000 subscribers an opportunity to make money off of Video Gamers. They explain in great detail about how much money the video game industry makes, especially in a recession. Eventually they show the comparisons of their new game that is the backbone for this MLM. The game is called Stargate Worlds. It is a MMORPG, just like the gameWorld of Warcraft. Stargate Worlds hasn't been released yet, but is scheduled to be released in May of '09. They said that there will be 4 levels of monthly subscriptions available to the future gamers. Each member of MMOGULS (only 100,000) will get a cut of the monthly subscriptions. There will be 4 levels of monthly subscriptions: $15 Bronze, $30 Silver, $40 Gold, and $50 for the Platinum membership. The MMOGULS member only gets a cut depending on what the level of subscription the gamer chooses, excluding the $15 bronze membership of course.
Your future "income" is based on the number of gamers subscribed and the number of MMOGULS members under you and the MMOGULS members under them and so on. So its key you get signed up soon, cause you don't want to be one of the bottom feeders!
Well, all they need from you is $250 up front for a membership fee and then an additional $50 a month. This monthly fee includes your very own website for addition promotional and advertising activities (its just your user name attached to their site).
Ready to sign up yet? Sounds good right? Well here is what they didn't tell you that I learned prior to the meeting. First, the company that designed and created the game Stargate Worlds is a company called Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment or (CME). The guy who is the chairman of CME is the same guy who started the MLM company MMOGULS, his name is Gary Whiting. There isn't a lot of public info on Gary that seems credible, so I'll just stick with the credible info on him.
Gary's video game company CME started in 2006. Stargate Worlds is their first and biggest video game. There is an available beta version of the game. This game has been postponed several times. It was originally scheduled to release in Aug '08, but was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Then in November of 2008, CME haulted all paychecks to its employees and didn't informed the employees beforehand or after. Reportedly one of its many employees started a website that only contains a counter of how long CME's employees have gone without a paycheck. There is also a lengthy blog entry from Steve Williams, one of its many video game designers, talking about the problems with CME.
CME did release a short statement back in Dec of '08 concerning the lack of payments to it's employees by saying, "At Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, we have always been upfront with the media and our fans that we are a start-up," said Balentine. "Like many start ups, we face the same cash-flow issues that all pre-revenue companies face." While it is true that this company is relatively new, but short handing your employees months before the release of your biggest product is a quite concerning. And as of this blog entry, the counter was up to 104 days, that's well over 3 months!
So here is what the dudes at the MMOGULS meeting didn't tell anyone. That Gary Whiting (the guy who owns MMOGULS site and started the MLM "company") is the chairman of a video game company who hasn't paid it's employees for over 3 months! But yet this guy comes out to Utah, Arizona & Nevada to start a MLM business that is designed completely around a game that hasn't come out yet? And is being designed by a failing video game company? It is HIGHLY probable that the game may not be released at all...especially by CME. It is also very possible that Stargate Worlds will be purchased by another company and then be re-licensed and still be put out on the market. But it is also very possible that the game will be dumped all together and never see the light of day.
The video game rumor mill thinks that Gary is in serious trouble with the investors of CME and the IRS and owes close to $50 million. So what does he do? He creates a MLM and plans to use that money to pay off as many debts as he can, or maybe, to simply leave the country.
This MLM was one of the very worst I have ever seen. The corruption in this scheme wasn't difficult to find, but yet I saw many people gladly give them money anyway. Nowadays people are desperate to find ways to make some additional money, or just pay their current bills. It truly saddens & angers me to see A$$holes like Gary Whiting take advantage of the truly desperate in these tough times.
Here is a list of MLM's & Pyramids that have been reported and analyzed online:
Acai Plus
Achievers Unlimited
ACN
Adcalls
Advantage Conferences
Advantage Neutraceuticals
Advocare
Agel
AIM
All-star Entrepreneur Amazon Herb
Ambit Energy
American Longevity Ameriplan USA Amerisciences
AMS
Amsoil
Amway / Alticore
American Petroleum Promotions
Amigo Health
Annasa
Apeus
Arbonne
Ascend Technol's
At Home America
Avalla - Nutrimetics
Avon
Beach Body
BeautiControl
Bel’Air
Better Universe
Beyond Freedom Seminars
bHIPGlobal
Big Planet (Nu Skin)
Biometrics
Bioperformance
BioPro
Bodywise
Bookwise Books
Brain Garden
Burn Lounge
Business in Motion
(BIM)
Cell Tech
Cell Wireless
Champion Communications
Citizenre
Cleur
Cognigen
Conklin
Creative Memories Cyberwize
DCHL -Digital Crown Holdings Ltd.
DSX
Dubli
Dynasty of Diamonds
E. Excel
Earth Essence
Easy Daily Cash Ebiz.com
Ecoquest
Eiro
Emerald Passport
Profit Masters
Empire Dreams
Empower Net
Eniva Gold Marketing Enliven
EnvisionCC
Epic Network
Escape International Essante
Essentially Yours Evolution Int'l
eXfuse
Extreme Research
EZ Wealth by Design First Financial
Security
First Fitness Int'l
Fuel Freedom
International
FFSI
For You
Forever Green
Forever Int'l
Forever Living
Formor Int'l
Forte Builder (New
Vision)
Fortune Hi-tech
Marketing
Free Life Int'l
Freedom Rocks
Fruda Vida Int'l
Fruitaigo
Fuller Brush
Fun Unlimited
Gano Excel
Gemcap
Genewize Life Sciences
GDI - Global Domain Int'l
Global Equity Marketing Global Equity Lending Global Health Trax
Global Resorts Network
Global Travel Trends
(PRT Travel)
GNLD
GoHFT
Gold Mine Int'l
Golden Neo-life Diamite
GoldQuest
Goldshield Elite
Good Life Int'l
Goyin
Herbalife
Heritage Health Products
Heritage Makers
Hsin Ten Enterprise USA
iBuzzPro
Ignite
Stream of Energy
Igonet
iLearning Global
Immunotec
Inner Light
Integris Global
Int'l Galleries, Inc. IGI)
Isagenix
ITV Ventures
Jewelry by Park Lane
Kaire
Kanosis
Karemore
Ky-Ani Sun
Leaving Prints
Legacy for Life
Lexxus
Liberty LeagueInt'l (LLI)
Life Force
Life Plus
LifeWave
Life without Debt Lifestyles USA
Lightyear Alliance
The Limu Company Livinity
Longevity Network Mannatech
Market America
Mary Kay Cosmetics Matol Botanical
Max GXL
Max International
Maxxis 2000
Melaleuca
ML International
Monarch Health
Sciences
Morinda (Tahitian
Noni Int’l)
Multi-pure
MXI - Xocai
My4Life
My7Diamonds
My Leisure Business
National Lending. Corp.
Native American
Nutritionals
Natural Air Products
Nature's Sunshine NeutroGenesis
Neways
New Quest Int'l New Vision USA
Nexx
NHT Global
Nikken
Noevir
Nouveau Cosmeceuticals
Nouveau Riche
University
NSA (Juice Plus) NuLegacy Rx card NuMed
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. Nutrimetrics
Nutronix
Nuvante
Ohana Health Omegatrends
Omnitrition
Online Exchange
OnPoint Direct
Oxyfresh
Pampered Chef
Passport LLC Petromagic
Pharmanex (Nu Skin) PhotoMax (Nu Skin) Plexus Pink
PM International AG Power2Marketing
Power Mall
Premier Designs
(P2M) Prepaid Legal
Primerica Financial
Services
Prixdale Ventures
The Profit Masters Pureworks
Qing Mei
Quixtar
(Amway/Alticore)
Qwestnet
Reliv
The Right Solution
Royal Body Care
Scent-sations
Scentsy
sendoutcards.com
Sevea
Shaklee
Sibu
Silver Cache
Slender Now
Soteria / It Works
Marketing
Sportron
Spring Wellness
Stampin' Up!
Starlight Online
Stimulife
Success University Sunrider
Supralife
Sweet Living
Symmetry
Synergy Worldwide Tahitian Noni Juice
(Morinda)
Talk Fusion
Take Shape for Life
Team Everest
Team Life Changes
(Nutraburst)
Team National
Tianshi
TMII
Tomboy Tools
Tom Danley’s Tape of
the Month
Top Line Creations (TLC)
Traverus Travel
Trivani
Tupperware
Ubifone
UltraeStore
Unicity
Univera Life Sciences USANA Health Sciences
Vemma
Vibe Anti-aging
Visalus
Vision for Life
Vision Trave. Vitagenesis
Viva Life Science VMDirect (Helloworld)
Waiora
Watkins
Wealth Pools Int'l
WIN -Wellness
Int'l Network
World Financial Group
World Group Securities World LeadershipGroup/
World Lending Group World Marketing
Alliance (WMA) WorldVentures
Wynlife Healthcare, Inc.
Xango
Xocai
Xooma
Xzotto
Young Living
Essential Oils
Youngevity
Your Travel Biz
(YTB)
Zurvita
