How to avoid falling for a multi-level marketing(MLM) scam

A crisis is an opportunity for people to invest and also to scam. Scammers hit us during our mid-life crisis, financial crisis, or a job crisis, and whatnot. If they know you are in crisis or unhappy with your job ?. There comes your friend or a relative with an idea. Where if you invest or buy this you will be rich the next Monday. Sounds familiar right ?? Yes, it is an MLM business and it can be a scam.

Everyone would have faced this at least once in their lifetime. Where a known friend/relative who was dormant for all years, popups suddenly with enthusiasm and talks to you, and ask you about life and your financial situation and bang !!! he will propose to you with a great business he is doing.

And explains how it can change your life in short time. This can also happen with a random stranger you meet during your travel, on a flight or in a uber carpool. Because that’s how they operate looking for predators. Are you meeting a stranger who is kind and too friendly??. There are only two options one, he/she may be MLM scout or you can imagine.

During this COVID-19 situation, many people have come across things like this. Where you would be asked to join a Zoom meeting to discuss the small business opportunity by your own friend or relative. Because pandemic created a crisis, and crisis is an opportunity for an MLM business scam.

The sad truth of MLM ( Multi-level marketing ) is, the scamster will be your close friend or your relative who had turned into this MLM vampire to suck your money out.

How MLM or a network marketing companies work ??

Long back I remember a few MLM companies like Amway and Tupperware which used to have this kind of business, and it was a success. Like they focussed on homemakers and retired people to work for them by networking. They actually had physical products that you can use in your day-to-day life that cannot be procured in regular shops. The only individual who was enrolled could buy and sell these products.

It worked in a pyramid or tree structure, there will be head/mentor and under them few individual agents who will sell their products in their network of friends and relatives. And they get a small commission in the sale and if you make someone join under you. You will get a recurring commission on the sale which was done by your joinee.

When insurance was introduced even Life Insurance corporation was following a similar pattern to market their insurance products. The only difference was it was a legitimate company.

So who ever were there in the top of the tree or the pyramid makes the maximum money.

How they make you fall for a MLM business scam ?

They all work in the same way, so if you find the pattern close to the following, consider it as a red flag for an MLM scam and RUN!!!!!

If you find your friend on social media starts posting their photos from business trips to Dubai, Malaysia, Bangkok. And never mention the business?

Posting their new iPhone, or new vehicle or MacBook or any products and tag someone, says thank you for the business opportunity,. But not mentioning the name of the business ??.

Or you met some strange beautiful girl or a confident guy in a carpool or during travel?. Who strikes a conversation and talks about a business opportunity and invites you for a meeting ?? Run!!!!! It is an MLM scam.

All these are the ways to make you curious and ask them about the business that made them rich.

Once you ask them, they will tell how their life changed and how they are living a comfortable life and make money without working. ( the impossible result ). And how they are not depending on their day job for now.

And tell you, even you can do it, Wow!!! seriously?

But they will never mention the name of the company nor what business they do ( Because you will search in google and run away, how can they miss goat like you )

When curiosity is created, you will be invited to a coffee shop or mall to meet a mentor/an interview with the mentor. And lure with tall claims.

Your friend will say your mentor is so rich. He owns so much and never has time to meet anyone but you are lucky for this opportunity.

If any of this is matching ?? RUN!!!!!

After all this still you chose to join, what happens next ??

So, you decided to join and make some money fast ?? in-spite of knowing its an MLM scam??

Then you will be asked to enroll and buy their products worth few millions if you don’t have they will advise you to do BBS ( Beg, Borrow, Steal)

Products will be either some 500 nights of stay at somewhere in the earth. Or a health membership. Or a product for which the rate is inflated.

You will be invited for meetings to Dubai, Malaysia, or where ever on earth you will get an easy visa. Don’t worry its all your money only. You could have done this by choosing a travel agency but you chose MLM.

So after going for meetings AKA motivational class and reading 1001 business books, you will be asked to sell those products.

There will be lots of testimony from people you don’t even know, but you tend to believe. Why ?? It all the excess desire that’s making you believe all this.

After all these training, if you are finding it difficult to sell, you will be advised to get your own goat to right and left. You will be given training for that also.

Yes !! you will be given training to scam people and make them believe they are going to be a millionaire. You will be trained psychologically to think only about money and scam people.

“It is a chain where a person is fooled and then he is trained to fool others to earn money” – Bombay Highcourt -India, about an MLM company called QNET

You will lose all your friends, they will start avoiding you because every time you speak shit and try to convince them to join your MLM network.

Since all your real friends will move on, you will make friends around your scamming circle and you live around that world.

You will find many turning against you when they lose their hard-earned money on a company that you recommended.

You will be turned into a scamming vampire !!!!

So Is Multi Level Marketing Legal In India???

There are few companies that are legitimate, transparent, and has a history of the business. There are people who have uplifted their life through legitimate MLM companies.

If you make money based on your sales to the public, it may be a legitimate MLM plan , but if the money is made based on the number of people you recruit to the compay, that is a red flag act.

Most of the MLM companies are notoriously secretive and not transparent with their business. They sell products at a high price which you can get at much lower prices in a regular store.

Many educated people who work in big corporate are falling prey to this scam in order to make fast money.

MLM scams take different avatars during different period, they also lure people who are retired and house wife who is looking to make some money doing work from home jobs. So if you receive a call offering a part time job or work from home job , make sure it is not something like multi level marketing job.

Internationally there are many countries where people are into this kind of business, mainly countries where people are dying to make some extra income.

This article is to create awareness among people who wants to be rich overnight and fall for these petty scams.

Desire is good to achieve our dreams, but excess desire will make our life miserable.

I happened to come across the blog who is writing her real experiences with network marketing, you can read to know how it is in the real world.

Stay tuned…..