Pyramid schemes: Anyone made money?
 

Twice in the last 6 months someone has tried to recruit me into a pyramid scheme. I was promised 4-5k a month in passive income while only working 15 hours a week.

I didn't drink the Kool-aid.

Has anyone here made any real money doing this?

from what i gather, only the crook at the top gets rich.

10 of my friends, bought into this one selling gold coins. foolish, foolish, friends. this was years ago, and not a single one of them will talk about it....gotta get them drunk.

Re: Pyramid schemes: Anyone made money?
 

Me and my immensely successful mentors have this business and we need bright, aspiring, people like yourself-

And -

My sponsors sponsors sponsors upline sponsor did! He has 4 yachts, 10 houses, 60 Ferraris a bazillion dollars in the bank everyone kisses his a$$!

Can I invite you to a wealth and prosperity meeting? I can make you successful too! All the successful people will be there! You won't be succesful unless you go! You won't need no stinkin

J O B

Trust me! I know! I'll be just like him someday! I seen his checks!

rjp

Funny- if I had $1 for every time he said the word "mentor", I would have had 4-5k already!

It was very disturbing. Insulting even.

I've even known the guy for 4 years and he had the ballzzz to ask me: "Wouldn't it be exciting to earn 4-5k in passive income a month?". Like I was some pimple-faced kid on a paper route.

I don't think he liked my blank stare.

He just called to withdraw his open invitation to the "seminar". He said I didn't have the right mindset.

No ****.

Ugh, the word "mentor" - I hear that word and red flags go up.

around here, in 3/4 of the guys in my industry believe that $hit. Hate it. Get picked up on once a month with it.

My typical response is (when they get to the obvious display of wealth = successful part of the pitch) "ya so? My dad did $10 million last year! You guys are all peasants..."

(no, dad didn't do that last year but it's funny to watch)

I remember going to one of these get rich quick seminars many years ago. After the song and dance presentation by the 'reginoal' director who was raking in the $$, I went right up to him, and said, "Sign me up." He said "Great!" I said, "I have only one condition - start me at YOUR salary. Let's just bypass all the ranks of the pyramid - I know I will eventually rise to the top, so you might as well start me there." Never did I see a person backpedal so fast...

Seems the only 'successful' pyramid scheme is Mary Kay. Or am I wrong?

-Z-man.

I had a friend I knew for many years when I worked in the service industry (bartender). He went away on vacation for two weeks and came back a pyramid vitamin guy - the stuff was called Interior Design Nutritionals. All the same rubbish that folks here said. He would fly to SLC every couple months for a brainwashing refresher and then get all hard sell on us.

Our friendship reached an end when I refused to drop out of college and become his clones. Last I heard he was still waiting tables, the vitamin stuff history, but he's on a new scheme. Oh boy.

They don't call it "Scamway" for nuthin'...

Mike

When I was still a bartender, but trying to get my foot into IT, I went to apply for an IT job at a hospital. At the interview the guy told me that the interview had gone well but he had just got wind that in 2 weeks there would be layoffs. I called him back and he said that there had been layoffs, but he wanted me to meet him for another computer related job. I met him and was amazed that he was pitching Amway. What a waste of an hour of my life.

Amazing how many people from all over have stories- imagine how far reaching and big of a racket this is?

In reference to Mary Kay- my ex sells some on the side and I can say this: at least you get an actual product to place in someone's hands, and one that actually works. I'm using their moisturizer- but I digress...

I did some searching online and it looks like the feds have been making some moves on the pyramid guys.

So still we wait, and watch this thread for anyone who has made some decent money doing this...

Excel Communications. I listened to the pitch. It was a phone company which thrived on 2 things.

1. Getting your relatives and friends to sign up for the service
2. The "training" program where you were trained (i.e. where you hand over money) and where you become a trainer (and get handed money).

There were really 2 schemes. First was the training and the second was the Amway like percentage. But, if you get to where there are 7 levels below you (7th heaven), then the 0.5% turns into 15%.

I asked how many 'reps' already existed. The answer was something like 700,000 in the US. Unless you exported the Pyramid to another country, you were at the bottom and it was a loser.

Those guys who did get involved (and they pissed off our General Manager in the process) will not talk about it. It was so easy to see it was a Pyramid Scheme. These guys were stupid.

carnutzzz, just stay away. In almost all states this is felonious criminal behavior. Definition, jail time. The most recent out here was Women helping women. It was actually women f**ing women, and I don't mean soft porn. The four or five at the top made lots of money, the rest lost it all. I tried to explain this to my sister in law, but she was so overpowered by the presentation that she coughed up $1200. She is now 1200 bucks poorer. It's a clear scam, just like the other 5000 or so ways people are being separated from their cash. If you are one of the people in at the top and make money, you have a better the 50-50 chance of spending many nights with Bubba as your cell MATE!

I am, however, going to Reno soon, so give me what you want to INVEST, and I'll see hwat I can do.

There is one guy who definitely wins in a pyramid scheme, the first guy in. If you have the personality for it, why not start your own?

I don't have the personality for it. I'm a jerk, but not that big of one.

A guy here in town was running a pyramid scam thru the local brokerage house. Many of the first ones in made big bucks. 40% quarterly. then everything went downhill. I have several friends that lost $3-400,000+. Many prominent people got suckered, but their names never made the paper. DAs, doctors, bankers, businessmen, etc., his father in law was a judge. While doing a pool for the FBI man that was part of the team investigating, I gave him a list of names of people he had no idea were involved..hhehehe anyway, the guy was caught, served 8 months in jail for ripping off millions (from what I've heard...$16mil) from the greedy idiots in town. Almost put a pool in for him. he didn't even haggle on the price. he was spending $25,000 a month gambling. I wonder how much was deposited in offshore banks before he got caught. 8 months in jail.. sounds almost worth it

PT Barnum was right- and as long as there are people being born, there are suckers to populate the base of the pyramid.

early 80's... pyramids all over the place. Yes, you can make money, but as it was pointed out, you have to be in very early. Better to actually start your own pyramid.

Basically, if you find two investors (suckers) to come in BELOW you, then your risk is immediately removed. You receive 50% of each of their investments and you're even. Of course eventually, there are thousands of losers with no one to come behind them.

They say the pyramid schemes are 30 year cyclical. So it's almost time again.

A ‘legitimate’ variation on the theme . . .

A big institutional soap company – multi-national – supplying dishwashing & laundry soaps to hotels, restaurants etc – you’ve seen the trucks no doubt. After I went through my divorce, I decided I had to divorce my career for a year so my industry didn’t think I was too crazed. Long story short, after becoming an expert in running big 800 lb washing machines in their infant Canadian laundry chemicals biz, they realized I didn’t have the right attitude & threw me to their dishwashing soap division.

Here’s where I found the ‘legitimate’ pyramid. An established rep will carve a piece off of his territory & train you in it. He gets a % as he travels with you & holds your hand. After you train, he will continue to get a smaller % of your commission forevermore. You can then build it up & carve it up & etc etc. Everybody is making commission on those below. Experienced reps, division managers, regional managers & probably the country manager too. The structure is built so everybody is pushing you to sell their overpriced soap. And everybody dreams & talks of the riches just waiting to be had.

I know it’s not the same as a typical pyramid, but it made my skin crawl. I got disgusted, stopped working & got fired. If I make a commission, I’m going to keep it all. I think that there is a lot more Mary Kay type companies then we really want to know . . .

Ian

I lost a friend over one of these. It shows you how desperate they become when they can't find someone to "sell" there ***** to.

always read the fine print.
"Results not typical. Individual results will vary"

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