MLM – Network Marketing Companies – are They a Scam?

Acai Berry Warning: Free Acai Berry Capsules Can Cost You A Bundle

You can barely look anywhere on or off the internet these days without seeing one of those prominent ads for acai berry weight loss capsules. These supplements are relatively new on the weight loss scene and there are lots of claims being made regarding their positive effects on a person’s ability to take off unwanted pounds.

Let’s just say that the acai berry is the newest weight loss craze. As with other fads, there are numerous companies looking to cash in and line their pockets with money from eager dieters. While looking at these offers, I’ve come across an alarming marketing angle that some vendors are using to gain access to your hard-earned money for as long as they can: Free Acai Berry Samples.

Now on the surface there’s nothing wrong with giving away a free product sample in order to allow a consumer to try out the product. It’s done all the time by reputable companies. The consumer understands that in order to get the free sample, they have to pay a small shipping and handling fee. Fair enough.

However, I found out that there is an acai berry scam that unsuspecting consumers are falling for and it’s costing them big. You see, there are websites that offer a free sample of the acai berry diet supplement for free, but it’s not really free because after your order is complete you’ll notice a $29 charge showing up on your credit card within a few days. There’s usually no explanation for this charge, because you thought you were paying only a small shipping and handling fee.

Unfortunately, this first charge isn’t the end of the story. After a week goes by, you’ll be charged an additional amount – anywhere from $78 to $89 usually. When you call the company to complain, you may find that their phone number is disconnected. This kind of thing is normal for scams.

The worst part about this scam is that you may not even get the product you ordered. Sometimes people get the supplements and sometimes they don’t. Even if you do get the promised sample, your credit card will be charged up to $89 per month indefinitely.

So, here’s what happens: You think you’re ordering a product to try out and see if you like it for a few bucks. In reality, you’re paying a large shipping and handling fee, plus, a large monthly fee for one bottle of diet pills you may not even use.

Outrageous!

The only way to save your credit card account at this point is to call your bank and dispute the charges. The bank should close down your card and issue you a new one while they investigate your dispute. It may take up to two weeks for you to get your new card, so this is another inconvenience for you.

As far as the merits of losing weight with supplements containing acai berry, I’m not providing an opinion on them one way or the other, since I don’t have enough information on whether they work well as a diet aid.

I myself do not review or promote dietary supplements of any kind. I don’t take them myself and I don’t recommend them to anyone. This is a personal decision I’ve made based on my own research. I generally don’t think that diet pills work for weight loss because they mostly offer a quick fix to an issue that takes time and commitment.

Most people who go the diet pill route will be disappointed in their results. The touted active ingredients in diet pills are often watered down by processing so much that they offer no real benefit. Plus, they’re filled with stimulants like caffeine that can cause unpleasant side effects.

I’ve come across several sites online featuring allegedly fake weight loss stories using acai berry that are offering free samples. If you are thinking about trying this kind of product, please be very careful. It would be cheaper if you went to your local drugstore to buy these supplements at regular cost. Or, try the acai juice which many people have tried and like.

My best advice is: If you’re really serious about losing weight, stick with the healthier methods that are featured on a reputable weight loss review site. Find a plan you like and stick with it for several weeks. It’s realistic and it works.

Are You A Victim Of An Internet Scam ?

There are a whole lot of various business opportunities for you, as an online marketer, to get involved with in your spare time. While it can be quite easy to start an online business, unfortunately, many “opportunities” are scams that take your money and give nothing in return.Before you decide to involve in any of these business opportunities, it is always a good idea to do your due diligence and do some research on it.1) Nigerian Scam Typical schemes begins with an unsolicited letter or e-mail from an “official” representing a foreign government or agency, many times the Nigerian government or it’s military.The letter or e-mail contains an urgent request for help in transferring millions of dollars from Nigeria to the victim’s personal bank account with the victim to receive a percentage of the funds in exchange for his or her assistance. The communication stresses a need for secrecy to prevent corrupt officials from seizing the money for themselves.But as the scheme unfolds, the perpetrators relate various problems with transferring the money and ask the victim to provide up-front advance funds to cover transaction fees, taxes or bribes.2) HYIP’s or High Yield Investment Programs The scam artists prey on your lack of financial sophistication. They will convince you to just make one investment in a day trading system and you’ll get huge returns. Newsletters that purport to offer unbiased recommendations may suddenly tout the company as the latest “hot” stock. Messages in chat rooms and bulletin board postings may urge you to buy the stock quickly or to sell before the price goes down. Unwitting investors then purchase the stock in droves, creating high demand and pumping up the price. But when the fraudsters behind the scheme sell their shares at the peak and stop hyping the stock, the price plummets, and investors lose their money.3) MLM,Pyramid Schemes and Network Marketing Some multilevel marketing plans are legitimate. However, others are illegal pyramid schemes. In pyramids, commissions are based on the number of distributors recruited. Most of the product sales are made to these distributors – not to consumers in general. The underlying goods and services, which vary from vitamins to car leases, serve only to make the schemes look legitimate.Most pyramid schemes seem intent on exploiting people with limited means and limited knowledge of business such as individuals who have little experience in direct sales, distributorships, or franchise enterprises or who have limited money or credit with which to establish their own businesses. Most of these scheme offer “free membership” but you have to pay for any adviceThey rely on widespread ignorance of basic mathematics. Participants are promised large rewards for putting up a certain amount of money and then recruiting the next level of members. But the schemes always collapse when no new distributors can be recruited. And when a plan collapses, most people — except perhaps those at the very top of the pyramid — lose their money, making many participants both victims and perpetrators. The scam artists will tell you that create multiple streams of residual income starting today.They will provides a step by step guide to making money on the Internet. When you purchase their Package you will also receive over $1000 in bonus items which you can resell and keep all the profits. 4) Work from home Do you really believe that you can sit at home, in your pyjamas and have money flowing into your bank account after working only a few hours per week ?Here the scam artists will tell you that in order to earn serious money from the internet you’ve to create multiple streams of residual income .They will provides a step by step guide to making money on the Internet. When you purchase their Package you will also receive over $1000 in bonus items which you can resell and keep all the profits.But in reality, 99% of the time when you see the phase “multiple streams of residual income” …. what they’re really referring to is something much different ….”Multiple Streams of Expenses”.The scam artists will bait you with “multiple streams of residual income” so you’ll keep joining program after program…. and before you know what’s happened your bank account is bleeding to death from “Multiple Streams of Expenses” as you try to keep everything you signed up for !The strange fact is most people know these claims are fraudulent, and yet they still joining program after program recommended by the scam artists believing that they will be the ones that persevere and make money !Conclusion Lots of people make money on the Internet. Some people have become extremely wealthy operating a business on the Internet. BUT… they didn’t become successful by thinking the Internet could somehow magically send millions of dollars into their bank account just because they signed up for a program somewhere. Joining any non-researched program found on the Internet is a gamble as 98% of money making schemes available on the internet are frauds, so be very careful.

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GeneWize – Why Some People Think it is a Scam

When I was first introduced to the concept that you can take a simple home DNA test and from its results have a nutritional supplement custom designed for your body, I was interested in checking it out.
Genewize announced on August 1, 2008 that after many years of research and hard work, a group of Scientists and Doctors had created just such a system. I flew to Florida to meet the people behind this revolutionary new breakthrough and was able to meet the scientists and learn more about the people behind the scenes of Genewize.
While at the Genewize launch last summer, I was fortunate to be able to hear the keynote speaker Paul Zane Pilzar talk about the future of personal supplements and how Genewize was years ahead of its time.Over the past few months I have noticed that some people have been posting negative comments about Genewize regarding 2 areas.1. The first area is that DNA guided nutritional supplements is a scam brewed up by a bunch of money hungry scam artists.
They offer no scientific data to support their comments and have no understanding about how far science has progressed when it comes to DNA research. They are not doctors or scientists, just naysayers that have access to the internet and want to see themselves posted.
I personally googled all of the scientists and doctors that have spent the past 12 years researching Nutrigenomics and found them to be among the tops in their fields, with over 600 published articles. These people are highly respected by their peers.
The reality here is that supplements we buy from the health store are a one size fits all and do not work for everyone. The fact is, that because everyone has different DNA it means they do not have the ability to absorb certain supplements or are taking the wrong ones. By being able to analyze a person’s unique DNA and create a custom nutritional supplement, people now have a better option.
I have always said that if you want to find out something, do your own research and make a decision. Do not rely on non experts to get your information.2. The second area and probably the most used reason some uneducated people claim GeneWize is a scam is because they chose Multi Level Marketing as the vehicle to launch their product.
Unfortunately, MLM has a very bad rap because in the past it was a very inefficient way for most people to make money promoting a product. There was no internet and people had very limited access to prospects and had to resort to chasing people and harassing them to join their opportunity. Most of these people that have been burned in the past do not understand how much things have changed.
These are the people that believe Genewize is a scam only because it chose MLM as its marketing vehicle.The move to MLM by Genewize was brilliant! Think about it. It would be impossible for them to sell Genewize at a local health food store because each supplement is custom designed for the individual. No supplement is the same for 2 people. How could you possibly purchase it from a vitamin store if it needs to be formulated and shipped to you every month. It must be done through the mail.The internet is the most powerful marketing medium since the invention of the printing press. What better way to bring your revolutionary new product to the masses then network marketing. What better way to spread your message than by allowing average people to market it to others and actually profit from their efforts. The internet can get the news out faster and cheaper than the old traditional and expensive mass marketing techniques like TV or Print media.
The reality is that just because a company chooses network marketing as it chosen sales and promotional vehicle does not mean it is a scam. To post comments otherwise is ignorant and probably done by people that have been burned at one time in their lives by a MLM company or unethical reps.
To all of you out there that are looking into working from home, I strongly advise you to do a lot of research. Draw conclusions based on facts, not rhetoric. It is way too easy in the internet age to post untrue statements or place ignorant comments about a person or a company. You must be willing to weed through it all and make your own decision.
I truly believe that if you do as much research as I did, you will come to the conclusion that Genewize is not a scam, whether you decide to join or not. There are many Doctors, Nutritional Consultants, and Professional Athletes using the Genewize custom nutritional supplement. I know this for a fact because I have a top professional sports doctor and one of the biggest names in the NBA on my team.
Genewize is not the only opportunity out there. There are literally hundreds of options available today to the average person to work from home. My warning to you is to make sure after you decide which opportunity is for you, make sure you join a solid team with a modern marketing system that uses the internet. There are still thousands of people out there teaching newcomers the old school methods of chasing people and it is a road map to failure for most people.
When you read something online negative about a company or product, look further into it, and decide for yourself if that person is credible or just spouting off from a position of ignorance.
There has never been a better time in history to create a home business, provided you are willing to work hard and learn how to market on the internet.

The Threat Of Scams Targeting Job Seekers

As the unemployment rate rises, so does the threat of scams targeting job seekers. Better Business Bureau warns job hunters to be extremely cautious in their search for work because scammers are out to take advantage of them and make a fast buck.

The national unemployment rate is creeping closer to 10 percent—worse than the Federal Reserve predicted back in April.  Already 13 states are experiencing unemployment rates in the double-digits. As more people find themselves out of work, they are also becoming targets of scammers looking to take advantage of those who are already facing a tough financial situation.

“More families are becoming increasingly susceptible to suspect offers for employment as they try to find work in an extremely competitive job market,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “Scammers have set their sights on the unemployed because the number of potential victims is growing by the hundreds of thousands every month.”

BBB advises job hunters to beware of:

Job offers that require an upfront fee
Earlier this year, job ads cropped up in Florida from a company claiming it was looking to hire 2,500 employees for their new headquarters. Applicants had to submit $24 to pay for a background check. Law enforcement later found out that the money only went to the pockets of the company’s owner. Sadly, similar schemes crop up across the country every year. While the amount of money lost by any one victim may be small, the total amount taken in by the schemer can be significant.

BBB advice: Job hunters should never have to pay money up front to be considered for a job. If a potential employer asks for the job hunter to pay the company to cover the costs of testing, training or background checks, it should be considered a red flag.

Job placement assistance that makes big promises but can’t deliver
Job placement companies, or headhunter firms, often do not charge the job seekers for help finding a job, but are instead paid by companies that need help filling positions. Some job placement companies, however, have been taking money from job hunters and not fulfilling their promises of quick employment.

The BBB of Greater Maryland recently warned job hunters about one such placement firm that was advertising on Craigslist. The company charged as much as $195 and guaranteed it could find job hunters work.  Unfortunately, job hunters didn’t receive call backs or refunds and had no real way to contact the company.

BBB Advice: Always research a job placement company first with BBB before signing any contracts or paying any money.  Be extremely cautious about paying up front fees and know the deal on how to get a refund.

Phishing attempts by ID thieves pretending to be real businesses
Identity thieves employ many different methods for getting personal financial information from job hunters.  Spam e-mail might offer a great opportunity and direct the job hunter to a Web site that is designed to install malware on his or her computer or solicit bank account or Social Security numbers. In other cases, the job hunter might even be asked to submit a resume, find out they’ve been hired and then immediately be asked for bank account or Social Security numbers.

BBB Advice: Be extremely cautious when responding to unsolicited e-mails from supposed employers—even if the company name is well-known—and do not click on any links in the e-mail until having vetted the company fully and can confirm that the e-mail came from a legitimate source. Legitimate employers will need Social Security numbers for tax purposes and may need a bank account number to deposit paychecks for new employees, but job hunters should be wary of any requests for such information from companies and job offers that they have not vetted fully.

For more advice on avoiding scams and fraud visit www.bbb.org