Todayis it about Market America (ZT)

瘦猫

What would you do if
someone you knew approached
you and wanted
to let you in on an incredible
investment opportunity
that could have you, your
friends and family earning
thousands of dollars in no
time?
You might be a bit sceptical
at first, but perhaps willing
to hear them out. After
all, what harm would it do?
As you cautiously listen
you will learn that a small
investment will be required.
You will be promised a high
return on your invested
money provided you bring in
additional recruits who are
willing to invest the same
amount into the scheme and
able to bring in additional
people.
This recruitment process
is repeated until the person
from the bottom of the pyramid
advances to the top — at
which time able to collect
the total investment sum of
all new recruits.
To give the scheme legitimacy
you are also informed
that current membership
includes professionals, such
as accountants, doctors,
lawyers and teachers.
Sounds pretty simple and
straightforward so far.
After all, the investment
amount might not be too
outrageous and you already
know of a few friends who
are looking to make some
extra cash.
So, despite your better
judgment you agree to proceed
to the next level — the
investors’ meeting.
This meeting will take
place at either the house of
the person recruiting for
more investors or at a banquet
hall where several
other simultaneously run
pyramid schemes are being
conducted.
Upon arrival, you will
likely notice expensive cars
parked outside and many
members donning designer
clothing, expensive watches,
and flashy jewellery.
You will hear individuals
retelling stories of how they
made tons of cash in a relative
short period of time,
money that has enabled
them to lead grandiose
lifestyles, live debt free, buy
a new home or go on lavish
vacations.
What you will not know is
that these persons are likely
“Shills” — individuals paid
by operators of these
schemes to impress new recruits
and lure them into investing
with the illusion of
becoming high rollers in no
time.
Unfortunately, what these
meetings also won’t disclose
is that for the scheme to succeed,
a steady chain of participants
is required, but
harder and harder to come
by.
Typically, only a few individuals
near the top of the
pyramid stand a chance of
making any significant
amounts of money rather
than the new recruits.
The high probability of
losing your investment in
this type of a scheme is not
the only thing that should
have you worried and heading
for the door.
What you need to know is
that any participation in
pyramid schemes is illegal
under the Criminal Code of
Canada and the Competition
Act and any person who contravenes
s.55.1 subsection
(2) of the Competition Act is
guilty of an offence and liable:
(a) on conviction on indictment,
to a fine in the discretion
of the court or to
imprisonment for a term not
exceeding five years or to
both; or
(b) on summary conviction,
to a fine not exceeding
$200,000 or to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding
one year, or to both.
Therefore, before joining
any pyramid scheme or illegal
Multilevel Marketing
Plan — ask yourself if running
the risk of losing your
initial investment, incurring
defense lawyer costs, losing
time off work with court
proceedings, being convicted,
going to jail, receiving a
criminal record, jeopardizing
your career and the trust of
your friends and family is
truly a wise money making
opportunity.
Personally, with impending
risks and losses as high
as these I would strongly
urge you to decline participation
and report any pyramid
schemes to your local
police and to the Competition
Bureau of Canada at 1-
800-348-5358 or by email:
[email protected]
■ Remember the old wise
saying, if it sounds too good
to be true – it usually is.
Maxine Marz is a safety and
security consultant on harm reduction and
crime prevention strategies.
If you have any safety or security-related
questions, e-mail Maxine
at [email protected]
with maxine in the subject line.