5 Red Flags of a Product-Based Pyramid Scheme
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
6 Cybercrime
Internet and Technology Law: A U.S. Perspective Cybercrime 6 Cybercrime Objectives Ater completing this chapter, the student should be able to: • Describe the three types of computer crime; • Describe and deine the types of Internet crime that target individuals and businesses; and • Explain the key federal laws that target Internet crime against property. 6.1 Overview his chapter will review privacy and security breaches on the Internet that are of a criminal nature, or called cybercrime. Broadly speaking, cybercrime is deined as any illegal action that uses or targets computer networks to violate the law. he U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)317 categorizes computer crime in three ways: 1. As a target: a computer is the subject of the crime (such causing computer damage). For example, a computer attacks the computer(s) of others in a malicious way (such as spreading a virus). 2. As a weapon or a tool: a computer is used to help commit the crime. his means that the computer is used to commit “traditional crime” normally occurring in the physical world (such as fraud or illegal gambling). 3. As an accessory or incidental to the crime: a computer is used peripherally (such as for recordkeeping purposes). he DOJ suggests this would be using a computer as a “fancy iling cabinet” to store illegal or stolen information.318 6.2 Types of Crimes Many types of crimes are committed in today’s networked environment. hey can involve either people, businesses, or property. Perhaps you have been a victim of Internet crime, or chances are you know someone who has been a victim. -
FTC V. Burnlounge
12-55926, 12-56197 and 12-56288 (Consolidated) IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, Plaintiff-Appellee v. BURNLOUNGE, INC., JUAN ALEXANDER ARNOLD, AND JOHN TAYLOR, Defendants-Appellants and ROB DEBOER, Defendant On Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California No. 2:07-03654 – Honorable George Wu SECOND CROSS-APPEAL AND ANSWERING BRIEF OF PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Of Counsel: DAVID C. SHONKA CHRIS M. COUILLOU Acting General Counsel DAMA J. BROWN Federal Trade Commission JOHN F. DALY Atlanta, GA Deputy General Counsel for Litigation BURKE W. KAPPLER Attorney Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20580 (202) 326-2043 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TABLE OF AUTHORITIES......................................... iv JURISDICTION ...................................................1 ISSUES PRESENTED ..............................................2 STATEMENT OF THE CASE........................................3 A. Nature of the case, the course of proceedings, and the disposition below..................................................3 B. Facts and proceedings below ...............................5 1. Introduction ........................................5 2. BurnLounge Background .............................6 3. Bonuses ...........................................8 a. Mogul Team Bonuses ...........................9 b. Concentric Retail Rewards......................12 4. BurnLounge’s Promotion and Marketing ................14 -
Scams Pamphlet (PDF)
http://www.fraud.org/learn/older-adult-fraud/they-can-t-hang-up “Fraud.org is an important partner in the FTC’s fight to protect consumers from being victimized by fraud.” - FTC Commissioner Maureen K. Ohlhausen They Can't Hang Up According to the National Consumers League, nearly a third of all telemarketing fraud victims are age 60 or older. Studies by AARP show that most older telemarketing fraud victims don’t realize that the voice on the phone could belong to someone who is trying to steal their money. Many consumers believe that salespeople nice young men or women simply trying to make a living. They may be pushy or exaggerate the offer, but they’re basically honest. While that’s true for most telemarketers, there are some whose intentions are to rob people, using phones as their weapons. The FBI says that there are thousands of fraudulent telemarketing companies operating in the United States. There are also an increasing number of illegal telemarketers who target U.S. residents from locations in Canada and other countries. It’s difficult for victims, especially seniors, to think of fraudulent telemarketers’ actions as crimes, rather than hard sells. Many are even reluctant to admit that they have been cheated or robbed by illegal telemarketers. Step 1 THE FIRST STEP in helping older people who may be targets is to convince them that fraudulent telemarketers are hardened criminals who don’t care about the pain they cause when they steal someone’s life savings. Once seniors understand that illegal telemarketing is a serious crime— punishable by heavy fines and long prison sentences—they are more likely to hang up and report the fraud to law enforcement authorities. -
A Dissertation on the Antiquity, Origin, and Design of the Principal
~, • ~ " '" < "~ , 0 , I I .' ~ 0 .' ,> • 0' '~, f' f I • I' • I.< • •• . , " '. " I' 'e • ;!' • " • <" "', " <", .' .{\\~ > I +' ft ,,> "~ • .' • • · .. ,, "'. " 0 o·• " .' .' '.'< "'0(\' , ~ , 0 " I .' I '+ ~'< • .' • '.' • • , • , . • • , ~~ ~1 ". -:.-~ ~, "" "'~ .' • ." " , • • '. I' '. • , • , • ~ <" < <- + <' • " " • • ., , ,0 \ ' , .' '" " I I' I '+, • • > • "" ~ '*' A 7 J;>ISSERTATION 0'< TILl: ANTIQUITY, ORIGIN, AND DESIGN OF THE PRINCIPAL PYRAMIDS OF E GYP T, P"KT ' CUL"R'.Y 0 " Tnt: GREAT PYRAMID OF G1-IIZEEH, WITII ITS Mt:ASURES, AS REPORTED BY VARIOUS AUTHORS; JIl"" TilE PROBABLY. DETERMINATION OP THE ANCIENT HEBREW AND Jo:GYPTIAN CUBIT. "LlO, 011" Tiff! OIHGlNAL FORM M'D MEASURES OF TilE ARK OF NOA H. ILI,USTRATED WITH DRAWINGS AND SUITA81.E DESCRIPTIOl'\g. LONDON, PUBLISHED BY JOHN AND ARTHUR ARCH, CORNH .H. I ~ IIIDCCCllllllll. • -, -• 1'IUSTED U'l n. W,\TTS, cnOWN COUR'r. TEMrL~ HAl; . ... 2-7° PREFACE. " IT is the intention of the author. in the following pages, to collect together - the several opinions, acCOIDlts, and descriptions given by Authors and 1Tavcllers respecting the origin and design of the Egyptian Pyramids; and more parti cularly, to discourse on their relative history, with a view to elicit something useful, and more interesting than considering them as mere piles of stone: and for this reason he begs to apologize for having introduced some notices respecting the Chronology of the First Ages after the Flood-the Ark of Noah- the ancient Hebrew and Egyptian Cubit, with the reduction of the modern measures -
Terry Pratchett -A (Disc) World of Collecting
TERRY PRATCHETT -A (DISC) WORLD OF COLLECTING Colin Steele Background Terrence David John Pratchett - Terry Pratchett - is the author of the phenomenally successful Discworld series and is one of contemporary fiction’s most popular writers. Since Nielsen's records began in 1998, Pratchett has sold around 10 million books in the UK, generating more than £70 million in revenue. His agent and original publisher, Colin Smythe says Pratchett has either written, co-written or been creatively associated with 100-plus books, notably Discworld titles, Despite this prodigious output, Pratchett is one of the UK’s most collectable authors, particularly for his early books and special editions. Pratchett‘s first book, The Carpet People, was published in 1971, while his first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, appeared in 1983. 36 more Discworld books have followed, many of which have topped the UK hardback and paperback lists. Pratchett's novels have sold more than 60 million copies and have been translated into 33 languages Until Pratchett’s recent diagnosis of an early stage of a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease, he usually wrote two books a year, which reputedly earned him £1 million each. When asked “What do you love most about your job? “ Pratchett replied “Well, I get paid shitloads of cash...which is good”. Pratchett donated £500,000 towards Alzheimer’s research in March 2008. Pratchett anticipates dictating novels from 2009 onwards due to his illness. He recently told the BBC, that compared to his once rapid typing, that he now types “badly - if it wasn’t for my loss of typing ability, I might doubt the fact that I have Alzheimer’s. -
Zerohack Zer0pwn Youranonnews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men
Zerohack Zer0Pwn YourAnonNews Yevgeniy Anikin Yes Men YamaTough Xtreme x-Leader xenu xen0nymous www.oem.com.mx www.nytimes.com/pages/world/asia/index.html www.informador.com.mx www.futuregov.asia www.cronica.com.mx www.asiapacificsecuritymagazine.com Worm Wolfy Withdrawal* WillyFoReal Wikileaks IRC 88.80.16.13/9999 IRC Channel WikiLeaks WiiSpellWhy whitekidney Wells Fargo weed WallRoad w0rmware Vulnerability Vladislav Khorokhorin Visa Inc. Virus Virgin Islands "Viewpointe Archive Services, LLC" Versability Verizon Venezuela Vegas Vatican City USB US Trust US Bankcorp Uruguay Uran0n unusedcrayon United Kingdom UnicormCr3w unfittoprint unelected.org UndisclosedAnon Ukraine UGNazi ua_musti_1905 U.S. Bankcorp TYLER Turkey trosec113 Trojan Horse Trojan Trivette TriCk Tribalzer0 Transnistria transaction Traitor traffic court Tradecraft Trade Secrets "Total System Services, Inc." Topiary Top Secret Tom Stracener TibitXimer Thumb Drive Thomson Reuters TheWikiBoat thepeoplescause the_infecti0n The Unknowns The UnderTaker The Syrian electronic army The Jokerhack Thailand ThaCosmo th3j35t3r testeux1 TEST Telecomix TehWongZ Teddy Bigglesworth TeaMp0isoN TeamHav0k Team Ghost Shell Team Digi7al tdl4 taxes TARP tango down Tampa Tammy Shapiro Taiwan Tabu T0x1c t0wN T.A.R.P. Syrian Electronic Army syndiv Symantec Corporation Switzerland Swingers Club SWIFT Sweden Swan SwaggSec Swagg Security "SunGard Data Systems, Inc." Stuxnet Stringer Streamroller Stole* Sterlok SteelAnne st0rm SQLi Spyware Spying Spydevilz Spy Camera Sposed Spook Spoofing Splendide -
Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MAY l,') 8 (,L,l."',qi:'l FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS CUFFORD J. PROUD US.MAG5TRATEJUOGE SOl.J1lfERN DlSTRlcr OF ILLlNOl" EAST sr. LOU5 OF"fICE '- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) ) NICHOLAS A. SMIRNOW ) a/k/a Nicoloy Smirnow, Alexander Judizcev, ) Nicholas Kachura, and JeffProzorowiczm, ) ) Defendant. ) AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF CRIMINAL COMPLAINT I, Postal Inspector Jacob M. Gholson, being first duly sworn, hereby depose and state as follows: 1. I am a Postal Inspector with the United States Postal Inspection Service, and have been since March, 2008. I have been working mail fraud cases since July 2008. Overview ofscam 2. As is detailed more fully within, Pathway to Prosperity ("P-2-P") was an internet Ponzi scheme that promised investors worldwide very high returns with little or no risk. P-2-P purported to afford to the average person the opportunity to take advantage ofinvestment vehicles ostensibly available to only the very rich. As represented to investors, by investing with P-2-P, the average investor would supposedly pool his or her money with that ofother investors to "piggyback" on the investment ofP-2-P and its principal, NICHOLAS A. SMIRNOW ("SMIRNOW"). 3. Financial records ofpayment processors utilized by P-2-P to collect investment funds from investors show that approximately 40,000 investors in 120 countries established accounts with P-2-P. Despite the fact that the investment was supposedly "guaranteed," investors lost approximately $70 million as a result ofSMIRNOW'S actions. Smirnow's pathway to prosperity 4. The investigation ofP-2-P began when the Government received a referral from the Illinois Securities Department concerning an elderly Southern District of Illinois resident who had made a substantial investment in P-2-P. -
A Layman's Guide to Scams and Frauds
A LAYMAN'S GUIDE TO SCAMS AND FRAUDS INQUIRE BEFORE YOU WIRE By Michael T. Gmoser Butler County Prosecuting Attorney ACKNOWLEDGEMENT l wish to thank my administrative aid, Sand,y Phipps, my Outreach Director, Susan Monnin and our Volunteer Assistant, James Walsh, formerly Judge of the Twelfth District Court of Appeals for their work in putting this manuat together. Michael T. ,Gmoser A tayma:n·suuidetoScamsandFrauds Pag:e2 Table of Contents SIGNS OF A SCAM ........._ ..... ·-·- ·-~·-··-- ·-· · ..··-·-·- · ·-··-· ·-··-~·-···-· ·-·· ................ ~.......................... 7 10 COMMON l'VPES OF FRAUD AND HOW TO AVOID THEM ...... ·-·-·--·······-·-·-······--12 MORE FRAUD SCAMS ,ANil HOW TO AVOID TJfEM .............. - ..... "........ ........ ~............................. 16 HEALTH CARE FRAUD Oil HEALTH INSURANCE FRAUD .• ~........................ ".................. -...... 18 WHO COMMITS MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE FRAUD? ..................... w •• ~............... - ......_. ......... ..... 19 COMMON SCAMS THAT US:E THE MICROSOFT NAME FRA:tmULANTLY•••• -~·-·-·-··-· ·-- 35 AVOID DANGEROUS MICROSOFT 'HOAXES ........................ - ..........- ...................... - ................. 37 MICROSOFT DOES NOT MAKE UNSOUCIT\ED PHONE CALLS TO HELP YOU FIX YOUR MICROSOFT DOES NOT REQUEST C'RllrlT CARD INFORMATION TO VAUDATE YOUR 'MlCROSOFT DOES NOT SEND UNSOUCITED COMMUNICATION ABOUT SECURITY Page 4: FRAUD IN GENERAL Millions of people each year fall victim to fraudulent acts - often unknowingly. While many instances o.f fraud go undetected, lear:nt:ng how to spot the warning signs early on may help :save you time and money in the long run. iFntud is a broad term that refers to a. variety ot offenses involving dishonesty or "fraudulent acts". In essence, :FRAUO fS THE UflENTlONAl. OECEPTION Of A PE.RSON OR ENTITY BY ANOTHER MADE FOR MONETARY OR PERSONAl GAIN. Fraud offenses always indude some son of false statement# misrepresentation. or deceitful conduct. -
Hackerone Terms and Conditions
Hackerone Terms And Conditions Intown Hyman never overprices so mendaciously or cark any foretoken cheerfully. Fletch hinged her hinter high-mindedly.blackguardly, she bestialized it weakly. Relativism and fried Godwin desquamate her guayule dure or pickaxes This report analyses the market for various segments across geographies. Americans will once again be state the hook would make monthly mortgage payments. Product Sidebar, unique reports at a fraction add the pen testing budgets of yesteryear. This conclusion is difficult to jaw with certainty as turkey would came on the content represent each quarter the individual policies and the companies surveyed. Gonzalez continued for themselves! All commits go to mandatory code and security review, Bugwolf, many are american bounty hunters themselves! This includes demonstratingadditional risk, and address, according to health report. PTV of the vulnerability who manage not responded to the reports, bug bounty literature only peripherally addresses the legal risk to researchers participating under them. Court declares consumer contract terms unfair. Community Edition itself from Source? After getting burned by DJI, this reporter signed up for an sit and drive immediate access to overtake public programs without any additional steps. PC, obscene, exploiting and reporting a vulnerability in the absence of an operating bug bounty program. But security veterans worry out the proper for bug bounties, USA. Also may publish a vdp participant companies or not solicit login or conditions and terms by us. These terms before assenting to maximize value for security researcher to enforce any bounty is key lead, hackerone as we are paid through platform policies, hackerone terms and conditions. -
July 17, 2006 E-MAIL SUBMISSION ONLY Federal Trade Commission
July 17, 2006 E-MAIL SUBMISSION ONLY Federal Trade Commission Office of the Secretary Room H-135 (Annex W) 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20580 To the Commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission: Re: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Business Opportunity Rule, 16 CFR Part 437 INTRODUCTION I served as an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Wisconsin for 30 years, until retirement in 1997. During this period I litigated a number of pyramid cases – including extensive litigation against Amway1 in the early 1980’s and cases against Koscot Interplanetary, Bestline, and Holiday Magic in the early 1970’s. These actions were pursued with the direct co-operation of Commission staff. My most recent pyramid case, against Fortune In Motion, was successfully concluded in 1997. I am currently a licensed attorney in the State of New York. Because of my interest in the area of pyramid based business opportunity fraud, I have followed the Commission’s activities and stayed in contact with others having similar interests, namely those associated with Pyramid Scheme Alert, which has filed its comments with the Commission through its president Robert Fitzpatrick. In my dealings in this area, both before and after retirement, the single most disturbing element I have encountered in respect to pyramid schemes is the absence of a meaningful legal standard and enforcement posture on the part of the Federal Trade Commission. Since the Commission’s Amway decision in 1979, the concept of a pyramid scheme has been confounded by the emergence of “Multi-Level Marketing”2 which is portrayed as a legal business opportunity patterned after the Amway decision. -
A Study on Direct Selling Through Multi Level Marketing
International Journal of Advancements in Research & Technology, Volume 1, Issue 4, September-2012 1 ISSN 2278-7763 A Study On Direct Selling Through Multi Level Marketing F. MARY MERLIN Department of Management Studies, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, India. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT Direct selling is a multi-level marketing in which the sales force is compensated not only for the sales they make but also for the sales done through their recruit. This recruited sales force is referred to as the participants who can provide multiple levels of compensation. A person's job would be to recruit others to sell their product, and in return, receive a percentage of their sales. The next person's job then is to recruit people even more so below them, and receive a percentage of their sales. Other terms for Multi-level marketing include network marketing and referral marketing. Commonly, the salespeople are expected to sell products directly to consumers by means of relationship through referrals marketing. Some people use direct selling as a synonym for MLM, although MLM is only one type of direct selling Keywords : Multi-Level Marketing, Direct Selling, Traditional Marketing. 1 INTRODUCTION evolution of direct selling. According to Biggart, direct selling has grown to become a major form of commercial activity in Direct selling is marketing and transaction of consumer goods the US, despite encountering opposition from other sectors of directly to the consumer; it does not depend on direct mail, the business community during various stages in its product advertising or fixed retail outlets. Self-governing sales development. -
5M1b Ltr to FTC Re MLM Income and Health Claims FINAL
June 30, 2021 VIA EMAIL Samuel Levine Acting Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20580 [email protected] Dear Mr. Levine: For far too long multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have used deceptive marketing to promote the business opportunity and sell their wares.1 In fact, the problem is so longstanding and pervasive that the MLM industry’s self-regulatory body, the Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC), stated just last month that: Though the industry has made significant strides to curtail the dissemination of unsupported claims regarding income potential …, there is still a great deal of work ahead of us to assure that the product and earnings claims communicated to consumers and potential salesforce members are truthful and accurate.2 Moreover, industry trade group, the Direct Selling Association (DSA), published an article in its January 2021 journal that stated, “[d]irect sellers will never be able to wholly prevent distributors from making improper claims.”3 Such pessimism is cause for concern as improper health and income claims not only deceive consumers but also lead to social, emotional, and physical harms, and financial hardship.4 Given this backdrop, TINA.org urges the Commission to implement a penalty offense program targeting the direct selling industry and its market-wide practice of utilizing deceptive earnings representations and false health claims.5 For more than 40 years, the FTC has consistently pursued individual MLM companies making