"TVI Express South Africa “owners” arrested
Last week I wrote about TVI Express South Africa playing the race card as the South African regulators closed in on the business.
This investigation, launched by the South African Reserve Bank, came on top of an already existing criminal investigation underway by the South African department of Trade.
Whilst the South African Reserve Bank investigation was only just recently launched, the Department of Trade investigation has been running for a while now, and just last week resulted in the first arrests over the promotion of TVI Express in South Africa.
Mysteriously credited with ‘owning’ TVI Express,
(Irvin) Shirindzi, 28, owner of TVI Express, and his wife, Glenda Shirindzi, 24, were arrested by the police on Thursday last week for allegedly running a money laundering scheme.
This no doubt follows on from the continued promotion of TVI Express in South Africa, despite the Sotuh African Department of Trade declaring the business opportunity to be an illegal pyramid scheme.
Currently the pair are out on bail with a hearing set for June 14th on the condition that they report to a local police station daily.
As for the ownership claim, that one’s got me a little stumped. I can only assume that by ‘ownership’ the impliation is that the Shirindzi’s were the first to introduce TVI Express into South Africa, or that they were the most succesful and active in promoting it.
Despite South African regulators officially declaring TVI Express to be a pyramid scheme, the subsequent arrests that have followed and the ongoing criminal and financial investigations by South African authorities, it seems TVI members in South Africa are determined as ever to continue promoting the business.
One anonymous female member of TVI Express inferred that ‘nothing will stop us from going ahead and investing in TVI Express‘.
Meanwhile instead of being angry that the Shirindzi’s had introduced them to a pyramid scheme and ripped potentially thousands of people off, TVI supporters instead ‘hugged and showed support’ for the couple upon their bail release.
In the face of such criticism and regulatory crackdown, one can only wonder exactly what it will take to shut down TVI Express in South Africa. And furthermore, just how mindlessly brainwashed are TVI’s supporters there?
April 13th, 2011 at 11:17 pm K. Chang(Quote)
Cognitive dissonance again. It’s like that UFO cult predicting end of the world, didn’t happen, then they started issuing all sorts of weasel excuses…
April 14th, 2011 at 12:23 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Any idea what was up with the ‘ownership’ claim?
TVI aren’t continent franchising are they?
April 14th, 2011 at 2:26 am K. Chang(Quote)
More shameless self-promo on the part of TVI Express “distributors”, those are. If you look on LinkedIn, most of the MLM related profiles on there says “owner”.
TVI Express would LOVE to “franchise” out to individual countries. That way, that shill / scapegoat takes the heat when something goes wrong.
Goernami Goernawan in Indonesia already felt the heat in January when she’s called before an investigative panel. Supposedly a branch office is opening in the Philippines (another locally registered company) sometime this month (where is it? No idea.)
The “franchise” don’t even need to be officially linked to the “main” TVI Express. The Cease and Desist letter in Georgia, USA was issued to TVI North America (not directly linked to TVI Express), and Australia slapped their restraining order on TVI Team Oz (again, not directly linked to TVI Express).
FYI, SARB’s complaint about TVI Express is that TVI Express is illegally raising and storing funds as a pyramid scheme, same problem as Bank of Namibia saw before.
April 14th, 2011 at 9:08 pm K. Chang(Quote)
More victims of TVI Express in South Africa speak out:
http://www.thenewage.co.za/15538-1008-53-Scammed_in_getrich_schemes
They blame the local radio stations for allowing their hosts to promote the scheme (one of many get-rich-quick schemes)
April 14th, 2011 at 9:21 pm K. Chang(Quote)
More details of the arrest here:
http://www.observer.co.za/stories/locals-lose-thousands-pyramid-scheme-bus
April 15th, 2011 at
[...] Could be why this outfit is under criminal investigation in South Africa. [...]
April 15th, 2011 at 9:51 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
How can TVI Express be saving and storing funds though if the company has no official presense in the South Africa though?
The money that TVI takes has to be sent overseas doesn’t it (and therefore out of both South Africa and Namibia’s jurisdiction).
Or are the members keeping it for themselves? They can get them on collecting sure, but storing?
(also thanks for the news updates).
April 15th, 2011 at 2:19 pm K. Chang(Quote)
Through their eVoucher system.
When you cycle out of the traveler board, you supposedly get $250 into eWallet and a $250 eVoucher. You can sell that eVoucher to a new recruit, thus pocketing that $250. That by itself is enough to attract SARB’s attention.
What’s more, TVI Express allow you to convert eWallet into eVOucher, so you can sell even MORE eVouchers to more recruits, pocketing even more money (and thus, no need to pay conversion fees, taxes, and whatnot to TVI Express and Liberty Reserve and such).
April 17th, 2011 at 12:28 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Ah fair enough. From the sounds of it then yeah, it’s a very convenient and well planned way for TVI to enable it’s members to dodge local tax laws.
Knowing when to abandon your markets and coming up with schemes like this… must be quite the criminal mastermind leading TVI.
April 18th, 2011 at 2:54 am K. Chang(Quote)
They of course claim that in order to provide the opportunity in multiple countries they *have* to use a currency converter or virtual currency of some sort.
Mastermind? Just one Tarun Trikha.
http://kschang.blogspot.com/2011/02/oh-great-we-now-have-fake-biography-of.html
http://kschang.blogspot.com/2010/09/even-tvi-express-fan-websites-are.html
http://kschang.blogspot.com/2010/12/tracking-scam-who-said-tvi-express.html
http://kschang.blogspot.com/2010/04/tvi-express-owner-tarun-trikha.html
April 18th, 2011 at 10:00 am K. Chang(Quote)
Another report of the same arrests:
http://www.informant.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3576&Itemid=65
Apparently the local police commissioner came out and made a speech denouncing the scammers and urge victims to come forward.
April 26th, 2011 at 4:47 pm Roswika(Quote)
K Chang is talking nonesense when it come to evoucher and ewallet.
Maybe he is not a South African and does not understand the South African tax laws.
For example, we have minibus taxi owners in South Africa and Sole traders in South Africa whose money cannot be accounted for and they know what to do when it comes to tax laws,
It is the responsibility of each South African or any other person who get paid commission or any income to declare it to SARS. tvi can howecver confirm that they have paid certain individuals commission.
April 26th, 2011 at 4:54 pm Roswika(Quote)
Can someone confirm with me that banks are not scams. For every deposit, they take your money. For every withdrawal, they take your money. For keeping your money, they take your money.
Because this system might be promulgated, does it make it a legit business.
I think most peopel are so stereotyped that they don’t understand a pyramid scheme.
Yes there is a need for people to understand how TVI works. Most peopel are jumping the gun without understanding the the business model.
I myself have seen so many companies that pays referral fees or commission for referring/recruiting potential customers.
So what is the fuss about TVI
April 26th, 2011 at 5:06 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
TVI Express is not a bank.
I thoroughly understand the TVI business model. Recruit people, get paid.
Is there something I’m missing?
Any company that pay referral fees or commissions solely for recruitment is a pyramid scheme money game.
April 26th, 2011 at 5:18 pm Roswika(Quote)
Then how about insurance companies. They pay commission for referral.
How about investment managers.
Then everything is a pyramid
April 26th, 2011 at 6:13 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Insurance companies sell a subscription based product to people (insurance). TVI Express is not an insurance company nor does it sell any products.
An accurate comparison would be ‘insurance company X’ offering to the public a $50 discount on house insurance.
You create ‘TVI Insurance’ and charge people $200 to join your company, in exchange you place them in a MLM matrix and offer them ‘access’ to insurance company X’s discount.
This is indeed would then be a pyramid scam.
How about milkmen? What’s your point?
No. No it isn’t.
April 26th, 2011 at 6:23 pm K. Chang(Quote)
@Roswika — clearly, the South Africa Reserve Bank knows more about banking than you. It has hired an investigative lawfirm, who then brought in forensic accountants, which will get to the bottom of the TVI Express scam:
(news just released a few hours ago)
http://www.thenewage.co.za/16342-1010-53-Pyramid_probe_goes_big
Your pathetic attempt to redefine pyramid scheme to confuse the issue does not change the fact that South African authorities consider TVI Express to be a pyramid scheme. It is not us you need to convince. It is THEM.
April 26th, 2011 at 6:29 pm K. Chang(Quote)
Clearly you do not understand what I wrote. Nowhere did I write that South Africans do not need to pay South African taxes. My sentence clearly reads “to TVI Express”.
And how do you declare money that is still in eWallet any way? In US dollars or in Rand? At what exchange rate? Or do you only declare taxes when you somehow manage to withdraw money from the eWallet through conversion or Liberty Reserve? In fact, does TVI Express have ANY guidance on that? Or do they just leave it up to you?
How do you even reconcile the fact that TVI Express is storing money in eWallet, clearly in violation of South African banking laws (or in fact, entire Africa’s banking laws, including Namibia and Swaziland), without banking license?
April 26th, 2011 at 6:39 pm K. Chang(Quote)
TVI Express is not a bank ANYWHERE in the world, esp. not in South Africa. It has no banking license. Thus, comparing it to a bank is completely irrelevant.
A bank borrows your money (with your permission) and lends it out to make more money on interests. To encourage you to lend it money, it pays you interest. It is a highly regulated industry at the highest level.
You would be “most people”. I suggest a search in Wikipedia.
Recruiters recruiting more recruiters is a pyramid scheme.
The difference is very simple: what does TVI Express sell?
If you answer “membership”, congratulations! You are a recruiter, and you are recruiting more recruiters (just like you).
If you refer customers, then you must be selling them something. If you sold them a membership, you are a recruiter.
July 3rd, 2011 at 12:29 pm doug(Quote)
the goverment is also a pryamid schemme the bank is a praymaid scheme tehhstock market is the biggest scam in the earth every goverment is a scam.
you do not no who the goverment is it is not the president or prime minister or a hing,, everything is a pryimid scheme,you go to work it is a pryramid scheme the boss is a scamer i goit proof of those rip of accuseing ,scamers,the goverment gets full retirment pay for 4 years of service this is a pryamid scheme.
July 3rd, 2011 at 12:49 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Yawn. Sounds like somebody throwing a temper tantrum after their pyramid scheme got busted.
March 5th, 2012 at 2:10 am Gans(Quote)
I see that TVI is making people all over the world wealthy except in South Africa. I guess the reason is that South Africans are very ignorant, or maybe the blame should be put squarely on our governement. We seem to confuse pyramid schemes with multi level marketing. In most countries MLM is a subject offered at universities.
Anyway all companies operate on a pyramid scheme with the CEOs’ getting their bonuses based on the performance of the people below them, we get the work done and they get all the glory.
By the way how far did government investigation go? I hear that TVI have opened offices in the northern surbubs, and present on the lauch were government officials and the media. Double standards if you may think he!
March 5th, 2012 at 8:09 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
@Gans
So much horseshit… so little time.
Banned in most major markets… all that’s left are the Asian countries too impotent to ban it and parts of Africa.
I wouldn’t be so quick to confuse your own stupidity with that of every South African’s. If you’re arguing the legitimacy of TVI Express then I’d say it was the other way around, in that you’re stupidly confusing MLM with pryramid schemes.
One relies on recruitment, the other product sales. Membership is not a product, nor can it be sold at a retail level if there are commissions involved.
Yawn. Given most businesses do not solely pay out commissions on the recruitment of new members, this is a bullshit claim.
They arrested the local ringleaders and pretty much shut it down.
…and without proof, this is just more TVI Express bullshit. TVI and its members are well known for this.
March 8th, 2012 at 4:37 pm ntombomzi(Quote)
BIG SCAM!!!!!!!!!! I was misrepresented by a family by the name of FENI and Ntombomzi Mbuqe from Khayeltsha. They conned me into investing R100 00 promising that i would get overseas flight tickets and free accommodation for every R2700 and in six months i would get my money back 6x.
I was excited bcoz i wanted to travel overseas and the way they presented convinced me. They told me they resigned from their professional jobs because they were able to raise funds to buy their house cash worth millions.
That was 2 years ago and i’ve never received a cent and no flight ticket. i used to cry myself to sleep for not having listened to my instincts coz i suspected it as a pyramid scheme and even sad it’s too good to be true but they convinced me otherwise.
Later i found out that the TVI express bank account they use actually belongs to them they’ve opened the cc under that name..
March 8th, 2012 at 4:54 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
So they’re using the ‘TVI Express’ name to market their own scam?
Using the name of a well-known scam to plug your own scam – Jesus Christ that’s low.
July 21st, 2012 at 1:02 am M2bee(Quote)
Cutting the long story short. TVI Express sells travel vouchers. The R2700 is not for Joining, but for buying a travel voucher. I have used all my travel vouchers in South Africa, Europe, and the Carribean Irelands.
I will be going to Mombasa in December to use of of the travel vouchers that I purchased. People are given commision because they got others to buy a travel voucher. That is network marketing. I just dont understand what the confusion is about. I went to Durban using one of my vouchers for 7 days.
People need to understand the business before calling others stupid. Have u used the voucher, have you booked a car through TVI, have you got any discouts by staying in a hotel through TVI? Are u a member? If the answer is no…then I ask you to use the product before making any comment. The product we sell is “Travel Voucher”
July 21st, 2012 at 1:40 am Oz(Quote)
Can’t buy a voucher without joining the company, ergo you are buying membership. Specifically a position on the TVI matrix boards.
You don’t actually book anything through TVI, it’s all booked via third party companies. All you do with TVI is purchase membership and a spot on one of their matrices.
October 16th, 2012 at 8:11 am MaNigga(Quote)
If TVI is a scam and against gorvement laws then why not shut down the website as evrything is processed online,how difficult is it to do so???
I have personally witnessed peoples lives transformed through TVI,what l know about this negativity is that people misuse it to their own benefit which what we call illegal practices of the business.
We wont stop till u real put an end to it…
October 16th, 2012 at 9:30 am Oz(Quote)
Most likely because they keep hopping from country to country as they run out recruits in each.
Not much you can do about sheep marching off a cliff. Best of luck to you and your pyramid scheme.