AVBOB Dream Team Review: Rameez Jakoet’s new MLM
AVBOB Dream Team fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.
AVBOB Dream Team’s website domain (“avbob.app”), was registered in December 2022. The private registration was last updated on August 1st, 2023.
AVBOB Dream Team’s official FaceBook page was created on February 15th, 2023. This gives us an approximate launch date.
A marketing video on AVBOB Dream Team’s website homepage features Rameez Jakoet.
Jakoet is known to BehindMLM as a top promoter of Berry Trading.
Berry Trading was a “click a button” app Ponzi that targeted South Africa. The scam collapsed on around May 2nd, resulting in widespread consumer losses.
Such to the extent Jakoet is involved in the running of AVBOB Dream Team is unclear. The marketing video featuring him was uploaded to AVBOB Dream Team’s official YouTube channel on August 8th.
While who is running AVBOB Dream Team isn’t specified, we can confirm it’s a South African MLM company targeting South Africans.
As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining and/or handing over any money.
AVBOB’s Products
AVBOB markets a prepaid funeral policy from AVBOB.
Benefits of AVBOB’s policy include:
- a “basic funeral” valued at R13,500
- an “immediate” R3000 cash payment to cover initial expenses
- an R3000 discount on “a tombstone, cremation or aquamation”
- free transport of the deceased within South Africa
- six month protection if the policy holder is retrenched
- one year of premiums returned as cashback if no claims are made every five years
Neither AVBOB or AVBOB Dream Team disclose funeral plan premium costs.
From AVBOB Dream Team’s compensation plan however, if we reverse engineer the math the minimum cost appears to be R1000 upfront and then R220 a month.
AVBOB Dream Team’s Compensation Plan
AVBOB Dream Team affiliates are paid when referred retail customers and recruited affiliates purchase an AVBOB funeral policy.
AVBOB Dream Team Affiliate Ranks
There are sixteen affiliate ranks within AVBOB Dream Team’s compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Active Connector – sign up as an AVBOB Dream Team affiliate
- Core 3 – recruit two AVBOB Dream Team affiliates
- Core 7 – recruit two Core 3 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates
- Business Builder – recruit two Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R15,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Team Leader – recruit four Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R30,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Bronze – recruit six Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R50,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Silver – recruit ten Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R100,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Gold – recruit ten Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R150,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Platinum – recruit two Team Leader and eight Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R200,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Ruby – recruit four Team Leader and six Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R300,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Sapphire – recruit six Team Leader and four Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R450,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Emerald – recruit eight Team Leader and two Core 7 or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R600,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Diamond – recruit ten Team Leader or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R800,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Double Diamond – recruit ten Bronze or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R1,000,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Triple Diamond – recruit ten Silver or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R1,300,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
- Crown Ambassador – recruit ten Gold or higher ranked AVBOB Dream Team affiliates, and generate at least R1,700,000 in weaker binary team side volume over a rolling 12 month period
“Binary volume” is funeral policy sales volume generated by an AVBOB Dream Team affiliate and their downline.
For an explanation on the binary team, see “residual commissions” below.
MLM Commission Qualification
To qualify for MLM commissions each AVBOB Dream Team affiliate must generate at least one funeral policy payment every three months.
This policy payment can be from a personally referred retail customer or recruited affiliate.
Referral Commissions
AVBOB Dream Team affiliates earn a 20% commission on the initial fee charged to new personally referred policy holders.
AVBOB Dream Team’s marketing suggests this is a minimum R200 commission per referred policy holder.
Volume Bonus
AVBOB Dream Team affiliates receive a volume bonus if they meet specified monthly targets:
- generate R1000 to R1999 in monthly volume and receive a 2% bonus
- generate R2000 to R2999 in monthly volume and receive a 4% bonus
- generate R3000 to R3999 in monthly volume and receive a 6% bonus
- generate R4000 to R4999 in monthly volume and receive an 8% bonus
- generate R5000 to R5999 in monthly volume and receive a 10% bonus
- generate R6000 to R6999 in monthly volume and receive a 12% bonus
- generate R7000 to R7999 in monthly volume and receive a 14% bonus
- generate R8000 to R8999 in monthly volume and receive a 16% bonus
- generate R9000 to R9999 in monthly volume and receive an 18% bonus
- generate R10,000 or more in monthly volume and receive a 20% bonus
Monthly volume is sales volume generated by new policy holder referrals. This is also the volume the monthly bonus is paid out on.
Matching Bonus
AVBOB Dream Team affiliates earn a Matching Bonus on the Volume Bonus paid to personally recruited affiliates each month.
- Core 3 ranked affiliates earn a 30% match
- Core 7 ranked affiliates earn a 40% match
- Business Builder ranked affiliates earn a 50% match
- Team Leader ranked affiliates earn a 60% match
- Bronze Leader ranked affiliates earn a 70% match
- Silver Leader ranked affiliates earn an 80% match
- Gold Leader ranked affiliates earn a 90% match
- Platinum Leader and higher ranked affiliates earn a 100% match
Residual Commissions
AVBOB Dream Team pays residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.
A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):
The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
At the end of each pay-period AVBOB Dream Team tallies up new sales volume on both sides of the binary team.
Residual commissions are paid as a percentage of sales volume generated on the weaker binary team side.
The specific percentage paid out as a residual commission is determined by rank:
- Business Builder – 4%, capped at R4000 per pay-period
- Team Leader – 5%, capped at R8000 per pay-period
- Bronze Leader – 6%, capped at R12,000 per pay-period
- Silver Leader – 7%, capped at R16,000 per pay-period
- Gold Leader – 8%, capped at R32,000 per pay-period
- Platinum Leader – 9%, capped at R64,000 per pay-period
- Ruby Leader – 10%, capped at R80,000 per pay-period
- Sapphire Leader – 11%, capped at R100,000 per pay-period
- Emerald Leader – 12%, capped at R150,000 per pay-period
- Diamond Leader – 13%, capped at R200,000 per pay-period
- Double Diamond Leader – 14%, capped at R300,000 per pay-period
- Triple Diamond Leader – 15%, capped at R400,000 per pay-period
- Crown Ambassador – 16%, capped at R500,000 per pay-period
Note that AVBOB Dream Team don’t specify how often a pay-period is. That said, typically binary pay-periods are daily or weekly.
Pool Bonus
AVBOB Dream Team takes 1% of company-wide revenue (presumably this is through AVBOB Dream Team and not AVBOB itself), and places it into the Pool Bonus.
Note that while AVBOB Dream Team pays the Pool Bonus out annually, qualification criteria is not provided.
Joining AVBOB Dream Team
AVBOB Dream Team affiliate membership is R299.
AVBOB Conclusion
AVBOB Dream Team represents itself as being owned by AVBOB.
This is a little strange, as I couldn’t find any instances of AVBOB marketing AVBOB Dream Team. Bit odd to launch an MLM opportunity and give it no marketing.
Update 11th December 2023 – While there isn’t any marketing for AVBOB Dream Team, AVBOB did announce the company on its official blog.
As per the undated blog blost;
Are you looking to transform your life for the better? With our new and exciting Dream Team AVBOB initiative , your financial freedom is in view!
Ever on the lookout for opportunities that help people thrive, we at AVBOB are launching our latest innovation – a fantastic entrepreneurship programme where all you need to do is spread the word and watch your efforts thrive.
Hat tip to BehindMLM readers Mustang, Goofster and AntiMLM for the additional research. /end update
With respect to compliance, AVBOB Dream Team’s biggest issue is the potential for it to operate as a pyramid scheme.
There are no retail volume requirements in AVBOB Dream Team’s compensation plan. It’s entirely possible to sign up as an affiliate, focus on recruitment of affiliates and get paid on their policy spend.
If AVBOB Dream Team is generating the majority of its revenue via recruited affiliate policy revenue, that’s indicative of the policies not being retail viable.
This could play into AVBOB’s own offering struggling in the retail market, which could tie into why they’ve seemingly launched an MLM opportunity.
On Rameez Jakoet’s involvement, he actually reached out to BehindMLM back in September. This was well after Berry Trading collapsed and shortly after Jakoet had joined AVBOB Dream Team.
The information in your post is fair however not so true. Note that I was not an admin of the platform but simply a leader with a team. The post is bringing my reputation into disrepute in network marketing and the MLM industry.
My statement is with the DMCA and the image posted of me is my copyright. Please note that further action will be taken if it’s not removed within 72 hours.
On a brighter and lighter note, your posts about other platforms has helped me alot to avoid losses in the industry.
I saw Jakoet’s email for what it was: an attempt to distance himself from recruiting people into a Ponzi scheme.
Hi Rameez,
1. BehindMLM doesn’t help scammers cover their tracks.
2. BehindMLM doesn’t claim you were a Berry admin.
3. BehindMLM’s use of screenshots is protected under US law through Fair Use.
We won’t be taking any action on your request and consider this matter closed.
Jakoet then tried to argue that recruiting people into a Ponzi scheme didn’t make him a scammer, which I of course quickly shut down.
Jakoet: Below the image of me reads that Berry scammers solicited investment on the promise of a daily ROI
Please understand that when people read this, what do you think they will assume?
BehindMLM: That you are a Ponzi scammer, which you are.
Jakoet: That’s not true. The reason I joined the platform was on the premise of the vision and mission of Fertile Soil Global.
BehindMLM: Ponzi promoter == Ponzi scammer.
Please be advised I won’t be responding any further.
Jakoet’s involvement in AVBOB Dream Team doesn’t equate to it being a scam in and of itself, but it could be an indication as to whether AVBOB Dream Team is operating as a pyramid scheme.
The explanation of this remains the same as previously discussed, irrespective of Jakoet’s involvement.
Jakoet and his rude wife owe many people refunds for non existent berry charity events and a lot more.
They fooled many of our people into spending more than they could afford, on the costly scam. Terrible ponzi leaders. Thank you for covering this one head on.
This is beyond f’ng sick.
In South Africa, the real Avbob is a genuine brand and household name that always delivers dignified funerals and after-death care for the ones that need it at a fraction of the cost you get anywhere else.
Avbob looked the other way when they were burying literally hundreds of thousands when the Aids epidemic was at its height and they had every right legally to keep the premiums and do nothing.
Rameez Jakoet is a sick puppy well known to the authorities. It is of course absolutely illegal to sell funeral-cover via MLM anywhere
It goes without say that Jakoet is improperly using Avbob’s IP and branding without any kind of permission. Appropriation of IP is theft.
We can expect a statement to that effect early next week from Avbob.
That this is being done by someone who defaults into talking about religion at every opportunity says a lot about their conscience and where they know they’re going
That was my thought too during research. A top promoter of a collapsed widespread Ponzi pivoting to funeral plans has a macabre feel to it.
It looks like it there own ponzi they created.
avbob.co.za/blog/mlm-launch
This is from avbob official website.
I went on to the avob.co.za website and clicked on the customer care option (floating around the bottom right hand side of the website) and asked the question “is avbob dream team part of avbob?”, after also seeing no mention of the so called AVBOB dream team on their site.
The following response came up:
Looks like AVBOB themselves may have created this 🙂
Very odd.
It seems so Mustang. I agree with you totally Stevie. Sick.
Oz, this one really isn’t making sense, stealing & ruining a big burial Brand’s name and reputation. My Jakoet-abused SA Team expect him to contact you soon, pleading total innocence. NoT.
Pitchforks down guys.
This (at least loosely) does seem to be listed on their site (as Goofster also picked up from the chatbot):
avbob.co.za/blog/mlm-launch
This does smell smelly though having a MLM sheister selling Funeral Policies MLM now.
Have Avbob gone rogue?
How is this even possible? A century old or so institution allows its brand to be lent to a known scammer who then uses a team name derived from Igor Alberts…
And, funeral cover in SA is an insurance cover. Not just anybody can sell financial services products legally.
It is definitely time for the pitchforks.
Thanks for the additional research. I’ll make a note of AVBOB’s launch announcement in the review.
pERHAPS he has offered them some form of return if they allow him to “promote ” the brand. This one is very interesting.
Hey OZ have you heard about the clientelle IFP programme ?
No.
Its very similar to this, also a reputable company that sells policies and has an affiliate marketing side.