97Metro fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

97Metro’s website domain (“97metro.com”), was privately registered on June 5th, 2023.

If we look at the source-code of 97Metro’s website, we see it’s running the template “Metro_HYIP”.

Metro_HYIP is a Ponzi script template sold for HYIPLab, a Ponzi backend developed by ViserLab.

ViserLab sells HYIPLab for $199. The Metro_HYIP template costs $97.

Presumably because they sell software designed to assist criminals with committing financial fraud, ViserLab don’t provide ownership or executive information on its website.

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. [Continue reading…]

The Likwel Ponzi scheme has collapsed.

In a post to Likwel’s official Telegram channel on September 9th, the scam announced it was “forced to freeze the activity of our company for 2 years.” [Continue reading…]

AVA (aka Audio Visual Advertising), fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

AVA’s website domain (“avaide.net”), was privately registered on August 2nd, 2023.

If we look at the source-code of AVA’s website, we can see the native language is set to Chinese:

This suggests whoever is running AVA has ties to China.

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. [Continue reading…]

Three IM Mastery Academy promoters in Poland have been charged with promoting a pyramid scheme. [Continue reading…]

Two Bolivian Pay Diamond scammers have been arrested in Argentina.

Following arrest warrants issued through Interpol, mother and son duo Brian Gutierrez (27) and Nilda Coque (47) were arrested in Buenos Aires. [Continue reading…]

iGenius, DreamTrips and Jifu are under investigation in Poland.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), is specifically investigating whether these companies are pyramid schemes. [Continue reading…]

Young NRG operates in the supplements and personal care MLM niches.

The company is headed up by founder and CEO Chris Simonian.

Back in 2021 Simonian was appointed President of Auvoria Prime:

Auvoria Prime launched in 2020 as “the third attempt to sell use of a non-profitable trading bot to gullible victims.”

In August 2023, SimilarWeb tracked around 12,000 visits to Auvoria Prime’s website. Over the past few months there has been a steady decline.

Seeing as Simonian doesn’t have a Young NRG corporate bio, we’ll quote from his still available Auvoria Prime bio;

Chris began his direct selling career at the age of 18. By age 22, he helmed a successful full-time organization, which spanned three continents.

In the early nineties, Chris worked with the late Mark Hughes at Herbalife, to help expand their product line and enhance their compensation plan resulting in a growth of over $100 million.

Chris later teamed up with Beachbody, to establish Team Beachbody, where he implemented one of the most successful customer acquisition programs in the industry, designed the compensation plan, created the recognition and incentive programs, and guided Team Beachbody to approximately $400 million in sales in just six years.

Chris was most recently with SeneGence International, where he led their International growth strategies building out a corporate Sales team in four countries, grew the Customer Service department to over 80 reps, supervised and grew Recognition and Events, opened three new countries and implemented training, tech, and social media programs resulting in high triple digit growth.

Although he’s credited as founder and CEO of Young NRG, Simonian doesn’t actually own the company.

Corporate records reveal Young NRG Inc. was incorporated in Texas in March 2023. Terry LaCore of LaCore Enterprises is the owner.

LaCore Enterprises owns and operates multiple MLM companies, most of which are in the nutritional supplement niche.

Read on for a full review of the Young NRG MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]

A reader got in contact earlier today to share an odd email from the DOJ, regarding Infinity2Global founder Richard Maike.

As per the email, sent out as part of the DOJ’s Victim Notification System on September 8th;

Defendant(s), Richard G. Maike, has been released from federal custody.

The appeal in the case of defendant(s), Richard G. Maike, was decided on May 10, 2023. The appeal was affirmed.

Um… what? [Continue reading…]

AGS fails to provide ownership or executive information on its website.

AGS’ website domain “agspakistan.com”, was privately registered on April 27th, 2023. Note however that AGS didn’t officially launch till August 28th.

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. [Continue reading…]

Veqber Guild fails to provide verifiable ownership or executive information on its website.

Without explanation, Veqber Guild provides details for two CEOs:

Neither “Dash Bereford” or “Cristopher Marveq” appear to exist.

Over on YouTube we have the actor playing Dash Bereford with a non-native English speaker accent.

It’s not the strong Russian accent where used to but definitely sounds eastern European to me (possibly a Russia/Ukraine adjacent region).

Other actors in Veqber Guild’s marketing videos wear wigs and, in order to mask their thicker accents, are dubbed over.

At [0:23] on this Veqber Guild marketing video, we can see the PC in the shot is set to UTC +2.

This time zone corresponds with Kaliningrad Time and Russia’s Northwestern Federal District.

Veqber Guild’s website domain (“veqber.com”), was first registered in 2021. The private registration was last updated on March 14th, 2023.

Prior to March 2023 the “veqber.com” domain was parked. Thus it appears whoever is running Veqber Guild purchased the domain on or around March 2023.

Supporting this is Veqber Guild’s current website going live towards the end of March 2023.

In an attempt to appear legitimate, Veqber Guild provides incorporation details for Veqber GCG UK Limited.

Veqber GCG UK Limited was incorporated in the UK on March 14th, 2023.

An MLM company operating or claiming to operate out of the UK is a red flag.

UK incorporation is dirt cheap and effectively unregulated. On top of that the FCA, the UK’s top financial regulator, do not actively regulate MLM related securities fraud.

As a result the UK is a favored jurisdiction for scammers looking to incorporate, operate and promote fraudulent companies.

For the purpose of MLM due-diligence, incorporation in the UK or registration with the FCA is meaningless.

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. [Continue reading…]