Epic Trading has received a pyramid scheme warning from the Philippines.

As per the Philippine SEC’s 19th January notice;

What makes EPIC TRADING appealing to the public is not the business of foreign exchange but the chance to earn weekly and monthly referral fees from recruitment of up to $1,000,000.00.

An IBO is entitled to receive income in accordance with the EPIC Compensation Plan, which is basically a typical pyramiding cum Ponzi scheme i.e. the more recruits, the higher the compensation.

BehindMLM reviewed Epic Trading in September 2020. We identified disclosure issues and the potential for pyramid recruitment. [Continue reading…]

Enigma Network operates in the cryptocurrency and forex trading MLM niches.

The company is supposedly headed up by founder and President Dave Wiltz.

Who is Dave Wiltz? No idea. He doesn’t appear to have a digital footprint outside of Enigma Network’s marketing.

But that doesn’t matter, because…

The actual people behind Enigma Network are J. Joshua Beistle and Doug Wellens.

BehindMLM last came across Beistle and Wellens in 2020, as co-founders of Essential Access Network.

Essential Access Network sold telemedicine subscription services. The company’s website is still online but Alexa ranks traffic to it as “n/a”.

Practically speaking, Essential Access Network as an MLM company is dead.

With respect to Beistle’s and Wellens’ MLM histories;

J. Joshua Beistle first appeared on BehindMLM in 2013, as President of the JubiRev Ponzi scheme.

Essentially a reload of the notorious Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme, JubiRev collapsed a few months after launch.

Beistle returned in mid 2014 with BrandOnline365, a short-lived pyramid scheme.

Doug Wellens first appeared on BehindMLM in 2014, as co-founder of Infinite Leverage.

Infinity Leverage was a pyramid scheme attached to a marketing platform.

Infinite Leverage was rebooted in 2015 as Traffic Authority. Traffic Authority was rebooted in 2018 as Finish Line Network.

I also want to note Enigma Network’s Vice-President of Sales, Richard Anzalone.

Anzalone was indicted in 2017 on criminal charges related to Infinity2Global.

Run by Rick Maike, Infinity2Global was a $25 million dollar pyramid scheme.

Anzalone pocketed $800,000 as one of the Infinity2Global’s top earners. He stands accused of multiple counts of mail fraud and money laundering.

If convicted, Anzalone is looking at potentially decades in prison.

Anzalone and his co-defendants are scheduled to face trial in July 2022.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t shout out Enigma Network’s advertised “legal team”:

Wellman and Warrens’ biggest cock up to date was rubber-stamping iPro Network back in 2017.

The SEC sued iPro Network in 2019, alleging it was a $26 million dollar pyramid scheme.

We also weren’t impressed with Warren’s legal analysis of Crypto World Evolution in 2018.

On its website Enigma Network provides a corporate address in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Alexa currently ranks top sources of traffic to Enigma Network’s website as the Philippines (34%), and the US (19%).

Read on for a full review of Enigma Network’s MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]

Ryan Conley’s latest scam is a shitcoin project attached to the TAG Protocol.

The TAG Protocol is in turn attached to TAGCoin. Users give money to Tag Protocol’s owners in exchange for hashtag rights.

These rights are tracked via NFTs.

When people mention the hashtags on social media, whoever owns the Tag Protocol hashtag NFT gets TAGCoin.

Tag Protocol generates TAGCoin on demand out of thin air.

If all that sounds incredibly stupid and pointless, it’s because… it is.

Anyway, here’s how NFT hashtags are working out for TAGCoin bagholders:

TAG Protocol launched in late November:

After promptly pumping and dumping, around mid December Tag Protocol began to pump because, *checks notes*, reasons.

TAG Protocol has yet to dump again but when whatever manipulation is currently going on is exhausted, will plonk back down.

TL:DR; TagCoin is your typical shitcoin pump and dump scheme.

This prompted the launch of

Ryan Conley is a TAGCoin/TAG Protocol bagholder. And he’s come up with TAGArmy to dump his bags onto unsuspecting investors. [Continue reading…]

Golden Way provides no information on its website about who owns or runs the company.

Golden Way’s website domain (“goldenway.world”), was privately registered on June 6th, 2021.

In an attempt to appear legitimate, Golden Way provides incorporation documents for Dubai:

Dubai is a scam-friendly jurisdiction that provides a lawless haven for scammers.

Any MLM company hinging its legitimacy on ties to Dubai is an immediate red flag.

One interesting thing to note is, despite Golden Way’s current website domain being only seven months old, the company originally launched back in 2019.

The first video uploaded to Golden Way’s YouTube channel is an office opening in Dubai.

The video appears to feature actors. The woman represented to be running Golden Way speaks Russian.

Golden Way has long gotten rid of the original actors it hired to front the company. Today different actors are used to represent Golden Way spokespeople:

As opposed to Dubai, Golden Way’s official FaceBook page is managed from Ukraine:

Once again we have a faceless MLM company run by eastern Europeans pretending to be in Dubai.

At time of publication Alexa ranks top sources of traffic to Golden Way’s website as Saudi Arabia (44%), Algeria (30%) and Egypt (3%).

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…]

ACN has quietly acquired Team National.

The announcement was made on ACN’s FaceBook page on January 8th:

What’s immediately unclear is what this means for Team National distributors going forward. [Continue reading…]

Hapi Travel Destinations’ provides no information on its website about who owns or runs the company.

The only thing disclosed on the “about us” section of Hapi Travel Destinations’ website, is that it is ‘powered by The Happy Co.’

BehindMLM reviewed The Happy Co. in April 2021, noting at the time it was a rebranding of Elepreneurs.

There is no executive information provided on The Happy Co’s website.

Revisiting The Happy Co.’s website today reveals that is still the case.

I came across Hapi Travel Destinations as part of BehindMLM’s TheClub.Travel review, published December 2021.

TheClub.Travel is headed up by Jonathan McKillip, former President of Hapi Travel Destinations

McKilip was appointed in February 2021. He left Hapi Travel Destinations in August 2021.

In researching Hapi Travel Destinations for this review, I came across this unlisted video on the company’s official YouTube channel:

The Happy Co., and by proxy Hapi Travel Destinations, is owned by Fai Chan (aka Chan Heng Fai).

Chan appeared on BehindMLM back in 2019, as co-founder of iGalen.

iGalen collapsed in November 2019, after losing the rights to its flagship product.

In BehindMLM’s iGalen review I noted Fai’s “partnership” with Elepreneurs and Elevacity. This partnership existed through Fai’s company Health Wealth Happiness.

Elevacity was a travel booking engine themed MLM company, launched by Robert Oblon in 2014.

In 2017 Oblon launched Elepreneurs, which would functionally operate as Elevacity’s successor.

In BehindMLM’s second Elepreneurs review I noted ongoing confusion with Elevacity’s and Elepreneurs’ co-existing branding.

Elepreneurs’ parent company Sharing Services Inc. accused Oblon of “gross financial misconduct” in February 2020.

It appears at some point after this Fai Chan acquired an ownership stake in the company (he might have been a silent owner prior), and rebooted it as The Hapi Co. in early 2021.

I’m unclear on why Fai Chan doesn’t openly disclose  his ownership of The Hapi Co. and Hapi Travel Destinations.

Beyond ownership, whether Fai is running The Hapi Co. and Hapi Travel Destinations is unclear.

Update 17th January 2022 – Master Trainer Jeremy Jenkins has revealed in the comments below that Hapi Travel Destinations separates its retail and affiliate websites.

Executive information is provided on the affiliate website, revealing Garrett McGrath is CEO of both The Happy Co. and Hapi Travel Destinations.

McGrath (right) appears to have made a name for himself in EvolvHealth.

That started in 2010, however McGrath’s LinkedIn profile credits him with “over 25+ years of experience as a top network marketing professional”.

McGrath has also been President of the Association of Network Marketing Professionals since 2012.

McGrath was appointed CEO of The Happy Co. in November 2021, having previously worked as President of Elepreneurs. /end update

One final note I’ll make is that Hapi Travel Destinations was originally scheduled to launch in early 2021. Following whatever happened between Fai and McKilip, the launch was then shelved till around October.

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…]

GainBitcoin scammer Amit Bhardwaj has reportedly died from cardiac arrest.

Personally I’m not 100% convinced. [Continue reading…]

Crowd1Finance, not to be confused with the shorter named Crowd1 Ponzi scheme, provides no information about who owns or runs the company on its website.

Crowd1Finance’s website domain (‘crowd1finance.com”), was privately registered on June 14th, 2021.

Despite existing for less than a year, Crowd1Finance falsely claims it was “founded in 2016”.

In an attempt to appear legitimate, Crowd1Finance claims it’s “a legal investment company incorporated in the United Kingdom.”

To that end the company provides UK incorporation details, including a forged certificate, on its website.

Not withstanding Crowd1Finance’s UK incorporation details are bogus, 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.

Offered languages on Crowd1Finance’s website are English and Russian.

This suggests whoever is running the company has ties to eastern Europe.

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…]

Simb Emile Parfait’s Liyeplimal Ponzi scheme collapsed in the lead up to Christmas.

The scheme was rebooted with LimoCoin SWAP, but reports indicate that’s not going too well. [Continue reading…]

MaticBusiness provides no information on its website about who owns or runs the company.

MaticBusiness’ website domain (“maticbusiness.com”), was privately registered on October 18th, 2021.

There appears to be an earlier version of MaticBusiness launched from “matic.business”. That domain was privately registered on September 12th, 2021.

Official MaticBusiness marketing videos are full of stock footage with a robo voiceover.

This suggests whoever is running MaticBusiness is from a non-native English speaking country.

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…]