Active Coin Trade provides no reliable information on its website about who owns or runs the company.

Provided executive profiles consist of fake names and stolen photos:

Active Coin Trade’s website domain (“activecointrade.com”) was privately registered on November 14th, 2019.

Despite only recently launching, Active Coin Trade falsely claims it was “founded in 2013 in United Kingdom [sic]”.

In an attempt to appear legitimate, Active Coin Trade’s website links to the UK incorporation of “Ebico Investment & Trade Limited”.

Ebico Investment & Trade Limited was incorporated in December 2016. The incorporation was dissolved in March 2020.

Presumably the incorporation had nothing to do with Active Coin Trade.

And in any case, UK incorporation is dirt cheap and effectively unregulated. It is a favored jurisdiction for scammers looking to incorporate dodgy companies.

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…]

Pink Zebra launched in 2011. The company is based out of Texas and operates in the fragrances MLM niche.

Heading up Pink Zebra are co-founders Tom and Kelly Gaines.

As per a 2016 Direct Selling News interview;

Back in 1997, well before launching Pink Zebra, the Gaineses had tested the Sprinkles product through Bath & Body Works.

“If it was going to be successful anywhere, it would be successful there,” Tom says. The store’s approach is very hands-on and service-oriented, providing an opportunity for staff to engage with customers and to have the opportunity to tell them about the products.

The product was distributed in 30 stores and, says Tom, “it was a complete failure.”

Tom, Kelly and the buyers thought the product was great. The consumers, though, he says, “didn’t really understand it—it really needed demonstration.” It needed the direct sales approach that would allow for that personal touch.

Prior to going at it alone the Gainses worked in a candle factory, which is where they met.

There’s a large unexplained gap between the 1997 Bath & Body Works attempt and Pink Zebra’s 2011 launch. I wasn’t able to establish whether the Gaineses were involved in other MLM companies during that time.

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

Ahead of the scheduled July trial, it’s looking like a settlement between the FTC and 8 Figure Dream Lifestyle defendants is likely. [Continue reading…]

After doing nothing for almost a year while the Crowd1 Ponzi scheme spread like wildfire, South African authorities have clarified the company operates illegally.

Well, sort of. [Continue reading…]

When news of the BitClub Network arrests broke last December, we learned that the grand jury indictments behind the arrest were under seal.

And so they remained until all of the defendants were in custody.

That condition was finally satisfied last week, following Russ Medlin’s arrest in Indonesia.

With Medlin’s arrest came the unsealing of the indictments, which today we’re examining as originally filed. [Continue reading…]

Vietnam’s Competition and Consumer Protection Department has issued fraud warnings against Crowd1 and OneLink. [Continue reading…]

In an attempt to distance itself… from itself, Darren Olayan has resigned from Nui’s parent shell company Appliqate.

Nui’s company history is intentionally convoluted. At present the only thing going for Nui is Nui International. [Continue reading…]

A Crowd1 investment warning has been issued across Central Africa.

In related news Crowd1 investors in South Africa are upset at the company’s latest round of low payouts. [Continue reading…]

Young Living has lost its appeal to compel plaintiffs in a RICO class-action into arbitration. [Continue reading…]

Forrise provides highly sketchy information on its website.

Forrise’s website domain (“forrise.com”) was registered in July 2019. The company began promoting itself on social media last December.

Despite only existing for around half a year, Forrise claims

the company dates back to 2009 when its Director General Adam Schultz started his career studying finances in Great Britain.

Adam Schultz features in Forrise marketing videos:

The actor playing Shultz has a distinctly eastern European accent, making him a prime Boris CEO candidate.

Forrise also provides an Panama incorporation certificate for Forrise INC. on their website. For due-diligence purposes however the certificate is meaningless.

At the time of publication Alexa cites the US as the primary source of traffic to Forrise’s website (76%).

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…]