The SEC has filed suit against iPro Network, alleging the scam and founder Daniel Pacheco stole $26 million from investors.

In addition to iPro Network and Daniel Pacheco (right), relief defendants named in the SEC’s May 22nd lawsuit include [Continue reading…]

OneCoin’s New DealShaker platform has been abandoned.

For die hard investors still backing OneCoin, New DealShaker was perhaps the only reason they hadn’t lost their minds over how much money they’ve lost. [Continue reading…]

PM International has provided us with the latest example of an MLM company unable to take a hint.

As part of the company’s long running beef with TV2, PM International has filed a third appeal. [Continue reading…]

Since the filing of Mark and Tammy Smith’s Californian lawsuit against Neora (then Nerium), the company has moved swiftly to have the matter resolved via arbitration in Texas.

To that end Neora filed an arbitration demand in July 2018.

Describing Neora’s response as “retaliatory and vexatious attempts to litigate against Plaintiffs in Texas”, the Smiths’ sought a restraining order against Texas arbitration. [Continue reading…]

Onyx Lifestyle provides no information about who owns or runs the company on their website.

The Onyx Lifestyle website (“onyxlifestyle.com”) was initially registered in 2016. Through the WayBack Machine, I was able to confirm that up until late 2018 at least, the Onyx Lifestyle domain was available for sale.

The Onyx Lifestyle domain registration was last updated on March 27th, 2019, suggesting this is when the current owner(s) took possession of it.

Currently the Onyx Lifestyle domain registration is private and provides no information about its owner.

On page two of Onyx Lifestyle’s marketing overview document, the company names and quotes Clif Braun (right) as a co-founder.

On his LinkedIn profile, Braun (aka Clifton Braun) confirms his status as an Onyx Lifestyle co-founder from February 2019.

Five years ago Braun was promoting Vemma as a Presidential Brand Partner.

The FTC shut Vemma down for being a $200 million dollar pyramid scheme in 2015.

In 2017 Braun joined Wealth Generators as a Master Field Trainer.

In June 2018 the CFTC fined Investview $150,000 for operating Wealth Generators illegally.

Upon learning of the CFTC investigation, Investview renamed Wealth Generators to Kuvera Global.

Braun continued to promote Kuvera Global but at some point ditched the company.

Up until recently Braun was promoting Liv, a “global lifestyle company” launched by Visalus co-founders Nick Sarnicola and Blake Mallen.

Update July 20th 2020 – Clif Braun has been in touch to advise

I was hired by Onyx for my public speaking skills, I was never an officer of Onyx, after only 90 days of being in Onyx I resigned. I wasn’t in alignment with the direction the company was headed.

When I queried on his own citing of himself as Onyx Lifestyle’s co-founder, Braun replied;

Co founder was what I was led to believe. However, was never true and I never had any power or say in anything.

I felt used and resigned quickly.

As at the time of this update, Onyx Lifestyle’s website appears to have been pulled offline. /end update

I wasn’t able to ascertain who Onyx Lifestyle’s other co-founders are, but did come across this photo from Braun’s Facebook feed (click to enlarge):

Travis Bott in particular stands out, owing to his connection to Investview and Wealth Generators.

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…]

Payment processor Allied Wallet has been sued by the FTC for violations of the FTC Act.

The regulator alleges Allied Wallet assisted “business opportunity and coaching scams, pyramid schemes, and unlawful debt collection operations” with illegally charging over $110 million to consumer accounts. [Continue reading…]

Minerva Trading Bot provides no information on who owns or runs the company on their website.

The Minerva Trading Bot website domain (“minervatradingbot.com”) was privately registered on December 10th, 2018.

Further research reveals a Minerva Trading Bot YouTube video featuring the company’s CEO.

The individual in the video isn’t credited in the description. The video itself is in German, so even if the individual is credited I wouldn’t understand.

What I was able to later find is an incorporation document for CMC Invest on the Minerva Trading Bot website domain:

As above, the document cites Gregor Maihart as owner of CMC Invest.

Maihart’s Facebook profile photo is dated 2010, but it’s enough to confirm he features in the Minerva Trading Bot CEO video.

Thus I can confidently state Gregor Maihart is running Minerva Trading Bot.

As for CMC Invest, it appears to be nothing more than an offshore shell company. It is highly likely CMC Invest is being used to launder funds invested by Minerva Trading Bot affiliates through.

According to his Facebook profile, Maihart is based out of Austria.

This corresponds with Alexa pegging Austria as the top source of traffic to Minerva Trading Bot’s website (23%). Neighboring Germany is the second largest, coming at 21%.

The closest I was able to come to putting together Maihart’s MLM history, was a subscription to the official USI-Tech channel.

Whether Maihart was a USI-Tech Ponzi investor is unclear.

Read on for a full review of the Minerva Trading Bot MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]

Stream Energy and NRG Energy have entered into a $300 million acquisition agreement.

The agreement will see NRG Energy acquire steam’s “retail electricity and natural gas businesses”.

An MLM company selling off its retail customers? This can’t be good… [Continue reading…]

Brazilian authorities have issued a FX Trading Corp investment fraud warning. [Continue reading…]

Visiber operates in the numerology MLM niche and is based out of Malaysia.

The company is headed up by co-founder “David” Choong Jeng Hew.

Jeng goes by his first two names and styles himself as a “Dato David” on Facebook.

Jeng (right) founded Visiber with Patrick Tan Boon Jin in 2005. The pair worked together until Jin left the company in 2013.

According to a source we’ve been in contact with;

Tan left the company in 2013 because of some internal disputes. Apparently he was double crossed by David Hew and the other directors – Eng Chip Jin, Billy Lai, Gerald Lee and Kwan Hep Chuen in terms of company shares and profit.

After he left, they created a story that Patrick was the one who double crossed the company and worshipped demons.

Possibly due to language-barriers, I was unable to personally verify the above or put together an MLM history on Hew.

For reasons that aren’t immediately clear, Visiber is registered with the SEC under “Visiber57”.

Visiber57 is registered as a shell company in Delaware through a Hong Kong address.

The Hong Kong shell company appears to be called 57 Society, and was purchased from a third party in 2016.

On the Visiber website, the company lists its actual corporate address in Selangor, Malaysia.

According to Visiber’s last quarterly report ending February 2019, the company recorded a $14,113 net loss.

Note that Visiber’s quarterly report is unaudited. Given the company has no physical business operations in the US, the accuracy of Visiber’s reporting is thus called into question.

One additional word of warning; I’ve yet to see a legitimate MLM company out of Malaysia operated by a Dato.

With no disrespect towards Malaysian culture intended, over the years MLM companies run by Datos have become synonymous with fraud.

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