There is no information on the Just Got Bitcoin website indicating who owns or runs the business.

The Just Got Bitcoin website domain (“justgotbitcoin.com”) was registered on January 18th, 2017. Optimus Dale is listed as the owner, with an address in the US state of Arkansas also provided.

Optimus Dale is an alias of Sherm Mason.

Mason first popped up on BehindMLM’s radar as the admin of Magnetic Builder.

Magnetic Builder was a $29.95 recruitment scheme launched in 2011.

In 2015 Mason (right), launched at least five dubious schemes:

• Paradise Payments (February 2015) – a $2 to $1000 cash gifting scheme
• Magnetic Gratitude (April 2015) – a $580 matrix-based Ponzi scheme
• Summer Fun Matrix (July 2015) – a $22 three-tier Ponzi scheme and
• 3×9 Millionaire Machine (September 2015) – a $3 in, $435 million dollars out Ponzi scheme
• Instant Pay Christmas (November 2015) – a $5 to $800 cash gifting scheme

In 2016 Mason doubled down on his efforts and launched Elite Pay Alliance (matrix-based cash gifting), 5 Dolla Money Lines (pass-up chain-recruitment), Adstraordinary (matrix-based cash gifting) and Cash Rally GPS (Ponzi cycler).

Last month Mason launched Easy Odds, an $11 gifting scheme. Easy Odds doesn’t appear to have collapsed yet, so why Mason is launching Just Got Bitcoin so soon is unclear.

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

There is no information on the Heavenly Pay website indicating who owns or runs the business.

The Heavenly Pay website domain (“heavenlypay.com”) was registered on January 14th, 2016. Randy Garrard is listed as the owner, with an address in the US state of Kansas also provided.

Randy Garrard (right) first appeared on BehindMLM’s radar in 2015, as admin of the cash gifting scam Residual Income in a Box.

In 2016 Garrard launched the 5 Dollar Leveraging System Ponzi cycler, which was followed up by a reboot of Residual Income in a Box.

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

The MMM Returns website brands the opportunity as a “Sergey Mavrodi venture”.

I am Sergey Panteleevich Mavrodi, legal professor and administrator for an [sic] self sustaining owned global social financial revolution system called MMM Returns.

Mavrodi is a convicted felon who first popped up on BehindMLM’s radar in 2015.

Through MMM Global, Mavrodi (right) scammed millions of dollars out of people until the Ponzi scheme collapsed in April, 2016.

Various local chapters of the scam have sprung up and collapsed in China, South Africa, Asia (India), Zimbabwe and Nigeria.

Nigeria was the last “major” MMM Ponzi launch. After collapsing last December the scheme rebooted in January. Existing investors have since been shafted in favor of promising ROI payments on new investment.

Needless to say affiliate recruitment isn’t doing to well, with MMM Returns an attempt to restart yet another iteration of MMM Global.

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

Fusion Bit initially launched last December as a pyramid scheme. Affiliates paid $5 or $25 when they signed up and were paid to recruit others who did the same.

This model collapsed shortly after launch, with Fusion Bit relaunching in February.

Who is running the company is still not disclosed and the Fusion Bit website domain registration remains anonymous.

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…]

There is no information on the Cycles of Wealth website indicating who owns or runs the business.

The Cycles of Wealth website domain (“cyclesofwealth.com”) was privately registered on January 31st, 2017.

The official Cycles of Wealth Facebook group lists Cosmos Garcia as the sole admin.

There is no content on the Cosmos Garcia account. The profile photo used to represent Cosmos Garcia is stolen and actually that of Hazel Inskip, a member of the Cosmos Project Scientific Advisory Group.

Needless to say “Cosmos Garcia” doesn’t exist and the Facebook account is likely purchased.

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…]

There is no information on the Pays 2×5 website identifying who owns or runs the company.

The Pays 2×5 website domain (“pays2x5.com”) was privately registered on January 11th, 2017.

The marketing pitch on the Pays 2×5 website appears to have been lazily copy and pasted from Pays4Ever:

Pays4Ever is a micro Ponzi cycler launched mid 2016 by Tom Taylor. Despite the name, Alexa ranking suggest Pays4Ever began to collapse around last November.

Tom Taylor (right) first popped up on BehindMLM’s radar as the admin of UltimateAdClub back in February of 2015. Taylor then again popped up in March, 2015 as the admin of MegaCyclerClub.

UltimateAdClub saw affiliates purchase $50 matrix positions and get paid to recruit others who did the same. A lack of interest in the scheme saw the matrix positions later reduced to $30.

MegaCyclerClub similarly saw affiliates purchase $50 matrix positions, on the promise of an advertised $650 ROI.

In June, 2o15 Taylor launched Residual Income Ads, which saw affiliates buy in for $10 a month and then get paid to recruit new affiliates.

Residual Income Ads was followed up by Mega 2×7 in July. Mega 2×7 saw affiliates pay $50 for a matrix position and get paid on the recruitment of new affiliates.

Mega 2×7 collapsed shortly after launch and with Pays4Ever also on the way out, Taylor is back with Pays 2×5.

Read on for a full review of the Pays 2×5 MLM opportunity. [Continue reading…]

Pure Haven Essentials are based of Rhode Island in the US and operate in the personal care MLM niche.

Oddly enough, there’s no information on the company website about who owns or runs the business.

Further research reveals Pure Haven Essentials launched early last year as a reboot of Ava Anderson.

Ava Anderson was named after its founder, who launched the company when she was just fourteen back in 2009.

On January 26th, Ava Anderson abruptly announced they were shutting down.

A notice posted on the Ava Anderson website from the Anderson family cited harassment and bullying.

We hope you will be able to understand that our daughter has been under attack, online and in person, and has been tethered to social media for years, attempting to protect the brand and the company she cares so much for, as well as for each of you.

She (and our family and team) have always felt a tremendous responsibility to all of you and we have done our very best to fulfill that.

We withstood the attacks because we felt the message was so dear to us, as well as the tremendous responsibility we have always held for our employees and independent representatives, who have built important incomes through hard work and dedication to their businesses.

Sadly, there are many who are ’keyboard brave’ who have made this experience intolerable for our daughter and our family.

It has accelerated over time, and we see no end in sight.

We know we have made the best decision, and believe that anyone would take this same action if their child or family was being treated in this manner.

According to BelowTheFork, the bullying and harassment might not have been as sinister as Ava Anderson (the company) made it out to be.

This Ava Anderson scandal all seemed to begin when Jess over at Ecofriendlymamausa.com began questioning the ingredients—or lack of ingredients—in AvaHome Dish Soap.

In her all-natural experience, along with at-home soap making experts, she felt it was impossible for AvaHome Dish Soap to create as many sudsy bubbles as it does with the list of ingredients on the label.

She wanted to know exactly what ingredient was causing so many bubbles.

In Jess’s January 23, 2016 blog post she shows photographic evidence of her email thread with Kim Anderson in 2013 stating that Kim knew where “everything is from, how it is made, and from what materials.”

Essentially shutting Jess’s questions down. Fast forward to almost 3 years later, and a blogger investigating a product’s ingredients is considered “bullying.”

A secondary reason for the closure was suppliers purportedly violating contractual agreements”, by

including some of the ingredients, found on all store shelves, that we have passionately educated and even lobbied against, in several of our 80+ products.

This relates back to Jess’ research, which uncovered that all was not what it seemed with Ava Andersons’ soap.

Ava Anderson management team stated they were

diligently working to continue to offer the great products you have experienced over the past 6 years under a new brand.

That new brand was Pure Haven Essentials.

The owners of Pure Haven Essentials, for whatever reason, choose not disclose themselves on the company website.

Initially it seems Pure Haven Essentials was owned by the Averson family.

An August 3rd, 2016 Providence Business News article states ‘the buyout of the Anderson family was completed on Aug. 1.‘

Global Ventures Partners, owned by Bruce Jensen, Rudy Revak, Mary Julich and Steve Kole bought out the Averson family for an undisclosed sum.

Global Venture Partners also owns the MLM companies TuVous (fashion) and Symmetry Global (nutrition).

The press-release also cites two complaints to the USDA regarding their labeling practices, which the company claims it rectified.

The Andersons, who will not have any role in the new company, said in a statement that they are pleased with the new ownership, and described Global Ventures Partners as a “team of experienced and caring, direct-sales veterans.”

Further research reveals Joe Ochoa was appointed CEO of Pure Haven Essentials in May, 2016. Why there’s no information about Ochoa on the Pure Haven Essentials website is again unclear.

Ochoa’s LinkedIn profile cites him as “interim CEO” of the company so I’m not sure if it’s a permanent appointment (he’s been there for almost a year so one would assume so).

Joe Ochoa (right) co-founded South Hill Designs, a jewelry MLM company, with Brian Palmer in 2012.

In February 2016 Youngevity acquired South Hill Designs.

As per a Youngevity press-release dated the same month;

Youngevity is proud to welcome South Hill Designs into our family of expertly crafted jewelry lines, which include Mialisia and MK Collab.

South Hill’s modern classic and urban vintage styles are chic, fresh and sophisticated additions to our growing collections.

Three months later Ochoa was appointed CEO of Pure Haven Essentials.

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

The dilemma of a Ponzi scheme is paying affiliates enough to keep them around, without exhausting funds invested.

Mathematically this is a zero-sum game. Once funds paid out eclipse funds invested, it’s game over.

Trouble is a Ponzi scheme always promises to pay out more than invested. This ever-growing liability always triggers an eventual collapse.

For My 24 Hour Income that was December last year. Amid the usual Ponzi claims of hackers, DDOS and frozen funds, My 24 Hour Income ran out of money and went down for over a month. [Continue reading…]

There is no information on the 2×2 Funds website indicating who owns or runs the business.

The 2×2 Funds website domain (“2x2funds.info”) was privately registered on February 4th, 2017.

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…]

Purium was founded in 2004 by David Sandoval and Amy Venner.

The company is based out of Utah and began in 1993 as a small green foods manufacturing facility. Produce was grown locally in Sandoval and Venner’s privately owned farm.

According to a blog post on the Purium website, the facility initially manufactured private label products for a “huge international company” (I wasn’t able to find a name).

Just when they had finally turned a profit, that company (their biggest client) bailed and left them struggling. They were in a desperate financial situation.

At that point they knew they needed to put 100% of their effort, focus, and determination into creating their own brand.

That brand was Platinum Health Products, which was later renamed to Purium.

Of the two Purium founders, Sandoval appears to be much more in the public eye. The Purium website credits Sandoval as sole owner and founder of the company.

Venner does have a “MillionMom” page on the site, but it reads more like marketing than a corporate bio.

Sandoval (right) serves as Purium’s CEO. So the story goes;

Twenty-four years ago David Sandoval was like many of us, working a sedentary job, eating a conventional diet and watching his family members suffer from cancer, diabetes and obesity among other illnesses.

He knew he needed a lifestyle change and set out on a relentless mission to find the answers he needed to turn his life around.

“I was your typical businessperson eating a rather conventional diet. Although I was chronologically younger in the photo on the left my biological markers for aging (blood pressure, heart rate etc) were much worse (older) than they are today.

In other words, I am biologically younger today than I was 20 years ago.

I did a 180 on my eating habits and that created a 180 for the rest of my life. Today I am thinner, healthier and happier than I was back then and feel like I haven’t even reached the prime of my life yet.

I’m in my 50s but I expect to live another 70 good years.”

Amy Venner serves as Purium’s President.

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