LegalShield has leveled a series of scathing criticisms at the Direct Selling Association and its member companies.

A press-release published on LegalShield’s website on March 2nd cites “concerns about the lack of enforcement of the DSA’s Code of Ethics for its members” as the primary reason LegalShield has revoked its DSA membership. [Continue reading…]

Alleging Lyoness’ Terms & Conditions were “incomprehensible”, the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) in Austria took legal action against the company back in 2013.

In their lawsuit VKI referenced “61 vague and inexplicable clauses”. The consumer advocacy group claimed they’d ‘never seen so many incomprehensible clauses in one contract‘.

The contracts signed by the members contain many clauses the violate the applicable Austrian legal requirements.

Therefore the VKI has filed a lawsuit against Lyoness, through which we want to force Lyoness to stop using these clauses. As well as, most importantly, prohibiting them from relying on the content of those contracts that were signed earlier.

VKI sought to legally challenge the validity of Lyoness’ Terms & Conditions, which would force Lyoness to process refund requests from affiliates.

VKI won their lawsuit last year, however Lyoness were quick to file an appeal.

The Vienna Court of Appeal has now heard the case, with a decision made earlier this week rejecting Lyoness’ appeal in its entirety. [Continue reading…]

Not entirely sure why, but a new order in the Zeek Receiver’s litigation against Canadian net-winners has “reset” the trial with a new date in September.

Jury Trial reset for 9/6/2016 10:00 AM in Courtroom 2-2, 401 W Trade St, Charlotte, NC 28202 before Senior Judge Graham Mullen.

The trial had otherwise been scheduled to take place next month in April.

Bit of a ways off, but stay tuned nonetheless…

Footnote: Our thanks to Don@ASDUpdates for providing a copy of Judge Mullen’s March 2nd order.

Update 7th September 2016 – As per a 15th of August order, the Canadian Zeek net-winner trial has been rescheduled for February 13th, 2017.

No reason for the reschedule was provided.

Last we checked in with criminal proceedings against Kristi Johnson, her sentencing had been delayed until the resolution of Troy Barnes criminal trial.

Through the Achieve Community Ponzi scheme, Kristi Johnson and Troy Barnes solicited around $6 million dollars in fraudulent investment.

In the aftermath of Johnson’s guilty plea mid last year, she’s since forfeited $2.6 million in assets. [Continue reading…]

According to the “about us” page on the Life Leadership website, the company was ‘founded in November 2011 by eight entrepreneurs‘.

One of those founders appears to have since left the company, with the Life Leadership website today only listing seven; Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, Tim Marks, Claude Hamilton, George Guzzardo, Bill Lewis and Dan Hawkins.

Of Life Leadership’s founders Orrin Woodward appears to be the most prominent, serving as Chairman of the Board.

Woodward (right) got started in MLM back in 1993, as an affiliate with Amway. This later morphed into a tool business, selling marketing and motivational tools to other Amway affiliates.

In 2001 Woodward took his tool-selling business fulltime, with the launch of “Team”.

As Team evolved over the years, it eventually morphed into a fully-fledged business opportunity of its own. This purportedly attracted the ire of Amway management, with Woodward and the company parting ways in the summer of 2007.

That same year Woodward claims his tools helped Amway generate some $200 million in sales.

The split between Woodward and Amway purportedly saw Team’s immediate sales plummet. Amway followed up by filing a lawsuit against Woodward.

It wasn’t until an agreement was reached with Monavie was reached later in 2007 that Team’s sales picked up again.

In 2008 Woodward purportedly made $6 million through Team and Monavie. That same year Forbes described Team as

one step ahead of all these juice selling schemes. It is a pyramid atop a pyramid.

Amway’s lawsuit was confidentially settled in 2010. The following year Team was renamed Life Leadership and continues to operate to this day.

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

I’ve always maintained that there’s something unnerving about charity-based MLMs.

The notion of a business opportunity and charity are polar opposites, with an intermingling of to the two more often than not a front for something else.

What that something else is varies from individual to individual running the company. Nonetheless, it takes a certain type of marketer to front an income opportunity entwined with charity.

Randy Jeffers was one such marketer, who you might remember as the owner of Bids That Give. He’s also just been named the state of Oregon’s top delinquent tax payer. [Continue reading…]

The last investment increase OneCoin introduced was their €18,800 Festival package.

Announced last November, the Festival package was a limited time promotion that ended recently.

Potentially strapped for cash as withdrawal requests exponentially increase each month, OneCoin have just announced a new €25,000 investment package. [Continue reading…]

Buyezee are incorporated in the US state of Delaware and operate in the e-commerce MLM niche.

Despite providing basic information about the company on their website though, there is currently no information up as to who owns or runs Buyezee.

This is of particular concern seeing as Buyezee claim to have first incorporated back in 2014.

Further research reveals Buyezee on their Facebook page identifying Daniela Claudia Szasz as CEO.

Citing “20 years of experience”, on her blog Szasz (right) markets herself as a business advisor.

I advise managers, leaders and entrepreneurs from companies and businesses (on) how you authentically bring in profitable returns, while impressing your customers with a self-confident and convincing representation.

As a result of my continually enterprise successes, I am today an independent trainer and consultant for companies, network and businesses in national and international corporations.

As a personal development trainer for company events, management courses and motivation seminars, I’ve impressed every audience with my clear, charming, versatile, and competent style.

MLM companies Szasz has previously been an affiliate with include Herbalife (President’s Team member) and PM-International (supplements). Her Facebook profile also reveals affiliation with Asea and LifePlus.

Of note is that Szasz as only appointed Buyezee’s CEO in late February of this year. Buyezee was incorporated in 2014, so she clearly doesn’t own the company.

Buyezee would appear to be based out of Europe, with the company boasting it is ‘a registered trademark for all Eurozone countries (as of) June 2015‘. Additionally the Euro is the currency used in the official Buyezee compensation plan documentation.

For all intents and purposes, it appears Buyezee exist in the US in name only. More importantly, for now and for whatever reason, Buyezee aren’t disclosing who owns the company.

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 MLM Hits website indicating who owns or runs the company.

The MLM Hits website domain (“mlmhits.com”) was first registered on the 6th of November, 2014. The registration was last updated on the 23rd of August, 2015, suggesting this is when the current owner(s) acquired it.

Unfortunately the MLM Hits domain registration is set to private.

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…]

We last reported on USFIA late last year, covering the recovery of over $20 million dollars by the Receiver.

The behind-the-scenes work of the Receiver continues, with the latest updates provided in the Receiver’s Second Report.

The filing is over forty pages long, with the interesting parts headlined and covered below. [Continue reading…]