Primerican Idiot

[Lestat]

That Acai Berry scheme got to my mother, she actually tried to make it work but did not see a check anywhere near the amount promised, so failed. In my area there is currently a life insurance scheme that is going around and a healthy chocolate bar that is suppose to make all your pains go away after eating it daily for half a year.

[Acevalefor]

What I was trying to say is that it's not Primerica that runs the pyramid scheme. It's the retarded independent licensees that set things up like that. My sister tried to get me to buy into this shit...It's crooked as hell and is definitely the ground work for greedy fucks to set up pyramid schemes.

[Kerberoz]

A lot of people seem to think that all pyramid schemes are illegal, which isn't true (as long as a product is involved and even 1% is sold to non-distributors). MLM is a legal pyramid scheme. The only way to make money is to be in the top few levels from the start, and have no dignity or shame. The product involved is always something that's unable to make a profit at retail, because its shit. Good products don't need salesmen. Over 80% of "sales" are to other distributors and the whole point of the scam is to recruit more idiots to recruit more idiots to recruit...

Another way to profit is by selling "tools" which are usually several hundred/thousand dollar kits full of typical motivational-speaker drivel and hooks to join even more MLMs. These are often sold at big conventions which charge even more fees.

One of their favorite new tools is Search Engine Optimization, which is basically just scamming Google to show page after page of fake, often illegal, testimonials whenever someone looks up the scam. They have people dedicated to "defending" the MLM on the internet, who are pretty easy to spot and read the same old tired fallacies off of a checklist. Get this thread to more than 5 pages or so and one or two will probably show up.

Common claims and MLM-speak:
- "success" and other mindless buzzwords in every sentence
- "your own business!" "fire your boss!"
- "it's not a pyramid scheme, because those are illegal and this isn't illegal!"
- "we want hard-working, driven, motivated, [insert other nonspecific flattery] individuals"
- "if you don't succeed, you didn't try hard enough. success isn't for everyone"
- loads and loads of testimonials (remember, the plural of anecdote is not evidence) of people who supposedly made it big in the scheme
- testimony of "doctors" (of crap like naturopathy from diploma mills) and articles in fake journals praising the product
- claims that detractors are from other MLMs/competitors/the gub'mint or people who "didn't try hard enough" and failed
- inability to do simple math (they don't understand that customers are limited or that hours worked are an expenditure)
- "you don't have to sell to friends and family! (we'll just pressure you until you do!)"

Studying this shit is a hobby of mine... have some links!
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/MLM

http://business.ftc.gov/documents/in...arketing-plans
http://amthrax.wordpress.com/2011/03...romises-video/

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...opics/mlm.html
http://www.mlmwatch.org/
http://www.quackometer.net/
http://www.skepdic.com/mlm.html

http://www.juicescam.com/
http://amthrax.wordpress.com/
http://www.sequenceinc.com/fraudfile...d-schemes-mlm/
http://www.stopbuyingcrap.com/stop-b...-like-monavie/

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=215218 <--Primerica specifically
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=90468
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=215422
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=116252
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=177273

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[Kerberoz]

forgot a couple:
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/mlmirage.htm
http://whatstheharm.net/index.html

[Mazmaz]

lolol

[Seanr]

I know a few friends are into that 5linx crap, One guy i know posts about 5linx all day everyday, another friend tried to get me into that pre-paid legal garbage as well. Why are people so easily suckered into this stuff. They're blinded and brainwashed. When told that it's a pyramid scheme, they often like to counter with "isn't a regular job like that too"

[Kuishen]

Vector is a big one around here, snared one of my friends and they set me up with an interview without me knowing about it. I was 90% sure there was something wrong when I got called to come into an interview that I didn't sign up for, and then doing some light research into it just made me tell them to blow it out their ass. Guy that called me was creepy as fuck too.

[bluefan]

Vector is a big one around here, snared one of my friends and they set me up with an interview without me knowing about it. I was 90% sure there was something wrong when I got called to come into an interview that I didn't sign up for, and then doing some light research into it just made me tell them to blow it out their ass. Guy that called me was creepy as fuck too.

Ah yes Vector. I remember applying for them when I was 15 or 16 years old. I didn't need a job, but wanted to save up some cash for when I go into university.

Walked into their office and with all the pictures and stuff on the wall with company retreats, looked pretty cool. They'd go kayaking, hiking, sky diving...cool. Then came the part where they explained what I was going to do.

I was out of there within the hour lol.

[Kerberoz]

When told that it's a pyramid scheme, they often like to counter with "isn't a regular job like that too"

Ohshit, I forgot that trope. Yeah, that one's near the top of their script, too.

Vector

Too bad it's not this one...