Pyramid Scheme Vs. Multi-Level Marketing

Pyramid Scheme

Overview

A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business that involves the exchange of money, usually in the form of a sign-up fee, and usually has no product or service. Most importantly, pyramid schemes are ILLEGAL! The only people that are able to make money on a pyramid scheme are the people at the top of the pyramid.

The above picture proves that pyramid schemes are unsustainable. As stated above, because these businesses offer no product or service, no possible way exists for the people at the bottom of the pyramid to make any money. The only way to make money in a pyramid scheme is to sign-up new members for a fee. However, as the above picture shows, this becomes impossible when the scheme reaches a certain level. The end result is that people can spend upwards of several thousand dollars to enroll in one of these scams and will end up losing everything.

Common Elements

As the United State Securities and Exchange Commission states, "[t]he hallmark of these schemes is the promise of sky-high returns in a short period of time for doing nothing other than handing over your money and getting others to do the same. The fraudsters behind a pyramid scheme may go to great lengths to make the program look like a legitimate multi-level marketing program. But despite their claims to have legitimate products or services to sell, these fraudsters simply use money coming in from new recruits to pay off early stage investors."

Some other identifying characteristics to look for are:

• Vague descriptions about the company from which your questions can only be answered by signing up and paying the fee
• No product or service being offered or a product that sells at a highly inflated price
• A majority or all of the possible income to be made comes from the sign-up fee from new enrollees.
• Repeated assurances that the company is completely legal.

If any of these characteristics are present, you will want to completely avoid the company and warn others from participating in this advanced form of fraud.

Multi-level Marketing

Overview