‘Achieve Community’ Heads Underground In Run-Up To New Year, As Promoters Switch To New Ponzi-Board Scams

A link to Facebook flashes on the screen in a YouTube promo for Achieve Community, Unison Wealth and LIST. Rodney Blackburn assures viewers that all is OK with Achieve, but then appears to take back his remarks.

A link to Facebook flashes on the screen in a Dec. 30 YouTube promo for Achieve Community, Unison Wealth and LIST. Rodney Blackburn assures viewers that all is OK with Achieve, but then appears to take back his remarks.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Legisi HYIP scheme was a Ponzi-board “program” that tried to hide underground in 2007/08, even as state and federal investigators were conducting an undercover probe that eventually led to the arrests and subsequent convictions of the purveyor-in-chief and a pitchman for the $72 million fraud.

In this evidence exhibit given to a federal judge prior to the Legisi asset freeze in 2008, a Legisi prospect writes the name “Money Maker Group.com” in longhand. State and federal probes into Legisi were under way long before members knew — and undercover agents were part of the probe.

In this evidence exhibit given to a federal judge prior to the Legisi asset freeze in 2008, a Legisi prospect writes the name “Money Maker Group.com” in longhand. State and federal probes into Legisi were under way long before members knew — and undercover agents were part of the probe.

One of the evidence exhibits in the case included the words “MoneyMakerGroup.com” written out in longhand by a Legisi investor. Case files used in an SEC exhibit also show page after page of postings from Legisi’s so-called “private” forum. In addition to prison sentences, millions of dollars in civil judgments were imposed in the Legisi prosecution.

Like Legisi, Achieve Community is a Ponzi-board “program” that has installed a “private” forum.

**_______________________**

2ND UPDATE 12:38 P.M. ET U.S.A. As the PP Blog noted on Dec. 11, Achieve Community appeared to be prepping to follow a playbook used by predecessor scams such as AdViewGlobal and others — that is, compartmentalize information by creating a members-only private forum to make it the only source of info from the “opportunity” itself.

This typically occurs when a scam begins to sense it has been entirely too public in its scamming through public venues such as Facebook or Ponzi forums and that members themselves — through individual promos — are hastening the day of a “program’s” final demise.

Achieve Community now appears to have turned its back on (or is in the process of retreating from) the once-ballyhooed “TheOfficialAchieveCommunity” Facebook site.  At the same time, it appears to be discouraging individual promoters from continuing to use Facebook for their Achieve pitchfests.

“We are no longer able to be a Facebook program – and that is not up for debate – there are several reasons for this – and most have to do with our processors,” Achieve Community co-founder Kristi Johnson reportedly has written.

A real head-scratcher, that one.

“If you have questions about our program come to the [Achieve private] Forum to ask them,” Kristi continues. “If you are a member with time, come to the Forum to help answer your community members please.”

And, she adds, “If our information continues to be shared through unofficial Facebook groups or timelines or questions about everything Achieve anywhere on Facebook, we will not get the processors that we want to work with. It’s that simple.

“You all can decide if you want to see Achieve continue or not. If you do want us to continue come to the Forum. If not, stay on Facebook with these unofficial groups and questions. I’ll leave it to our community.”

Kristi did not identify any of the “unofficial groups.” Nor did she say whether she was concerned about individual promos on YouTube such as those from Rodney Blackburn.

Like many “cycler” promoters on the Internet, Rodney is a one-person PR train wreck. For example, he now has announced on YouTube that he’s promoting “Unison Wealth” and, in the process, joining other Achievers who are doing so.

In Rodney’s promo, a link to Facebook flashes on the screen at about the 8:35 mark.

“As far as I can see, as far as I understand . . . everything is fine with the Achieve Community,” Rodney ventures in his 10:30 YouTube combo promo for Achieve, Unison Wealth and the “Legendary Income Solutions Team or LIST.

The promo, complete with three exclamation marks, is titled “LIST – Achieve Community Update and More!!!”

But as soon as Rodney utters soothing words about Achieve, he seems to take them back. “Kristi is under a tremendous amount of stress as far, in my opinion, [as] trying to get everything up and running. But, guys, we can’t lose focus that she has done everything that she says she’s gonna do. Has it been at the exact timelines all the time? No.”

He then talks about debit “cards” purportedly from Global Cash Card not being “out” and “all these [Achieve] delays” over the past few weeks after Achieve reportedly lost its ability to conduct business through Payoneer weeks ago.

Talking about damning someone with faint praise.

Regardless, Rodney then switches course again, assuring his audience that Kristi isn’t responsible for any of the problems at Achieve. He further ventures that the MLM trade/networking marketing business in general has been impressed by the way Achieve does business and therefore would adopt Achieve practices.

“That tells you something,” Rodney asserts. “Kristi was onto something when she created this. And so, you gotta tip your hat to her.”

Unison Wealth” is “an excellent opportunity for people to come in,” Rodney says — this after noting his LIST downline group stresses “passive” programs.

The passivity of a scheme is an element in what constitutes an “investment contract” under U.S. and state-level securities laws. A recent example of this can be found in the lawsuits against alleged “winners” in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi- and pyramid scheme, including lawsuits filed this week against alleged Zeek winners who hail from Australia.

Zeek’s court-appointed receiver is seeking the return of the alleged winnings, saying they came from Zeek victims. The receiver also has sued U.S. and Canadian alleged winners.

Achieve “winners” potentially could experience the same outcome if litigation emerges.

Like Achieve, Unison Wealth is a Ponzi-board program. The TalkGold forum got a prominent mention in court filings earlier this month in the U.S.-led prosecution of Liberty Reserve, a defunct money-moving business once used by criminals the world over.

So, the following bizarre circumstance has evolved: Achieve — a “program” with an 800 percent ROI and targeted at senior citizens and promoted on Ponzi forums — suddenly says it’s “no longer able” to be a Facebook “program” and that the issue is “not up for debate” because post-Payoneer processors might get the wrong idea about Achieve.

This appears to be occurring as Achieve is engaging in a Zeek Rewards- and TelexFree-like game of payment-processor roulette, potentially now including iPayDNA and Global Cash Card.

Nothwithstanding the bizarre assertion that Achieve once was “able” to be a Facebook “program” but now cannot be, Achieve will be no less a Ponzi scheme whether it goes underground or not.

 

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27 Responses to “‘Achieve Community’ Heads Underground In Run-Up To New Year, As Promoters Switch To New Ponzi-Board Scams”

  1. When they go to a private forum, the action is more about protecting the the promoters than saving the program. Any Ponzi depends on new money to survive and if you can’t solicit new suckers, the program dies. Making the “community” an incestuous inward focused group only serves to get it, and its insiders, out of the public eye, almost always too late to keep them from getting noticed by people they’d rather avoid.
    I’m also beginning to think that what I ca first generation reload scams, like Unison Wealth, are also doomed by the very association that the “leaders” are trying to take advantage of. Sure, the Rodney Blackburns of the world will usually make a few bucks by dragging a significant part of their captive downline teams with them, but its hard to find outside followers because people not familiar with “the industry” will research the new program, and discover its connection to the now failed or failing former one.
    I’m hopeful that this process slowly erodes these ponzi hoppers downlines, it could be part of why this discussion is about Rodney and not some of our old favorites like Ken Russon or Faith Sloan.
    Faith of course has her own bigger problems right now with The Securities and Exchange Commission, and Ken, well, he’s a shadow of his former self and instead of reading of taking hundreds of followers you can find him slumming one or two layers from the top of pathetic cash gifting schemes with Brad (the man with 40 and counting last names) Kamanski.
    As encouraging as these things are, its still almost positive that before too long new, bigger and more effective leaders will come forward to replace them, I only hope the downlines are getting shorter.

  2. Gregg Evans: Any Ponzi depends on new money to survive and if you can’t solicit new suckers, the program dies.

    Exctly,

    the Achiever faithful may not yet realize it, but “going private” sounds the death knell for any HYIP ponzi fraud.

    no new members = no new money = dead in the water is the oldest rule in the book.

    So, while members are feeling all warm and fuzzy and protected as they high five each other in their new forum, Achieve’ status has moved from being “seriously unwell” to “terminal”

  3. You really have a way with words. All of your “appears” and “it seems” is nothing but your opinion with half truths. Achieve does not target the elderly to get their money. However, the elderly need financial help and that is what Achieve is hoping to do. It is definitely not targeted at the elderly anymore than it is targeted at young people. New positions are being sold everyday and also new people are joining.

    If Achieve doesn’t survive it will be like most internet programs but Kristi created something where everyone is getting paid equally and not just the top people. I commend her for that.

    Will Achieve succeed? Who knows…only time will tell. Anyone that’s been in internet marketing for any length of time knows how Achieve works…..it’s not a surprise and no one forced us to join. It’s our business……not yours.

  4. Denise: Kristi created something where everyone is getting paid equally

    Only in the wonderful world of HYIP ponzi fraud can “no one is getting paid” be turned into the positive like “everyone is getting paid equally”

    Denise: It’s our business……not yours.

    Nonsense.

    It went into the public domain the instant Kristi and Troy put it out on the ‘net

  5. Acheive has only taken in money using a illegal payment processor which is wanted by the FBI for money laundering, identity theft and other financial crimes, acheive has NOT paid out a dime in over 3 months to most people and made selective payouts to some in October 2014, and Denise you call that our business… We call that your scam that you joined and your wonderful Troy and Kristi should be in jail along with ipaydna for internet theft.

  6. What I’m saying is the people that joined may have joined a scam but it’s their business. It’s none of your business what I join. I was paid the middle of October with no problem……so it’s not been over 3 mos. If this is internet scamming then hopefully they will go to jail. I just happen to think that each person should decide on the facts and not exaggerations or twisted words whether or not to join. With practically all the internet businesses you join, make a little money and get out. Do any last forever? IF so, let me know. By the way, I haven’t heard of anyone that wasn’t paid before they stopped payment so I don’t think selective payments were being made. I think we should take a wait and see approach before we smear the people and the program.

  7. It’s none of your business what I join. I was paid the middle of October with no problem

    You’re right and no one is addressing you. People are warning others who haven’t been robbed yet. And how could you have been paid when the leaders are on record saying quite the opposite since September?

  8. The leaders aren’t saying no one has been paid since September. Probably the purchases in Sept haven’t been paid since it takes a couple of months to cycle. Everyone was paid up until the date the matrix was stopped which was around Oct. 12th. This is a fact………

  9. Payoneer terminated acheive because of the scam and ponzi it is, most of the money went to Troy and Kristi as they loaded the back office with hundreds of positions in their favor then invited their friends to join and pay Troy and Kristi. I am sure payoneer saw this going on as well.

    Now acheive crooks are robbing 86 year old ladies of their life savings and going underground so they can steal more and not get caught.tell me how Troy who was not even able to afford rent is able to go buy a house with cash when I work 2 jobs. He is hiding so my boys at the SEC can’t come and seize his house and his I’ll gotten gains. Denise and anyone even thinking of investing in acheive must not as this is not a legitimate investment. ACHEIVE IS A ILLEGAL PONZI SCHEME. ITS OWNERS AND PROMOTERS CAN BE ARRESTED AND JAILED FOR FINANCIAL CRIMES IN THE USA.

  10. Pretty impossible without a ‘pay out’ processor (not that one is needed but you can keep believing it is). Numbers on a screen don’t pay the bills.

    Are you saying your leaders are lying in their own updates?

    Dec 13th:

    Kristi Johnson
    44 mins

    Hello Achieve Community!

    As you all know, last week I was told our Processors would be ready this week….they are still working on getting us set up. So, it will be next week and as soon as I have a exact date I will let you all know.

    We are going to have a lot of payouts next week!

    Well, they are lying because still no one has been paid.

    And exactly what does facebook have to do with processors?

  11. Quote from Whip: And how could you have been paid when the leaders are on record saying quite the opposite since September?

    No one has been paid since around Oct. 12. Until then everyone that was supposed to be paid was paid…….We had Payoneer then…..I withdrew money from my card

    I’m not saying Achieve is a scam or isn’t a scam. Time will tell. I’d just like for all the information on any program to be correct when posts are made about it. I’m a member of Achieve and I know some of the info above is misrepresented. End of discussion……

  12. the only misrepresentation is you are being paid and pretty much everything you have said since you need new marks so you can get your money back. It’s not going to happen. We just like people to know the correct motive behind people sticking up for a scam. end of discussion (see how that works?).

  13. Denise: End of discussion……

    Fat chance when you and others like you are profiting from the naivety of others who believe they really are participating in a legitimate business.

    You’re a thief and thieves don’t get to dictate when others should or shouldn’t expose the fact

  14. Denise: Achieve does not target the elderly to get their money.

    Sure it does.

    Denise: However, the elderly need financial help and that is what Achieve is hoping to do.

    Actually, the insidiousness of Achieve is that it has paid some senior citizens. These payments (or assertions of payments) have been used a “proof” no scam exists, thereby disarming other seniors and causing them to join.

    On the Last Great Achieve Day, the later entrants will be left holding the bag. Some of the earlier entrants who hold unpaid “positions” will assert it’s all just some sort of great misunderstanding or that it’s not unusual for a “program” to fail. Others will pretend they never saw this coming and will become the greatest critics Kristi and Troy will ever have known.

    Patrick

    P.S. You can substitute any demographic group for “senior citizen.” Achieve cast a wide net. The result will be the same for whatever group you care to substitute.

  15. The ONLY ones being paid in acheive are Troy & Kristi, meanwhile people who cleaned out their credit cards because some stooge said acheive WAS the best thing since microwave ovens told them and NOW these poor people have another debt and are subject to unwanted and unauthorized charges from ipaydna meanwhile Troy and Kristi live the good life. Do not invest any money in this scam. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR MONEY IN THIS PONZI.

  16. Denise: What I’m saying is the people that joined may have joined a scam but it’s their business. It’s none of your business what I join.

    You can’t speak for everyone, else you have a serious ego problem. But then, you’d have to have an ego problem to tell people “I don’t care if it’s a scam, as long as I went into it knowing.” You see, that is a public admission of guilt, and it can be evidence for charging you as a co-conspirator.

    So yeah, you do have an ego problem.

  17. It perhaps is worth mentioning that Kristi’s apparent Facebook trepidation surfaced after the SEC updated on Nov. 12 its Investor Alert on avoiding fraud schemes pitched on social media:

    http://investor.gov/news-alerts/investor-alerts/investor-alert-social-media-investing-avoiding-fraud#.VKYo33vVqk9

    About nine days earlier, on Nov. 3, someone published on YouTube a video titled, “Readytoachieve Achieve Community Troy Barnes Kristi Johnson Readytoachieve com.”

    Here is a screen shot from that video:

    http://patrickpretty.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/achievecommunity800small.jpg

    Compare the pitch in the screen shot to the information the SEC is sharing in its Investor Alert.

    Patrick

  18. What I’m saying is the people that joined may have joined a scam but it’s their business. It’s none of your business what I join.

    I beg to differ, it certainly is my business when your activities pollute the banking system. It’s my business when the money stolen from many of these scams goes overseas to who knows where but in come proven cases to fund terrorism, drug smuggling, child pornography and money laundering. Its my business when people lose so much in these scams that they have to resort to public assistance to recover from these great opportunities.

    No, you’re wrong, it is my business when you don’t care how much gets stolen as long as you get your cut. How dare you parade yourself around as just trying to get ahead without admitting that in order to just get ahead you’re morally fine with stealing from senior citizens who can’t afford their medicine. Ad then wrapping the whole thing up in your religion so you can sleep at night only makes it more sickening.

    As to everyone was getting paid until payments stopped. Look at that statement, can you not see how utterly stupid that is? Even if they were still paying, are you so obtuse as to think that’s proof they’re not a scam? A ponzi that promises to pay you 5 dollars for every dollar you invest is a scam from day one, when they took the first dollar they owed 5, and even though they can pay 50 cents a day for 10 days, they’re still a cam from day one, you’re just to stupid to realize it if you think otherwise.

    If you insist on doing this at least be honest about and go hang around nursing homes waiting for seniors to come out so you can hold them up, they can at least fight back that way.

  19. Greg I totally agree, these acheive sheep are totally brainwashed by Troy and Kristi they will never learn.they rather rob a 86 year old lady so they can hope to get paid in this 800 to 1% scam called acheive. And they call us trolls for spotting what is a scam and very serious financial crimes being committed by Troy and Kristi.

    Well we are smart for seeing acheive as a endless bank account for Troy and Kristi.

    Meanwhile howany of you borrowed your last dime on your credit card to over buy into this scam?

    By the way a very merry Christmas from your untrusted admin with love as always, Troy And Kristi here is your acheive gift…. A credit card bill in January which you can not afford that MUST be paid or the happy bill collector will be calling.

    Take that to your underground forum.

  20. A woman tried to post this at Facebook. It was deleted:

    “Lets get the momentum of this opportunity in this group back up to 100…..we dont want to continue losing speed as we have been lately.”

    Patrick

  21. More lies from scammer Kristi in her last update, notice scammer Troy is missing

    1 /2 2015

    Hello Achieve Community!

    This is such an amazing group of people, you have always been and continue to be the best community in our industry! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and are ready to Achieve in 2015.

    The programmers, accounting, legal and underwriting staff will all be back at work next week so that we can see where we are and what to expect next. I know everyone is looking forward to that, so be sure to watch for the updates.

    Most of the issues with our merchant have been resolved, although some people are still not seeing their positions in their back office right away. Give it a day please and then send your receipt to support if you have purchased and don’t see your position (you can check by looking at your purchase history in your back office). Thanks.

    Enjoy your weekend Achievers – we have some very exciting times coming up very soon!

    To your success, Kristi

  22. Secwatchin:
    More lies from scammer Kristi in her last update, notice scammer Troy is missing

    still funny how his alleged fiance has yet to even acknowledge the ‘engagement’ or thank the well wishers. Does she even know? It’s posted right there on his facebook that she left a generic comment on.

  23. @secwatchin

    scammer troy mia is old news, lol. he’s changed addresses so much his heads in havana and his tail’s in tuvaloo. that was so last two months ago. where you been? i just kid! (; he really needs to stop being so shy up there in mi, lol. or maybe he’s not even there anymore. maybe he’s repositioned himself in an underground lair in togo? leaving poor scammer kristi to fend for herself. get shame troy, lol! someone needs to write a book. ‘achieve: two positions and a cot’

  24. Secwatchin:
    More lies from scammer Kristi in her last update, notice scammer Troy is missing

    The programmers, accounting, legal and underwriting staff will all be back at work next week so that we can see where we are and what to expect next.

    There are no programmers, accounting,legal and underwriting staff….who the hell is she kidding, she was just recently whining about not having time to answers questions herself and you had to go to the forum with them, and now she makes it sound like a whole office full of people is coming back from vacation. She runs the whole thing out of a corner of a spare bedroom, not the 29th floor of the Ren Center

  25. Just in looks like more lies for the ponzi acheive… They still don’t have a payment payout processor which tells me this ponzi is done….

    Kristi JohnsonJanuary 4 2015
    Hello Achieve Community!

    I have some bad news for the Community. GCC is not going to work with us after all, and that is not the worst of it. We have to restructure our Achieve organization. I don’t know yet what that will mean entirely, until I speak with my lawyers tomorrow. All I can tell you is that I fully intend to have us up and running again as soon as possible and that I know there are many options for doing this. But at this point I need expert advice and I’m not going to guess at what that will be. Instead I’ll let you know when I have real information about what this is going to take and how long it will take.

    I know that Achieve is not going anywhere, no matter what we have to do – and you will know what our future will be as the solutions are put into place.

    There is a lot of work for me to do….I’m very sorry I can’t just be online and talk with all of you….but this restructure needs my full attention now.

    Nothing is going to stop me. This Community is changing the world and we aren’t going to let a few set backs stop that.

    More tomorrow….

  26. they done gone poooofed! people will never learn. “and that is not the worst of it.” lol, classic.

  27. Well, ain’t it a small world! I just found out that Rodney Blackburn lives pretty close to the Well Armed Bunker Complex and in addition to being a high powered financial kingpin he’s also the assistant manager of the Bob Evans where I often go for breakfast! Imagine that, he knows so much about corporate finance and can make a decent plate of biscuits and gravy too!

    I just may have to get personal with this serial pimp.