Archive for January 2015

York Regional Police (Ontario) Ask For Assistance In Ponzi Case Allegedly Involving Salim Damji And Female Accomplice

York Regional Police (Ontario) Ask For Assistance In Ponzi Case Allegedly Involving Salim Damji And Female Accomplice

The York Regional Police Major Fraud Unit in Ontario, Canada, has arrested Salim Damji and a female accomplice in an alleged “romance and investment Ponzi scheme” that fleeced at least eight victims out of about $400,000. Damji, 45, allegedly uses multiple names. Police have released a photo of him and have asked the public for […]

Ontario Securities Commission Issues Warning On ‘Rockwell Partners,’ A Ponzi-Board ‘Program’

Ontario Securities Commission Issues Warning On 'Rockwell Partners,' A Ponzi-Board 'Program'

Rockwell Partners SA, an HYIP “program” that has a 218-page thread at the MoneyMakerGroup Ponzi forum, now is the subject of a warning from the Ontario Securities Commission. A Facebook site that claims an association with Rockwell Partners asserted in March 2014 that “[w]e would like to remind you that Rockwell Partners is not just […]

OHIO AG’S OFFICE: Parties Have Negotiated In Profitable Sunrise-Related Litigation, But No ‘Final Settlement Document At This Time’

OHIO AG'S OFFICE: Parties Have Negotiated In Profitable Sunrise-Related Litigation, But No 'Final Settlement Document At This Time'

Although the court docket in Williams County, Ohio, indicates that a settlement has been reached in a July 2013 civil case brought against Profitable Sunrise figure Nancy Jo Frazer and others, the office of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said this afternoon that there was nothing to announce immediately. The PP Blog contacted DeWine’s office […]

TelexFree Case Announcement Was No. 1 ‘Most Viewed News’ From SEC In 2014

TelexFree Case Announcement Was No. 1 'Most Viewed News' From SEC In 2014

Moving forward, it might become harder for willfully blind, serial promoters of MLM HYIP schemes to claim surprise that the “programs” they’re pitching are engaging in securities fraud and the sale of unregistered securities. Indeed, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s halting of the TelexFree MLM scheme in April 2014 was the “#1 most-viewed news” […]

Ackman Channels TelexFree Ad Technique In New Herbalife Slam

Ackman Channels TelexFree Ad Technique In New Herbalife Slam

Perhaps you remember the TelexFree ad by a promoter who introduced “Aunt Ethel” by way of an artist’s rendering and accompanying narration. Ads for MLMs and network-marketing “programs” that depict an artist’s hand “drawing” the story are somewhat common. The ads are designed to make you want to jump right in. After all, if the […]

UPDATE: SEC Declines To Comment On Pitchman’s Video Promo For ‘Achieve Community’ And 2 Other Ponzi-Board ‘Programs’ That Used Footage From Agency’s Website

UPDATE: SEC Declines To Comment On Pitchman's Video Promo For 'Achieve Community' And 2 Other Ponzi-Board 'Programs' That Used Footage From Agency's Website

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission declined this morning to comment on a Jan. 9 YouTube pitch from an “Achieve Community” promoter who mixed nearly six minutes of footage from the SEC website into a pitch for Achieve and two other Ponzi-board “programs.” Rodney Blackburn implied in the 14:27 production that the SEC did not […]

Network-Marketing Pitchman Camps Out At SEC Website, Produces Commercial For Achieve Community, Unison Wealth And Trinity Lines; ‘They’re Passive . . . You Just Kind Of Put Your Money Down’ And Receive Payouts

Network-Marketing Pitchman Camps Out At SEC Website, Produces Commercial For Achieve Community, Unison Wealth And Trinity Lines; 'They're Passive . . . You Just Kind Of Put Your Money Down' And Receive Payouts

EDITOR’S NOTE: The screen shots below show that Rodney Blackburn ends his “Unison Wealth” promo at the 8:29 mark of a 14:27 video. At the 8:30 mark, the website of the SEC becomes the feature and remains so for nearly the next six minutes as Blackburn touts Achieve Community, Unison Wealth and Trinity Lines, Ponzi-board […]

Battling Zeek-Related Malpractice Claim, MLM Attorney Kevin Grimes Now A New Partner At Thompson Burton

“It is the biggest announcement I’ve ever made in my career.” — MLM attorney Kevin Thompson on the hiring of Kevin Grimes, Jan. 9, 2015. 2nd UPDATE 5:35 p.m. ET U.S.A. Zeek Rewards receiver Kenneth D. Bell accused Idaho MLM attorney Kevin Grimes last year of providing “substantial assistance” to Zeek’s Ponzi scheme and, in […]

BULLETIN: Achieve Community Says It Has Suspended Sign-Ups, Repurchases

BULLETIN: Achieve Community Says It Has Suspended Sign-Ups, Repurchases

BULLETIN: (7th Update 1:52 p.m. ET Jan. 7 U.S.A.) The Achieve Community says it has suspended “sign ups” and “repurchases” through iPayDNA, a credit-card processor based in Asia. PP Blog reader “Secwatchin” first reported the news at 2:44 p.m. ET today. The Blog confirmed that orders for “positions” could not be placed by visiting the […]

RODNEY’S FOLLY: ‘We Want Achieve To Work So Badly,’ But Sign Up For ‘Trinity Lines’ While You’re Waiting

RODNEY'S FOLLY: 'We Want Achieve To Work So Badly,' But Sign Up For 'Trinity Lines' While You're Waiting

“They want so badly to believe in the tooth fairy.” — Fred Joseph, then-Colorado Securities Commissioner, February 2013. (As told to the Durango Herald in “For a Ponzi payout, call the tooth fairy.”) UPDATED 1:27 P.M. ET U.S.A. Fred Joseph announced his retirement in December 2013, after 30 years in public service. He’d seen it […]

6th Anniversary Of PP Blog!

Dear Readers, The sixth anniversary of the PP Blog passed in the run-up to Christmas last month. I decided to wait until the first of the year to publish a subscription post that commemorates the sixth anniversary. As was the case with our 2,500th-post commemoration two months ago, there are four subscription options. In the […]