GONE TOO FAR? Video Implies Data Network Affiliates Has Branding Deal With Apple’s ‘iPhone’; Separate Video Implies Phone Available For $10 A Month With No Contract; No Immediate Comment From Apple
A YouTube video pitch for DataNetwork affiliates claims the company is offering a branded iPhone.
Have DataNetworkAffiliates and its multilevel-marketing sales force finally gone too far?
Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump now have company on the list of famous names DNA promoters claim have ties to the firm — and this time the name is bigger and has even deeper pockets than Oprah or The Donald: Apple Inc., the inventive, Steve Jobs-led electronics behemoth that brought the world the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPad, iTunes and the iPhone.
A video on YouTube asserts that DNA is offering a branded iPhone dubbed the “DNA iPhone.” Meanwhile, the video asserts that DNA is the “ONLY Network Marketing Company With Branded iPhones.”
Video asserts that DNA is the "ONLY Network Marketing Company With Branded iPhones."
The video provides no substantiation of the claims and does not show such a branded iPhone. Regardless, a URL at the YouTube site encourages viewers to register for DNA and “JOIN A FREE BUSINESS AND MAKE INCREDIBLE RESIDUAL INCOME.”
It is far from clear that DNA has any business relationship at all with Apple, despite the claim it was selling DNA-branded iPhones. A separate YouTube video that 
appears to have been posted by another DNA member implies that DNA not only has an iPhone, but that the iPhone comes with a “No Term Contract” for $10 a month.
“You are Not in Kansas Anymore!” the second video screams. “This is Global Baby!”
Apple, which is known to defend its brand and intellectual property vigorously, did not respond immediately to the PP Blog’s request for comment. It
A second video implies the iPhone comes with a price tag of only $10 a month with no contract
is not believed that DNA, which uses a domain registered in the Cayman Islands and has conducted customer service for months with a free gmail address, has any licensing agreement with Apple for cell-phone marketing, pricing or the use of Apple’s intellectual property.
Images of iPhones, however, appear in the YouTube promotions and on DNA’s website. A picture of an iPhone G3 and other phones is featured 
prominently on the DNA site, below a headline of “Introducing UNLIMITED Talk, UNLIMITED Text with UNLIMITED Data Plans: DNA Cellular Begins Full Service May 2010.”
Neither Winfrey nor Trump’s organizations responded to requests for comment from the PP Blog when contacted in February to determine if either celebrity had endorsed DNA or authorized their images to be used in promotions for DNA. Images of Winfrey and Trump appeared for 10 continuous minutes in a YouTube video for DNA.
One DNA promoter claimed during a conference call earlier this year that the company had “certain people on speed dial that’s incredible.â€
Apple was made aware of the DNA iPhone claim on YouTube by both email and telephone earlier today.
The iPhone claim in the DNA promos is included among a series of claims — all of which raise questions about licensure, the use of trademarks and other intellectual property and the often seedy or disingenuous practices of multilevel-marketing (MLM) companies and affiliates who attempt to attach their names to famous entities and individuals to create legitimacy by osmosis.
DNA, which has been in business for only months, did not even start out in the cell-phone trade. Rather, the company told members that it was in the business of recording license-plate numbers for entry in a database that potentially could be helpful to law enforcement and the AMBER Alert program.
Claims that DNA could help the U.S. government and law enforcement locate abducted children were made despite the fact the company uses a domain registered offshore and conducts support through gmail, apparently by using an autoresponder.
In a bizarre response to concerns about the Cayman Islands domain, the company said it had chosen “privacy†protection on the domain for $5 “to prevent management from having to “put up with 100 stupid calls a day,†a member told the PP Blog.
Virtually overnight the company morphed into a purported cell-phone business, declaring “GAME OVER – WE WIN” and bragging “DNA goes CELLBALISTIC with TALK & TEXT Unlimited $10 Monthly with FREE PHONE . . . D.N.A. HITS 100,000 SIGN UPS in 60 DAYS . . . D.N.A. GOES CELLBALISTIC WORLD – WIDE . . . A TEN BY TEN EQUALS MORE MONEY THAN YOU CAN SPEND . . . If you thought finding ten people to write down 20 plates was easy . . . wait until you offer TALK and TEXT UNLIMITED FOR $10 A MONTH WITH FREE PHONE.”
DNA plants the seed on its own website that the iPhone is in its product lineup.
Within three weeks of making the claim that it had conquered the cell-phone business, DNA admitted it could not offer unlimited talk and text with a free phone for $10 a month. Incredibly, the company said it researched pricing only after announcing the $10 plan.
DNA then sent members a pitch for a product known as the “DNA Sleep System,” offering “50% off” a purported price of nearly $2,000.
“This sleep system has 400% Deeper Penetration than it’s predecessor with new ‘Three Dimensional Magnetic Fields’ The First of Its Kind with Patented Technology!†DNA said.
“The D.N.A. OUTFRONT Magnetic Sleep System is 400% more powerful than anything currently in the marketplace. Out of everything under the D.N.A. Opportunity this is one of the most exciting and more profitable items which will be listed with DNA CONNECTS.â€
Members of DNA continue to promote the $10 plan and to make liberal use of the names of famous people and products across the web.
Well when you have Phil Piccolo behind this, what else would anyone expect. It won’t be long until Phil crashes and burns DNA, but it is never his fault. Just ask YTB how great it was to partner with Phil.
Patrick,I know that you have a reltionship with Troy Dooley of the MLM help desk DNA is saying the copmay got took by a Chris Gereco who in the past worked or consulted for Globe verge, panther, and DNA. but it looks like Chris did this to get the data base of names so he can start his own company Global pros.
http://www.mlmhelpdesk.com/2010/04/30/breaking-mlm-wireless-news-what-does-global-verge-data-network-affiliates-and-mlm-help-desk-have-in-common/
I hope I did that link right but it’s from April 30th. I heard on a recorded call that was on Troy’s site, that Chris stated he could ‘Flash an iphone” which means I believe if you turn off the phone and start it back on it would say DNA celluar. But this is old news. If I remember Chris was introduce as a vender early April with launch April 20th, and then DNA and Chris parted ways. Why DNA would not take the DNA cell phone down I do not know
For a second there, I thought you were referring to the Pro Wrestler “Jerico”, but then I found out the name is Greco.
I believe the “Flashing” you mentioned is similar to flashing the BIOS in a PC. It means you reprogram the EEPROM with different information, namely, the carrier info and stuff.
If anyone thinks they can realistically get unlimited anything for 10 dollars a month, they need to seek a mental evaluation.My thoughts….
@Patrick,
I have an out-of-place question. Do you know if there is an organization like the Financial Fraud Task Force that handles matter internationally? Or does the Financial Fraud Task Force handles complaints about a company that is registered in a country other than the U.S. but has a huge scheme operation in the U.S. particularly member to member scam?
To what extent does the Financial Fraud Task Force operate in fighting fraud and scams?
And to where should someone direct such complaint if one chooses to? Any email, or mailing address, or telephone numbers? Thanks!
The Financial Fraud Task Force can be found here: http://www.stopfraud.gov.
It is my understanding that as long as U.S. Citizens are involved, they will take the complaint. On the website you will see the link to file your complaint online. Hope this helped.
There certainly is, beebee.
The Internet Crime Complaint Centre: (IC3) http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
“The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and the National White Collar Crime Center(NW3C) to serve
as a means to receive Internet related criminal complaints and to further research,develop, and refer the criminal complaints to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement and/or regulatory agencies for any investigation they deem to be
appropriate. The IC3 was intended, and continues to emphasize, serving the broader law enforcement community to include federal, as well as state, local, and international agencies, which are combating Internet crime and, in many cases, participating in Cyber Crime Task Forces.”
Unfortunately, like so many of these underfunded agencies, IC3 is required to prioritize cases on a number of victims/amount defrauded basis, making it seem as if individual complaints / complainants are overlooked.
IC3 does, however endeavour to pass along as much information as is possible , as well as providing valuable resources to to relevant agencies.
Thank you littleroundman & Lynndel ‘Lynn’ Edgington, for the information.
Question: are there any local offices in New York City for the IC3 or the CCTF (where you can speak to someone in person)? If one wants talk a federal prosecutor, how would he/she go about doing that?
Things are not boding well for DNA. Big plans for DNA Wireless for the 15th didn’t happen. Alexa rankings are tanking. Major players are pulling out. Typical Phil Piccolo results.
[…] It is common for multilevel-marketing (MLM) participants to make fantastic claims about products, including false claims they are endorsed by celebrities and captains of industry. The ad for DNA that included Winfrey’s image appeared months after she filed the lawsuit in the Acai berry cases last year. One DNA pitchman said in a conference call earlier this year that the company had “certain people on speed dial that’s incredible.†[…]