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Category: Writing And Branding

  • TelexFree/iFreeX Figure Sann Rodrigues Appears In Car With Emerson Fittipaldi; Is Brazilian Racing Legend Being Duped By MLM Huckster?

    Racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi somehow ended up in a car with TelexFree figure Sann Rodrigues. Source: Video on DailyMotion.
    Racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi somehow ended up in a car with TelexFree figure Sann Rodrigues. Source: Video on DailyMotion.

    UPDATED 2:14 P.M. ET U.S.A. It is not unusual for financial fraudsters to seek to rub elbows with famous people or to imply ties to them as a means of sanitizing purported “opportunities” or accenting their own bona fides. Recent examples of this include Florida-based Ponzi-schemer/racketeer Scott Rothstein, who mixed with the elite as his epic fraud scheme spiraled out of control.

    Florida-based AdSurfDaily Ponzi schemer Andy Bowdoin (and any number of his promoters) falsely implied that then-President George W. Bush was on ASD’s train. The Mantria Corp. Ponzi scheme in Colorado traded on images of former President Bill Clinton and famous politicians or business executives.

    The WCM777 scam traded on purported ties to Siemens and scores of famous companies. Siemens publicy refuted the WCM777 claims.

    TelexFree, alleged to have gathered hundreds of millions of dollars in a combined Ponzi- and pyramid scheme targeted in no small measure at Brazilians and people who speak Portuguese or Spanish, aligned itself with the Botafogo soccer club in Brazil. The PR results were disastrous.

    Now comes word that Sann Rodrigues, a figure in both the TelexFree and iFreeX schemes, is seen in a video in which he is driving a car. That in itself wouldn’t be unusual, in that Rodrigues previously has recorded one or more videos that put him behind the wheel of a flashy ride.

    But in this case the passenger in the car is Emerson Fittipaldi, the Brazilian racing legend who won the Formula One World Championship twice and also is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

    The PP Blog has sought comment from Fittipaldi through multiple channels and hopes to hear back from the legend. If Fittipaldi or his organization responds, we’ll make sure you see that response.

    Rodrigues was charged by the SEC in April 2014 with securities fraud for his alleged role in the massive TelexFree swindle. This marked the second time the SEC had implicated him in a fraud scheme. The first was a 2006 scam known as Universo Foneclub Corporation. Like TelexFree, Universo Foneclub allegedly was targeted at the Brazilian community.

    TelexFree also is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Police in Brazil. At the same time, the Securities Division of Massachusetts Commonwealth Secretary William Galvin also is investigating TelexFree.

    In September 2014, Galvin issued a warning about iFreeX, another “program” associated with Rodrigues. T-Mobile, the famous phone company, later said it was checking to see if its branding material was being misused by iFreeX.

    Precisely how Fittipaldi ended up in a car with Rodrigues is unclear. Early research suggests Fittipaldi made an appearance at a hotel in the area of Orlando, Fla., on or around Jan. 6 of this year. Rodrigues may reside in the Orlando area.

    The Orlando event appears to have been arranged by a venture known as DFRF. The asserted operator of that venture is Daniel Fernandez Rojo Filho. (The Ferdandez name also has been spelled with a trailing “s,” as opposed to a “z.”) His name surfaced as part of the Evolution Market Group/Finanzas Forex case in 2010.

    (Also see PP Blog article. Also see Palm Beach Post article.)

    It is clear that some Brazilians interested in the TelexFree case are closely following the appearance of Fittipaldi alongside Rodrigues, wondering if the racing legend is being duped by an alleged recidivist swindler.

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

    rockwellpartnersRockwell 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 another fly-by-night HYIP but a stable and safe place to invest your funds!”

    Rockwell Partners purportedly was based in Costa Rica.

    The first post in a MoneyMakerGroup thread in which Rockwell Partners was pushed in March 2014 claims a daily payout of between 1 percent and 3.5 percent. By June 2014, reports surfaced that the “program” was on the rocks. The website no longer resolves to a server.

    Current schemes being promoted at MoneyMakerGroup include Achieve Community, which claims $50 turns into $400.

    Any number of Achieve Community promoters now are pushing other Ponzi-board schemes.

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

    newtelexfreelogoMoving 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” on the SEC’s website last year, according to a tweet from the agency.

    TelexFree currently is in bankruptcy court, with executives facing criminal charges and some promoters and vendors immersed in a sea of civil litigation. TelexFree operated across state and national borders, with some promoters claiming $15,125 sent to the company would result in a guaranteed return of at least $1,150 a week for a year.

  • Ackman Channels TelexFree Ad Technique In New Herbalife Slam

    From the Ackman ad.
    From the Ackman ad.

    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 Aunt Ethels of the world see the value after being introduced to a “program” by a loved one or friend, well, who would question Aunt Ethel?

    In a swipe at Herbalife, activist investor Bill Ackman has introduced an ad in which an artist’s hand draws the story on how to avoid pyramid schemes. One of the characters in the ad bears a striking resemblance to Herbalife CEO Michael O. Johnson.

    The 6:22 ad is running on YouTube and Vimeo and is titled, “Pyramid Schemes: A Primer.” A 6:27 version in Spanish also is available.

    From an ad for TelexFree.
    From an ad for TelexFree.

    The SEC accused TelexFree last year of operating a massive pyramid scheme. The case is important because it demonstrates that the presence of a “product” in a scheme does not take pyramid concerns off the table.

    TelexFree appears to have channeled Herbalife in some ways. Herbalife, for example, called meetings “extravaganzas.” So did TelexFree. Herbalife also has been a soccer sponsor. TelexFree did the same thing.

    Meanwhile, TelexFree is alleged to have targeted communities whose first languages were ones other than English. Ackman contends Herbalife targets Latinos and other members of minority communities.

    Ackman has alleged for more than two years that Herbalife is a pyramid scheme. Herbalife says it is not.

  • 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

    achievelogoThe 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 have jurisdiction over “programs” such as Achieve, Unison Wealth and Trinity Lines. Parts of the Blackburn promo were recorded inside his back office of Unison Wealth.

    “[D]ecline comment,” the SEC succinctly said today.

    Achieve purports that $50 sent to the “program” fetches back $400. Members reportedly were permitted to buy multiple $50 “positions” and to roll a percentage of “earnings” back into the “program,” a straight-line money-cycling scheme.

    A similar rollback feature was an element in the Zeek Rewards scheme shut down by the SEC in 2012.

    Blackburn says he prefers “passive” programs. The SEC and state-level regulators have a history of acting against such ventures. Zeek, for example, was promoted as a “passive” scheme.

    At about the 0:51 mark of Blackburn’s Jan. 9 video, ads for “programs” called “Paradox Cash” and “GlobalAdShare” appear, meaning that people such as Blackburn who sign up for Unison Wealth are being shown promos for still-other Ponzi-board schemes.

    “GET PAID DAILY FOR DOING NOTHING,” the ad for GlobalAdShare blares.

    Blackburn’s Jan. 9 video is at least the second confirmation that Unison Wealth is beaming ads for other HYIPs.

    On Dec. 12, the office of then-U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy of the Western District of Virginia had no immediate comment on an Achieve Community call in which Blackburn was a host. The call demonstrated that Achieve was driving business by reaching across state lines and that one or more senior citizens had signed up, including a woman who claimed her 86-year-old husband of 53 years had been “in the hospital for a full year and six months in the nursing home.”

    Achieve reportedly suspended payouts to members more than two months ago after losing its ability to conduct business through Payoneer. Although it announced a purported deal with Global Cash Card on Dec. 18 to resume payouts, that deal appears to have fallen through.

    The “program” said last week that it would resume payouts on an unspecified date through a “temporary” processor. The “temporary” processor was not named.

    The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy recently has dialed up its efforts to educate the public about scams that spread on social-media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Achieve and its promoters have or had a presence on all three.

     

  • 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 “programs” one and all. It is Saturday. The PP Blog did not immediately hear back from the SEC on a request for comment.

    1. From ‘Unison Wealth’ . . .

    achievecommunityblackburnunisonwealth829sceensmall

    2. . . . To The SEC

    achievecommunityblackburnunisonwealth830sceensmall

    “We’re leaving the markets of these crazy MLM companies, and there are people like the Achieve Community, Trinity Lines, Unison Wealth, many of these other companies are coming out. And they are making programs that are very simplistic, they’re passive, they’re residual incomes. They’re just so simple you just kind of put your money down.” — Rodney Blackburn, Jan. 9, 2015.

    A 14:27 YouTube video from an “Achieve Community” member now promoting at least two other Ponzi-board schemes includes nearly six minutes of continuous footage from the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The latest promo by Rodney Blackburn focuses on “Unison Wealth” and has a publication date of Jan. 9, 2015. It is titled “Network Marketing & MLM Programs Are Getting Better!!!” The promo suggests that ordinary MLM creates an environment in which 97 percent of participants lose and that new, smarter, better schemes are emerging to replace them.

    “You don’t have to do any marketing, for the most part,” he says of the purported new way of network marketing. “You don’t have to jump through any hoops and recruit people. You don’t have to go through any of these things.”

    In short, Blackburn says, in the new way of network marketing, participants “just kind of put [their] money down” and payouts flow back to them. What’s more, he implies, the SEC doesn’t have jurisdiction, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, including several concurrent active prosecutions involving network-marketing or MLM schemes with passive components.

    Blackburn even dares individuals to complain to the SEC about the “programs” he’s promoting.

    “There’s people on here who think that the SEC can shut companies down,” Blackburn says as part of his narration. “Guys, [the] SEC is designed for, again, Securities and Exchange Commission, what they do — it shows it right here in back and white.”

    Blackburn proceeds to click on an “ABOUT” tab and a “What We Do” subtab at the SEC website. He then cherry-picks a quote from the agency’s site, wholly ignoring sections on SEC enforcement that detail various cases brought against network-marketing or MLM schemes.

    “The mission of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets,” Blackburn says, reading from the SEC site.

    That’s true, of course — but the cherry-picking ignores the much larger whole.

    Had Blackburn simply typed “MLM” into the search box in the upper-right corner of the SEC site, he’d have gained instant access to information that undermines his jurisdiction theory.

    Without perusing the enforcement section that has information on recent schemes such as Zeek Rewards, TelexFree, WCM777, eAdGear, Zhunrize, CKB168 and others, Blackburn switches back to his personal narrative.

    “Guys, it’s about investors,” Blackburn continues, apparently concluding that the SEC would have no interest in the schemes he’s promoting. “It’s about efficient markets. If others of you who want to complain to your governments about these companies that are out there — you know what, go right ahead. It’s not going to do any good, unless they’re doing illegal activity. Unless you have substantial, proven evidence that any of these companies — any of them, OK — are doing anything illegal, it’s futile. You’re just blowing fear out there to the rest of us, OK, because it’s not going to do any good. Come up with something better. Come up with a fact.”

    It is a fact that the SEC, on Oct. 1, 2013, issued an “Investor Alert” titled “Beware of Pyramid Schemes Posing as Multi-Level Marketing Programs.” As part of its outreach, the SEC warned about schemes with “Promises of high returns in a short time period” and “Easy money or passive income.”

    Meanwhile, it is a fact that Achieve Community has been positioned as a “passive” program with an 800 percent ROI in as few as 55 days. It’s also a fact that a Dec. 27, 2014, promo for Unison Wealth published on YouTube by Blackburn is titled, “Unison Wealth – Review 100% Passive Automated Play for just $40!”

    Blackburn’s Jan. 9 video appears to be a compendium of two, with the first 8:29 focused on Unison Wealth. When Blackburn’s Unison pitch ends, the scene shifts abruptly to the SEC website. SEC visuals appear continuously for nearly the next six full minutes as Blackburn discuses his “programs.”

    Even as Blackburn tries to make the case that the “programs” are outside the purview of the SEC, he tells his audience that he prefers “passive” programs.” Somehow lost by Blackburn in all of this is that the passivity of a scheme and how it behaves in practice are what confer jurisdiction on the SEC.

    This has been the law in the United States since at least 1946.

    Less than a year ago — on Feb. 28, 2014 — the court appointed receiver in the Zeek Rewards Ponzi- and pyramid case as brought by the SEC in a highly publicized action in August 2012 — alleged that “ZeekRewards succeeded be cause it promoted a lucrative ‘compensation plan,’ offering large amounts of passive income to entice individuals to participate in the scheme.”

    Kenneth D. Bell, the receiver, is suing thousands of individuals for the return of hundreds of millions of dollars, saying their “winnings” came from hundreds of thousands of victims defrauded by Zeek.

    Resources

    Aug. 17, 2012, SEC News Release on Zeek action. (Headline: “SEC Shuts Down $600 Million Online Pyramid and Ponzi Scheme.”)

    Oct. 17, 2013, SEC News Release on CKB168 action. (Headline: “SEC Halts Pyramid Scheme Targeting Asian-American Community.”

    April 17, 2014, SEC News Release on TelexFree action. (Headline: “SEC Halts Pyramid Scheme Targeting Dominican and Brazilian Immigrants.”

    March 28, 2014, SEC News Release on WCM777 action. (Headline: “SEC Halts Pyramid Scheme Targeting Asian and Latino Communities.”

    Sept. 26, 2014, SEC News Release On eAdGear/Zhunrize actions. (Headline: “SEC Announces Cases Targeting International Pyramid Scheme Operators.”

  • 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 effect, attempting “to put lipstick on the ZeekRewards pig.”

    Grimes, formerly of the now-defunct Grimes & Reese law firm, is battling Bell’s contentions that he engaged in legal malpractice, created a “bogus ‘compliance course’” and participated in “leadership calls” that helped sanitize Zeek.

    It is against this backdrop that Grimes, whom Bell is suing for $100 million, has landed at suburban Nashville’s Thompson Burton as a new partner after being flown in to discuss joining the firm. The announcement was made by managing partner Kevin Thompson in both text and video forms. The news appears first to have been published elsewhere on the MLMHelpDesk Blog of Troy Dooly.

    Dooly also encountered trouble owing to alleged Zeek ties.

    Thompson appears only to make an allusion to Zeek in the 4:28 YouTube video announcing the hire. But he mentions it directly in a Blog post at the Thompson Burton site.

    Grimes, whose qualities include experience and depth, is a good person and good lawyer who fosters at-risk teens and is “very open about his faith” and “very passionate about serving people,” Thompson said.

    A well-known MLM lawyer in a field often associated with PR blunders, Thompson appears not to be concerned that his 16-member firm whose practice isn’t limited to MLM could take a hit by bringing on Grimes with Zeek matters still unresolved. Three Zeek executives were charged with federal crimes in the aftermath of SEC civil actions in 2012 and 2013.

    “I’m excited for what this means,” Thompson said of the hiring of Grimes. “I think in the industry, iron sharpens iron. He can make me better; I can make him better. There’s some things that he’s not doing very well, such as communicating. He’s hasn’t communicated at all.  Most of you don’t even know who he is. We’ve got to fix that. So, you’re going to get to know him better. He’s going through some issues right now, and he’s dealing with them.  And there going to be a day when he’s not dealing with them and he can focus on doing what he does best. He’s been practicing for close to 25 years without any single bar complaints. So, he knows what he’s doing.”

    Grimes has not been named a defendant in the SEC’s civil actions and has not been charged with a crime. But Bell, the Zeek receiver, has alleged in court filings that Grimes missed important clues that something was seriously amiss at Zeek.

    The SEC has described Zeek as a combined Ponzi- and pyramid scheme that gathered hundreds of millions of dollars. Zeek insiders Paul Burks, Dawn-Wright-Olivares and Daniel Olivares have been charged criminally, with Wright-Olivares and Olivares already entering guilty pleas.

     

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

    achievesignupsuspensionBULLETIN: (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 ReadyToAchieve website, clicking on the “Sign Up” tab and clicking again on a “Join Now!” button. The message we received is reproduced in the graphic at the top of this story.

    Colorado-based Achieve co-founder Kristi Johnson reportedly advised Achieve members that its “merchant” — iPayDNA — needed to “get caught up.”

    Why iPayDNA purportedly had fallen behind in processing credit-card transactions wasn’t explained.

    On Jan. 4, Johnson announced to Achieve members that Global Cash Card, which Achieve had claimed to be its new “payout” processor, “is not going to work with us after all.” On Dec. 18, Achieve had positioned its relationship with U.S.-based GCC as a done deal.

    Why Achieve, a money-cycling “program” operating in the United States with a presence on well-known Ponzi-scheme forums, needed separate vendors to process “money in” and “money out” transactions has not been explained.

    Here is what Johnson reportedly told members today (italics/carriage returns added):

    Hello Achieve Community!

    We are going to stop sign ups and repurchases for a few days beginning in about 30 minutes, so that our merchant can get caught up. And we won’t be doing more sign ups until we have more information about payout options for us.

    I hope to have some good news on that in the next few days! Thursday I’ll be meeting again with the lawyers and that will give me a better time frame for when Achieve will be completely ready to go again. I will keep letting you know how things are going as the information becomes available to me.

    In the meantime, while this process is going on, there is very little that I can tell you without risking hurting the entire process. So please, keep the speculation quiet, you will hear everything, just be patient please. Although we won’t be doing sign ups, you all will still have access to the members area, your banners, the Forum, and your products. Thank you all for taking care of each other! Achieve is the best Community ever!

    Kristi

    Some Achieve members have turned to promoting other Ponzi-board “programs” such as Unison Wealth and Trinity Lines. Promos from Achieve members also promoting Unison Wealth show that Unison Wealth is beaming ads for HYIP schemes inside the back offices of its members.

  • 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.”)

    Achieve Community promoter Rodney Blackburn laments developments with that "program," and now is encouraging prospectss to sifn up for "Trinity Lines," another Ponzi-boad "opportunity." Like other Achievers, Rodney also is promoting "Unison Wealth" yet another Ponzi-board "program.
    Achieve Community promoter Rodney Blackburn laments developments with that “program,” and now is encouraging prospects to sign up for “Trinity Lines,” another Ponzi-board “opportunity.” Like other Achievers, Rodney also is promoting “Unison Wealth,” yet another Ponzi-board “program.”

    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 all during the course of his career, including the case of Frederick H.K. Baker, infamous as an instance in which an HYIP scammer tried to “scam the scammers.”

    Now comes word that “Achieve Community,” a Ponzi-board “program” that appears to be operating out of Colorado and Michigan, is in an even deeper crisis than the one it confronted after reportedly losing its ability to do business with Payoneer in late October or early November.

    This is because Global Cash Card, which Achieve apparently envisioned as a substitute “payout” processor after the Payoneer debacle, reportedly is unwilling to work with Achieve — this after Achieve sold the asserted GCC arrangement as a done deal on Dec. 18.

    Achieve promoter Rodney Blackburn, in our view, is a classic example of a person who wants badly to believe in the tooth fairy.

    “Quite honestly, there’s a lot of upset people out there, and rightfully so,” Rodney says of the GCC development, attributing the news to Colorado-based Achieve co-founder Kristi Johnson. “I can understand where everybody is upset. There was a lot of rumors going on out there. There has not been a lot of transparency, as far as the details . . .”

    “Kristi has brought out information that’s in the forum [pertaining to the GCC development]; I can’t dispute that.  But as far as what’s been going on with Global Cash Card — that has been declined, for whatever reason we don’t know.”

    Rodney says Achieve owes him $90,000.

    “We all just have to wait it out,” he says, adding that he “trust[s] Kristi enough to where she is going to make this wrong right, that she is going to give everything that she’s got to get Achieve up and running. She had a vision from the beginning. The vision has never, you know, swayed. But definitely something going on in the background, and it would be nice if she was a little bit more open about what’s going on. I know she likes to kinda hold everything to the vest close to her. But . . . it’s tough because there are so many of us out there that are really needing the money. That’s why we get into this industry. We want Achieve to work so badly . . .

    “The best thing I can tell everybody as of right now is to look into other options.”

    Rodney’s remarks are contained within a 11:59 YouTube video published Jan. 4 and titled “LIST – Achieve Community Update 1/ 4 /2015.” LIST stands for Legendary Income Solutions Team, a group that pushes “programs.” Just seconds after Rodney laments the situation at Achieve, it becomes clear that he won’t be just sitting around. No, Rodney is now pushing “Trinity Lines,” another Ponzi-board “program.”

    As noted earlier, Rodney also is pushing Unison Wealth. It, too, is a Ponzi-board “program.”

    Because Ponzi-board “programs” often have promoters in common, this sets the stage for fraudulent proceeds to circulate between and among scams.

    Little wonder GCC appears not to be keen on Achieve. Its promoters may be polluting the money stream at multiple points of contact by pushing other scams, even as Achieve appears to be boxed in.

  • 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 spirit of that post, I’m returning to the “penny a post” theme. We’re asking readers who believe in what this Blog is doing to take out a one-year subscription for either $25, $50, $75 or $100.

    The $25 fee constitutes a penny a post for our current editorial well of 2,500+ articles. There’s a pull-down menu in case you decide you’d like personally to value the editorial well at 2 cents a post ($50), 3 cents a post ($75) or 4 cents a post ($100).

    There is no paywall at the PP Blog. By purchasing a subscription that automatically renews in one year, you’ll be helping me personally. And, as I noted in November, you’ll be helping a Blog that publishes an average of 416 stories a year and keeps matters important to readers a bookmark away remain free for other readers.

    This “penny-a-post” idea has helped me scotch the very real concern about affecting readership. The readers who subscribe will be helping keep the Blog free for those who cannot afford to subscribe and for those who simply choose not to.

    My sincere thank you for your continued interest in the PP Blog.

    Patrick


    PP Blog 2,500thPost Subscriptions



  • ‘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.