Federal Trade Commission

UPDATED 3:59 P.M. EDT U.S.A. It surfaced on Twitter today in the $HLF search thread that Herbalife products are being marketed through Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. The Catholic school bills itself  “the largest non-public school west of Chicago.” Herbalife is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Hedge-fund manager and Herbalife […]

BULLETIN: (3rd update 10:17 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) The Federal Trade Commission has gone to federal court in Arizona, alleging that Vemma CEO B.K. Boreyko violated a court order within 11 days after a federal judge imposed a preliminary injunction against the MLM company. Boreyko contacted certain affiliates on an unknown date with Vemma  “sales or marketing material” in […]

“Consumers represented by the FTC knowingly and voluntarily, and possibly unreasonably, exposed themselves to any claimed losses with knowledge or appreciation of the risk involved.” — Part of Vemma’s Sept. 30 defense to pyramid-scheme and deceptive-advertising charges filed by the FTC in August Consumers can be forgiven if they view part of Vemma’s defense to […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: On some days, it seems as though no one in MLM has any PR savvy. This is one of those days. Positioning himself as an insider who has spoken with Vemma CEO B.K. Boreyko, one of the company’s top affiliates took to the Internet today to declare the Federal Trade Commission appears to […]

6th Update 6:41 p.m. EDT U.S.A. A federal judge has issued a much-anticipated order in the Federal Trade Commission’s pyramid-scheme case against Vemma that says “[t]he evidence before the Court leaves little doubt that the FTC will ultimately succeed on the merits in demonstrating that Vemma is operating a pyramid scheme.” U.S. District Judge John J. […]

Vemma critic Truth In Advertising has posted a transcript of the Sept. 15 battle in Arizona federal court between Vemma and the Federal Trade Commission over the preliminary injunction, asset freeze and appointment of a receiver. Vemma hopes to undo these things or at least to modify them in a way that would put the company […]

UPDATED 11:31 A.M. EDT U.S.A. In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission took action against an online venture known as iWorks. This allegation appeared on Page 7 of the FTC’s Dec. 21, 2010 complaint: “They have also attempted to drive down their chargeback rates by threatening to report consumers who seek chargebacks to an Internet consumer […]

“The staff also has recently seen what appears to be an increase in pyramid schemes . . . under the guise of ‘multi-level marketing’ and ‘network marketing’ opportunities . . . These schemes often target the most vulnerable investors, and social media has expanded their reach. The Division is deploying resources to disrupt these schemes […]

“Automatic Mobile Cash,” pushed on YouTube by “Achieve Community” hucksters Rodney Blackburn and Mike Chitty, has tanked, according to chatter on the MoneyMakerGroup Ponzi forum. MMG poster “im the man,” citing information from SolidTrustPay, claimed yesterday that SolidTrustPay had blocked AMC’s ability “to accept deposits or make withdraws.” Other information in the 16-page, 226-post MMG […]

“We know of at least one victim who borrowed, I think, $50,000 from his mother and gave it all to [TelexFree]. And it was her entire retirement.” — Melissa Armstrong, assistant chief litigation counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Oct. 29, 2014 UPDATED 12:19 P.M. EDT OCT. 30 U.S.A. Affinity fraud was one of the […]

UPDATED 10:12 A.M. EDT (JUNE 3) U.S.A. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit today agreed with both a lower court and the Federal Trade Commission: BurnLounge was a pyramid scheme. Much to the dismay of some MLMers, the case demonstrates that a company that makes some retail sales still can be a […]