UPDATED 4 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Former members of AdSurfDaily who lost money in an alleged $100 million Ponzi scheme are not the only prospects being targeted by affiliates of MPB Today. Recipients of federal benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also are being targeted.
If you receive federal assistance for food — and if you’re turned off by the shipping costs charged by an online grocery store that is part of a 2×2 cycler matrix operated by a MPB Today, a Florida-based, multilevel-marketing (MLM) program — you should use the high shipping costs as a reason to join the MLM program, according to an MPB Today affiliate.
And if you are a Food Stamp recipient who needs one more reason to join MPB Today, you should consider that, if you cycle and earn a Walmart gift card from MPB Today, you can use the “gift cards to purchase Walmart Visa Cards, which can be used the same as cash,” according to the affiliate.
Shopping online for groceries once was a “privilege” reserved “for those in higher income brackets, with more money than time,” according to a Blog titled “Helping Dreams Come True For You!”
“Granted, shipping charges are usually around 40% of the total grocery bill, but if that seems like too much to pay, you can utilize the marketing plan of the company,” a Blog post aimed at Food Stamp recipients suggests. “And refer your friends to sign up as well.”
For its part, MPB Today says on its website that shipping costs “can average from 25 – 50%.”
Under the MPB Today affiliate’s plan, a Food Stamp recipient with a $200 order would be spending up to $300 to gain the same purchasing power offered by a local, walk-in grocery retailer — assuming the local retailer’s prices were the same as MPB Today’s.
If the local retailer’s prices were lower, the Food Stamp recipient would lose even more purchasing power.
On average, only about 14 percent of participants “earn” money in 2×2 cycler programs. One such program operating in the Seattle area came under investigation last year by the U.S. Secret Service.
Walmart did not respond immediately to a request for comment from the PP Blog.
The Food Stamp program, known as SNAP, is administered by USDA and managed by the U.S. states and territories.
USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the PP Blog. It was not immediately clear if the agency knows about the MPB Today program and the manner in which it is being marketed to Food Stamp recipients.
The MPB Today affiliate’s pitch provided no guidance on whether Walmart gift cards could be viewed as reportable income for tax purposes and Food Stamp eligibility purposes. The pitch also did not disclose that the affiliate was in position to earn money if Food Stamp recipients joined MPB Today through the affiliate link on the Blog.
A promo on MPB Today’s website encourages visitors to “Eat Well Today!” The site shows photos of delicious food, while prompting visitors to click on a video. The video is a sales pitch for the MLM program.
When visitors click on the video prompt, a dire drum beat begins. The word “foreclosure” flashes on the screen twice in the first 15 seconds. Florida has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the United States.
Here is how the MPB Today affiliate describes the cycler program’s convenience to Food Stamp recipients:
“Once at the checkout screen, you enter the number on your EBT,SNAP, or food stamp card, and another credit or debit card to pay for the shipping charges. It’s just that easy.”
Separately, a MPB Today affiliate is using a video on YouTube to promote the MLM company. The video claims that Walmart is “affiliated” with the firm and that the program is “Govt. acknowledged.”
“This biz will explode,” the video claims. It does not list a source to substantiate the claim that Walmart is “affiliated” with MPB Today and that the government has “acknowledged” the program.
The video has received nearly 5,800 views.