Profitable Sunrise

(3nd Update 9:16 A.M. EDT, May 11, 2014 U.S.A.) When contacted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission April 17 by phone, alleged TelexFree promoter and securities swindler Faith Sloan shot back, “Why are you picking on me? There are bigger promoters than me.” The assertion is contained in new SEC filings dated yesterday in […]

UPDATED 12:21 P.M. EDT (MARCH 28, U.S.A.) Whack-A-Mole. Here’s the latest disturbing incarnation: On March 20, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) published a warning on a gold “program” known as Karatbars International GmbH. BehindMLM.com spotlighted the warning yesterday. From the AMF warning (bolding added): “With the company’s ‘Affiliates’ program, investors can make Internet-based purchases […]

UPDATED 12:07 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) You can’t blame legitimate MLMers if they’re feeling a little jittery. Herbalife, one of the industry’s stalwarts, is under investigation by the FTC, which has many duties, including enforcing laws against false advertising and pyramid schemes. Precisely why the FTC is investigating Herbalife is unknown. Hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman says […]

Updated 6:24 p.m ET (U.S.A.) Members of the WCM777 scam, which morphed into Kingdom777 after regulatory actions were filed, have been informed by a “program” upline that the venture now is operating as Global-Unity, a source told the PP Blog today. Parts of the Global-Unity website appear to be under construction. The “News” tab, for […]

BULLETIN: (3rd Update 8:32 a.m. ET, Feb. 20 U.S.A.) The Tata Group, a global conglomerate based in India, says its name has been stolen by an HYIP Ponzi scheme. The fraud scheme is associated with a domain styled TataAgro.com and has a presence on the MoneyMakerGroup, TalkGold and DreamTeamMoney Ponzi forums, according to search results. […]

Ah, those serially disingenuous MLM hucksters and commission-based Ponzi pitchmen: They’ll ultimately destroy their own brands while picking millions of pockets. Before doing so, they’ll use your brand as a temporary means of sanitizing themselves, bring PR disasters to your legitimate company and perhaps even find an insidious way to turn the government into their […]

The office of the Securities Commissioner of Kansas has dismissed a civil action against Profitable Sunrise HYIP figure Nancy Jo Frazer and Ohio-based Focus Up Ministries, doing business as NJF Global Group. The dismissal was “without prejudice,” meaning that the state could file again under certain conditions. The dismissal order is dated Nov. 26. It […]

Thomas Franklin Tarbutton, a purported “hard-money lender” who operated a $3 million Ponzi scheme in California and fled to Brazil, was detained by authorities Dec. 14 in Panama while trying to cross the border into Costa Rica, the office of Orange County (Calif.) District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said. Tarbutton, 54, of Newport Beach, was held […]

UPDATED 11:23 A.M. ET (U.S.A.) The November/December issue of Home Business Advertiser carries a puff piece on TelexFree promoter Scott Miller. The one-page article, described by the publication as a “totally wild cover story,” does not reference TelexFree by name. Nor does the piece mention that TelexFree is the subject of a pyramid-scheme probe in […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: The PP Blog is back — after its most recent brush with death led to a suspension of publishing that lasted through all or parts of six days. You’ll read more in the days ahead about certain changes the Blog plans to implement to safeguard its right to publish, to improve revenue, to […]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Absent sufficient contributions from readers as outlined here, the PP Blog will suspend publication at 5 p.m. today, Dec. 5.  I will try to bring it back as soon as possible, but my hands are tied for now by a lack of money. This morning I restored full functionality, after causing the Blog […]