by schnell 33 Replies latest jw experiences
Hopefully next time someone wants to "lay a spiel" on me I remember to insist on full disclosure via an income distribution statement covering total membership and sales.
My guess is that 99% of Scamway members would be better off if they'd never heard of the cult.
Don't forget the biggest 'Pyramid Scheme' of them all. Pastor Russell and his laying the foundation for the Jehovah's Witnesses religion.
Interesting this is a taboo topic in here (it will be locked soon).... however is a recurrent question...
There is a difference between a pyramid scheme and multilevel market or mlm and network marketing.
Pyramid scheme is like a Ponzi scheme where money is collected to pay other affiliates and in order for you to collect you need to bring affiliates and so on... pyramids are forbidden in the USA.
Multilevel marketing is where you sell a product and pay commissions at different levels. you can have a legit product and a legit compensation plan divided between a specific number of people.
Network marketing is when you sell a product or service through a network of distributors.
I was afraid of them too. I joined one. I studied the industry became a consultant and then became a distributor myself.
I'm a top earner in the industry and can tell you the other side of the story.
If you ask someone who never had success in the industry their opinion.... you will get that type of opinion.
It's a business that has large quantities of people therefore you will see things similar to what you need to manage large quantities of people. being a church, an organization or a team.
I think the biggest scammer of all Jw kingdumb was the real estate no money down books and tapes by Dave Del Dotto. He was on TV infomercials in the 80.s and 90,s, till he got taken down by the FTC for making false claims . Today he sells wine from his vineyard in Napa valley. Google his name and read up on his scams as a JW.
@cyberjesus, technically, that is the difference between MLM and a pyramid. In practice, recruitment always trumps selling the crappy product that nobody wants.
I think the biggest scammer of all Jw kingdumb was the real estate no money down books and tapes by Dave Del Dotto. He was on TV infomercials in the 80.s and 90,s, till he got taken down by the FTC for making false claims . Today he sells wine from his vineyard in Napa valley. Google his name and read up on his scams as a JW.
Wow... Just wow. Considering a certain friend of mine, I may be only a couple degrees away from that guy for all I know. Maybe, maybe not.
JW's will talk to a DF person if you sign up for their down line in one of their many Pyramid schemes.Back in the 80's I walked away from the borg but that didn't stop a sister from visiting my home (I was single) to sign me up for Pre-Paid Legal and a brother inviting me to a meeting where these brothers came up with the craziest Pyramid scheme. I met the brother one night at my lodge(I was working the bar that night), his kids were friends of my kids,so he ask me to attend. You may think this was strange, a JW drinking in a Masonic lodge but there were several that came in unaware I was a xJW. The brother wasn't a elder but when I attended their meeting(Pyramid scheme) I was surprised to see elders there. The hypocrisy, no problem eating afterward with the brothers. I guess they figured I could get the folks in my down line who are wordily and who will die soon....
Some paddlers of pyramid schemes will see a closed self-trusting group or uneducated people like the JWs as the promised land.
It's called Affinity Fraud.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_fraud
https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/affinity.htm
Of course people in a religion are prime candidates to fall victim to pyramid schemes - they've already fallen for the ultimate form, religion.
Pyramid schemes were very common among JW`s when I was growing up..
One would die,another would pop up..
There was always a new way for JW`s..
To Financially Screw their Spiritual Bothers and Sisters..
It was part of JW CULTure..
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I've been in service with the sister you mention in the OP regarding the Nor Cal ponzi scheme. ( Napa )
The story got some coverage and just 'went away'.
I always wondered what happened.
