This is a scam isn’t it?

[Namechabgeforthissss]

I’m pretty sure it is but I’m actually quite surprised by the tone of the messages now. I moved into a lovely neighbourhood and one of the neighbours same age kids as mine, same profession as mine too so we had a lot in common. I thought she was a lovely person with a lovely family so I wanted to get to know her more.

It started off with just a simple text asking if I wanted to make extra money on the side which I said I don’t have time right now as I’m still settling into new home and new job. Few weeks later another one and to be polite I asked details and she said I just need to give her £800 to become her partner on the business and then sign up at least 4 more people and I can earn £1200 a month! I told her again really politely I don’t have time do I won’t sign up. She’s messaged me again a few more times including this morning at 6am! Saying she really wants me to have this opportunity as it won’t come again. I obviously know it’s a scam but it’s put me off getting to know her better. Our kids are in same school so I wanted the kids to get friendly but I’m feeling like completely blanking her now. It’s such a pity as I think it would have been nice for the kids. Am I right to avoid her?

husband said it’s a pyramid scheme. I obviously will not be giving her any money on any grounds or signing up to some weird partnership

Of course it's a scam. Reputable jobs do not message people by text offering work.

You need to cut her off completely. There isn’t a friendship that you can salvage here.

And going forward, be friendly with your neighbours but don’t try and be friends with them.

> It started off with just a simple text asking if I wanted to make extra money on the side
Almost always a scam
It's Amway or such similar crap

It’s a scam. Specifically a pyramid scheme scam.

So this woman paid £800. She may or not make money. She might lose her initial sum. But the biggest loss is her reputation. Everyone talks about her and avoids her. That is how she will be remembered. It is a tragedy for her, especially if she has involved family members. Isn’t it better to cut your losses once you’ve been scammed as opposed to trying to scam others to recoup? This woman has a job the OP said, why would anyone do this in this day and age? You’ve got to pity her for the sheer stupidity.

I agree with this post especially the "hide of rhino" energy.
I left school 40 years ago. Suddenly out of the blue a former class mate (not friend) who lives in Tokyo and works in banking found out my family's home address where I grew up where a sibling still lives and sent a letter asking for my details. We did not respond to this letter. A further letter was sent, again we did not respond. She then turned up at the address unannounced asking for my details. My sibling said that I live abroad in the UK but he would pass on her message. She turned up again at the house the next day asking for my married name which my sibling unfortunately gave to her. Next day, having obviously googled me and found out where I worked she contacted my work place twice leaving her email address for me to contact her. I emailed her asking what she wanted. Her response was vague. I then emailed her again telling her not to contact me again. She didn't. She was obviously trying to scam me. You have to in no uncertain terms match the Rhino energy here and tell her to fuck right off!

This hardly makes it better. From the point of view of all the lower levels, as you politely call then, its no different than any other corrupt business. Someone is left holding tge bag eith sn unsellable “resource “ or opportunity.

Years ago a school mum invited for 'for a coffee' which I thought was weird but I went along. I arrived and within minutes her friend had arrived and they were both telling me about their amazing (mlm) scheme selling juice or something. I assume they thought I was a bit dim/easy to convince but I just laughed and said there was no way I had time to run juice parties after work with no-one to look after my children. She tried a couple more times but gave up. Luckily I knew all about pyramid schemes as they were called back then but even if I didn't know about them it seemed pretty clear that they only appeal to those who are really quite desperate unfortunately. She doesn't care one bit about you so remind yourself of that and be clear that you are not one bit interested now or ever next time you see her. Everyone else will be fed up with hearing about it too.

Ya, it's a pyramid scheme she's probably recently started. She gets a bonus for signing someone up. You could ask her if its paying her well (chances are that it's not). It could make her think. Otherwise, I think it's ok not to text back/answer calls if it's repeated and you've already told her. Keep the head down and avoid until she stops asking

Block her number and turn your nose up at her in the street.

She’s a low life scammer and has been sucked into an MLM and is now desperate to recruit others to get her out of a mess.

From Utility Warehouse’s own site it is £10 to register (refundable after 3 months if you don’t want to continue) and £3 a month to continue. ( No I don’t have anything to do with them). Wondering if it’s a double scam and the neighbour is trying to sign you up to UW but claiming it costs £800 which she then pockets herself?

The MLM huns don't understand basic social decency.

Tell her once, "I've thought this through and I'm not interested, please stop asking," and if she doesn't hear it, end this friendship.

But they are an MLM, and incredibly shady.

Remember "No" is a sentence!

@Namechabgeforthissss Your DH is correct - it is a pyramid scheme (sometimes known as a multi-level marketing - MLM - scheme) and you shouldn't get involved. Oh, and your new neighbour is a CF - I'm sorry she has turned out to be such a disappointment for you.

Someone like this is not capable of being your friend.
She values making money from people over making friends with people.
Don't be fooled by her friendly demeanor, it's all a con.
You'll find other friends, proper friends who don't just see people as cogs in their money making scam.

MLM hun bot.

They’re rife with the recruiting this time of year. Luring hard up mums in to make money for Xmas.

Here you go. A Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UtilityWarehouse

Just say No. Or word of your choice to that effect.

It’s a £10 joining fee then £3 a month. £800!! Yeah, your neighbour is a shyster.

From experience, the best way to get rid of a scammer is to try to scam them back. You won't see them for dust.

Just say this, but not the bit about funds. That's not the point. The point is that you don't want to be involved with her business idea. So "I am not interested, thank you" is sufficient.

Just send back "no and please don't ask me again". If she does then block her.

unfortunately the sort of people who fall for scams are told to do a hard sell on others.

With these things there is no actual product or service. The only 'product' is what they are selling you - the opportunity to join in and find out what this lucrative way of making money is. All you have to do is sell the same opportunity to the next people in line...

Exh and I were once targeted by some friends who had fallen for the Amway thing decades ago. Must have been the early 80's. We saw through the whole thing and these 'friends' never spoke to us again. No loss really.

If I stumbled on a genuine way of making easy money the last thing I'd do is tell other people about it. I'd simply rake in all the lovely lolly for myself. Why would I want to reduce my customer base and decrease my own income by telling other people about it and setting them up as my own competitors?

FYI, - “Martin Lewis does not officially recommend Utility Warehouse (UW) and has cautioned against it. While UW offers bundled services, the most competitive rates require taking on multiple products, and the network marketing model means sales pitches can sometimes be exaggerated..”

Definitely a MLM pyramid scheme. To be very blunt, it's not worth being friends with her because she's too stupid, desperate or greedy. You cannot be friends with someone who lacks core critical thinking skills and a basic level of intelligence.

The problem is that some women are being heavily pressured and manipulated by their "upline" and they end up doing things that go against their normal common sense. They are being told by their "mentor" that they are fantastic and they are just one or two recruits away from reaching the next level of success.

I actually know someone who did hit the impossible jackpot and makes an eye watering amount of money every month. So it's not truly a scam but a lottery where the chances of winning are so tiny that it's really not worth it. The problem is this "friend" makes all her money by duping other women they can be as successful as she is and doesn't sell any products anymore. She started off hustling with product samples, parties etc but the real money only comes from recruiting others. Around 2 years into the game, she pivoted to showing off her lifestyle, constantly travelling to events, workshops and seminars and basically selling her own success story as the product.

On a personal level I'm happy for her because she didn't come from a wealthy background and had to struggle for many years juggling kids and work. Though I met her recently and she's become a hard-nosed, con artist type of person and you can tell by the way she talks. Using a lot of business-speak jargon, always on the lookout for new recruits and she doesn't seem truly happy.

The other issue is that even if you DO succeed on a financial level with a MLM, you do not have any friends. Most people you meet are scammy, transactional types who only care how much money you can potentially bring them. All the friends you used to know have been burned by false promises and tend to drift away. People in the same income bracket like doctors, lawyers, talented creatives, tech employees etc don't want anything to do with MLM types.

Network marketing is a huge circle-jerk industry that doesn't earn any respect from people who made their money honestly. So you either join and fail or join and succeed but never find your true place in society. Not worth it.

definitely not UW - they do not ask for money up front