MLM Bot Watch 17- chat about Utah based tragicomic cultastic racketeering scamalangadingdongs like Forever Living, Ariix, Herbalife, Younique, Juiceplus etc etc etc

[Toobusytowee]

A brief history of the threads so far-

A few people were bemused at their friends' strange personality changes when they joined MLMs.
Eyespying told us they were tragicomic, thought stopping cultic racketeers.
We told him to go away, he was clearly obsessed, and can he go to his own serious thread?
We delved a bit deeper into the issues.
Eyes started creeping back. We told him he was too serious.
We became more horrified at the information being turned up and were sharing links.
Eyes told us aboutMerchants of Deception.
Timeless Vie was set up as a parody about MLMs.[[www.facebook.com/timelessvie
Facebook,]] Twitter, blog, Instagram and YouTube were all used.
People started coming forward, telling of their experiences in MLMs.
We became more horrified.
Bot Watch started on Facebook where links were put up of interest to do with MLMs.
Botwatchblog started and produced factual analysis of the discussions from MN.
MLM members (bots) waded in saying it was all ok. You can earn great money. You just have to work 19 hours a day and not worry about morals.
Bots complained about their names being used. Their lawyers complained to MNHQ so that MN now do not allow us to use bots' names or show screengrabs of their writings even if it is in the public domain.
Blogs and FB posts increased, with the increasing amount of facts and whistleblowers coming forward.
FL lawyer tried to get TV YouTube video banned.
Bots claimed we were bullying them because we were asking them questions they couldn't answer. we were called middle aged women and accused of being drug dealers.
It got a bit nasty so we ate some cheese for a bit and they went away.
Health claims from FL bots now reducing dramatically as a result of pestering from all of us.
We stopped telling Eyes he was too serious. We all started thinking in his language and realised he was right.
Eyes turned out to be very funny and entertained us all.
Sunday Times article produced exposing FL. With a little help from people here.
Lawyers still persisting in trying to ban TV's videos.

Some links of interest-
A factsheet aimed at people considering joining an MLM or who have just done so, to warn them of some facts. tinyurl.com/ha6sgxw

A film of herbalife victims describing what it is like in their MLM-

A film on how to spot a pyramid scheme-

A comedy review of an MLM product- www.youtu.be/4yr_etbfZtQ

Here is the link to the Botwatchblog post Cozie mentioned- tinyurl.com/ha6sgxw

I think it will only be succesful with people who are contemplating MLM or just starting and have doubts.

Once people have been in it a while the strategy needs to be completely different. It is quite a complicated area and I am becoming a bit stressed reading about it to be honest.

Spreading the word and educating people will really help. We need to get to people before they join up. Like the pages and posts on FB, mention it friends and family and colleagues, you don't know who will be sucked in next.

Don't worry about offending people who are in MLM, they don't worry about recruiting people and ruining their lives. This has to be stopped.

It is a cult and it is wrong. We need to fight back.

Don't get stressed, Toobusy.

Think of chocolate.

Mmmmmm, chocolate. I had a hot cross bun today and instead of raisins, there were chocolate chips! I didn't notice it until I was eating it. Very nice.

Remember that these MLMs need a constant supply of new 'prospects' to operate properly. You dry up that supply and.......

It's a heck of a sadness for those who are enmeshed in the interim, I grant you, but there may not be enough that people here can do to steer them aside, sadly.

Thanks but she's in too deep for that. If I'm perfectly honest I don't give a Shiney shite about her but the circle we both move in a slowly taking an interest.
Also when she starts blasting working parents for "missing moments" I get really personally pissed off. Like the fake grass thing though, it completely applies but doubt would be listened to.

Nothing to stop you alerting the circle you both move in to eg Timeless Vie and the BotWatchBlog piece though, I think?

There are some very strange videos around right enough, Dolly.

I think Cozie is right. Your friend cannot be reached at the moment. But maybe you can save your mutual friends. Have a look at TV and BW and share some posts. Or tag friends in them. Raise awareness. Start off with funny things to get their attention.

I would hope that people could read the story in throwing's link above. Just one of many, sadly.

Humour is a powerful weapon.

Eyebrows are also powerful though.

Morning all! Knakard you are doing your best, hopefully you can prevent anyone else getting sucked in.

Windy - we have seen that pic before and were struck by how happy the employee looks! The entrepreneur just looks angry.

I dispute that bots are entrepreneurs though....

Yes. Fingers crossed for you, Knakard.

I found a list of dos and don'ts for helping people in a cult. If you are worried about someone in an MLM, these tips might be useful. cultinformation.org.uk/question_how-do-i-help-cult-member.html

Then where can people go, Eye ? Many of them need/want something.

Ooh, eyes, thanks for that!

PS - and the list of Do's and Don'ts looks pretty OK to me.

Is it further contact that you would recommend avoiding?

Intriguing eyes , now why would an MLM want to finance a cult information centre?

cozietoesie Currently, by far the best place to come for advice about 'MLM' cults, is these threads. There has been one authentic cult advice association in the UK which used to be known as FAIR, Family, Action, Information, Resource. This is now known as The Family Survival Trust, and it's registered as a charity.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Family_Survival_Trust

Thanks, Eye.

cozietoesie

www.familysurvivaltrust.org/

knakard that crap would annoy me too! Everyone's jobs different, but my employer is flexible enough to allow me to pick and choose my day off if needed, failing that an annual leave request means getting paid to attend concerts/sports days etc. Also, paid to socialise?!? I'd love to know if she holds a party, somehow manages to get people to attend (No one turned up to my last bot's "party") but doesn't make a single sale or sign up a recruit, who's paying her?!
Oh and thirdly, just remember it's all a load of nonsense anyway. In reality she's most likely dependant on tax credits, spending all of sports day on Facebook trying to make a sale and her social life will consist of her friends avoiding her for fear of the hard sell.

Morning! Just checking in! Loving all the new people interacting with us! Onward and upward!

Twunk I noticed the happy expression on the employee's face compared with the slightly angry/crazed look of the entrepreneur!

Apologies for the repeated pic I'm a latecomer joining at thread 16.

Can someone confirm where we send screenshots to please should I come across anything dubious? And what sort of things do we send?