MLM Bot Watch 27 - The Yazoo iis past iits use by date, but we have a massive #lardon: Tragiicomic cultiic wampum floggiing scamalangadiingdongs liike Forever Living, Ariix, Herbalife, Younique, Juice

[acatcalledjohn]

Still going strong here at bot watch HQ on MN!

Previous thread here

Botwatch on Wordpress and on Facebook

Timeless Vie on Wordpress and on Facebook

Eyespeying's Blog aka #manhun, even if he's been banned by MNHQ

Hommetepreneur on Facebook
www.lazymanandmoney.com/is-every-mlm-a-scam
We have our own regularly returning bots.

Glossary:

Bots: our affectionate name for victims of the MLM racket

MLM: Multi-level Marketing schemes - essentially pyramid schemes that are just legal because you sell a product. Reliant upon constant recruitment despite there not being enough people in the world to go beyond about 12 levels if everyone recruited 6.

Downline/Upline: the people you recruited and those who recruited you (going up and down the pyramid inverted funnel)

Timeless Vie: Parody of MLM schemes (though you might spot one in particular) that also carries out fearless investigative work. Flogging the amazing skinny lard and now carbonated lard. The arsenic is not the evil Victorian stuff. #TeamDannii #gettingalardon

Hommetrepreneur: also excellent parody site focussing on the menz

BotWatch: Rather more serious, keeps an eye on what the Bots are claiming next, particularly in reference to health and income claims. Also fearless.

Inverted Funnel: Timeless Vie is NOT a pyramid - it's an inverted Funnel, OK?

Eyes: Our former member Eyespying who knows LOTS about MLM schemes. He's still our very own #manhun.

A massive American Isagenix bot has appeared on one of the running Facebook groups I'm a member of. Posting about "empowering" people and all that shite. Did not like being challenged AT ALL. I was called a troll and rotten apple for calling her out. I want to swing her around by her swishy ponytail. Christ they boil my piss.

Annie65, I think you can pay to have an early blood test or special ultrasound as early as 6-7 weeks otherwise you have to wait until the 20 week scan like everyone else. It's lovely news though. Regardless of what we all think of the business she's in

I am bracing myself for the inevitable: bots linking their 'empowering women' narrative to the huge rallies all over the world yesterday

Ah, I did not know that Dora, I was so confused. I know its nothing to do with Mlm's but I am a nosy bugger. Thanks

Just had a new mlm product pop up on Fb local selling site Vida Divina, some sort of weight loss teas, recruiting of course!

Ah yes - Vida Divina. Promoted with the most laughable before and after photos I've seen. Plus they now have a range of three weight management supplements including one called "Cheat". As far as I can work out it allows you to eat a fatty meal and then shit it out virtually untouched.

The 'orchestra that creates the vey harmony of a beautiful life'!

Sorry - very.

I'm de lurking to say ive got a bot on my FB list. She used to be FL but I think it may have changed names now are she's now a 'business and lifestyle coach at Live Free Campaign' she is also an Eagle whatever that is?
Anyway, I just can't understand how she does what she does? They are renting the most amazing beachside house, drive top of the range cars and are constantly posting pics of tickets to Dubai, helicopter trips, yacht trips,, trips to Disney and weekends away in Manor houses (this weekend) all paid for by the business. She must spend a fortune on clothing, eats out constantly etc, yet unless he has hundreds of people slogging away under her in the scheme I can't see how she makes the money to fund this lifestyle? Are these things just smoke and mirrors? It all looks like it's happening for her. How on earth does it all work? Clueless!

The expensive cars:
once you hit a certain level you "qualify" for car plans in some MLMs… essentially you take out massively expensive car finance in your own name because the company has agreed to pay it…. BUT, they only pay it if you maintain a certain level… in order to do so some people use their own money to put through enough sales to keep qualifying, or "sign up" friends and family who are just signed up in name only, and the bot is buying their kids etc.

The massive houses:
enouraged to "believe in their dreams, life it now and it will manifest". So, take your little nest egg, be it your small amount of equity, or your savings which are enough to buy a small average home…. use that to rent your "dream house" because if you live it, the sucess to keep paying it will manifest itself

The holidays:
Some are partially paid for by the company, others the bots spend money they don't have on, either to promote their brand, or to go for training that they're promised will take their businesses "to the next level". Often they are turning down family weddings etc because they don't have the cash for both

Basically - borrowed time and money

Oh god that's so sad, she has the most beautiful little children who are obviously unaware that this lifestyle is on borrowed time. I've always been a little in awe of her to be honest, I think her DH does it as well and they look to have the most amazing life, backed up by a newsfeed of glamorous events, meetings in expensive coffee shops with other MLM ladies towing their designer clad little children with them - always having the time to spend with their children while the rest of us have to go to work, working from home whilst watching the sun set over the sea with a glass of wine, chilling whilst choosing their latest all expenses paid trip from the latest glossy magazine.
It all looks amazing and it's still going on two years after she gave up her very good job to start it so it makes me wonder that she must be earning money from somewhere!

always having the time to spend with their children while the rest of us have to go to work

Always only ever half listening to their children while they report to their upline and buffering all the doubts being texted/messaged from her downline.

Never 100% present as far as her kids are concerned, working 7 days a week, working on holiday, working on birthdays and christmas to make sure she has the perfect "ideal life" selfies to upload…..

Uh oh

Isogenix link: www.facebook.com/kathy.coover.7/videos/10210815118709318/

The video clip and comments on that link would be funny if it weren't so scary how they are all sucked in by it.

Isagenix: Housewives of MLM much.

She reminds me a bit of Mari Smith. If you don't know her just look her up on FB (she's a public speaker and 'trainer' for MLMs with the most annoying forced chirpiness who says 'haaaahlo' instead of 'hello'

Anyway, Isagenix bot talks about 'crushing it'. Sounds positive

Tezacat, your bot's business page looks a bit tumbleweed-y. I would assume her lifestyle might well be paid for out of savings/credit cards. The truly successful bots get never ending praise, eeks and huns from their brainwashed downlines in the comments on their business pages.

My bot has posted this:

^How many opportunitie's in life, love and business have you pulled back from due to second thought's?

Be your authentic self, not worrying about other's thought's is the most empowering feeling and will keep you on track.^

I think she got a bit over-excited with the apostrophe key! Opportunitie's???

My bot has now gone full tilt into hunning, pm-ing people and a constant state of feverish excitement about her Divee 'business'. So far I've learnt it's 'backed by Apple, Google and Android' and is suitable for kids - apparently kids can do it and earn 'points' that they can save up for things like an iPhone. That's got to be a new mlm low, targeting things at kids, really.

I've just lost another 'mum friend' to MLM. Younique this time. I'm bloody cross about it. She knackered and worried about going back to work after maternity leave and she fell for the bullshit.

I understand the minute differences between MLMs and pyramid schemes, but I truly believe MLMs should also be illegal, or at least come with a huge warning about the likelihood of actually making any money.

I've just found this thread and it's a great resource for support and swapping stories but is there anything else that can be done. Does the media care about this? Why is it not more reported on programmes like Martin Lewis? Or in any newspaper. Just feel really helpless and a bit sad that another one has gone...

Bullshit

Investors in people is only for head office permanent staff

And 'effects on immune system'???

Give me a break

Looking at pictures of my bots weekend away in the manor house and there's great excitement over pictures of large cheques. I looked closer and the amount on one of the cheques if £136.70. I had to look twice to make sure the decimal point was in the right place. Now, I understand that that amount is a lot of money to a lot of people but by the hype going on you'd swear these amounts were ten times bigger. How much work would they have to have put in to get that 'bonus' back? It beggars belief, ive not looked into this before now, ive just taken my bots life at face value and wondered at how amazing it all looked. So sad really.

NoSleep if you head over to Facebook and find the Timeless Vie page (which emerged from these threads) you'll see how hard they're working on getting the message out wider. They're working with journalists and articles have been published in the Sunday Times & Daily Mail. The lawyers are always working hard to block negativity though

I'm looking forward to this raising awareness too www.google.co.uk/amp/amp.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/01/07/kirsten_dunst_to_star_in_amc_s_multilevel_marketing_comedy.html?client=safari

No sleep, one of the reasons the MLM scandal is not more widely reported is that victims don't come forward. Many lose everything, money, time, friends, self respect. They then feel shame and can be bullied and ostracised be people they thought were their best friends. It takes a lot to get over that. The blame is always put on them for being a failure.

I am convinced that if more people came forward and told their stories, there would be much greater awareness.

I have been asked a few times on Botwatch by journalists to find victims but hardly anyone ever comes forward. I have some cracking stories from many people but they don't feel able to share with the world.

Many are probably ashamed that they were conned into it in the first place.

I've not been keeping up on the threads - has it already been noted that the new US Education supremo is a de Vos? The de Vos family is heavily involved with Amway.

Tezacat - what your bot is doing is something called 'attraction marketing'. This is where you carefully craft an image on social media of how brilliant your life is, and this attracts other people into the scheme because they want a brilliant life too. A great deal of it is fake - we have found some brilliant examples of this.

Some of the top bots are really brilliant at it, so much so that they never have to approach people to recruit as they suck so many people in this way instead.