Concerned for someone

[Karma]

I've got a long time acquaintence that I'm very friendly with from back home in the D. I've known him for some years & i know his family through various mutual associations. This is a handsome, intelligent man whose a college grad & currently a software engineer. He has a "thing for white girls" but My relationship w/ him is strictly platonic. I'm a tad bit older than him so I'm more like his big sister. & there's alot of trust between us.

He's recently hooked up w/ this girl. She's very pretty & cute & seems to have a sweet personality. They've taken several trips together & one of them was to Ohio. @ first i couldnt figure out why he'd go there. It's such an UNREMARKABLE place, unless you're heading to Cedar Pointe (one of the top 10 amusement parks in the world) in Sandusky but that's not where he went.

I finally had the chance to talk w/ him about his trip & @ one point he shares w/ me:

http://livingintentionallyforexcellence.com/

I asked him what it was & he told me "it's a business I'm part of." So i went & perused. Almost immediately, red flags started going up. I realized that he & his girlfriend hadn't primarily gone on a trip together for liesure, but rather for this "seminar" & from what I've read on this page & my subsequent search on the net, he's probably already spent a fair piece of change on these "tools"...:sure:

I work for the govt, specifically a reg board for the dept. of commerce & insurance. my background & experience and part of what i do in my job involves regulating private insurance companies & businesses that operate in the state. this includes investigating & in some cases, busting up/shutting down companies that are in violation of state & or/federal laws- this most certainly includes PYRAMID SCHEMES which is exactly what this TEAM/L.I.F.E. bullshit is.

I myself ALMOST got taken in by a similar scam years ago in my 20s BUT at the urging of a good friend of mine, I did research on that "company" & what it was about & by the time i was done...I couldnt LEAVE that shit fast enough. I was embarrassed but like w/ so many consumers that come to our office for help- when you don't know...& you don't know to check something out...you can get taken in. it happens.

NOW- older, more educated & wiser- i definately dont give an inch to this shit. I've been reading on the history of the founder of this "company" as well as this "company" itself. It's confirming what I suspected & I'm going to check w/ a colleague tommorow @ the Nashville BBB (Better Business Beareau) office for any data or complaints they may have. That along w/ a few other govt sources & then I'm going to have a serious talk w/ my acquaintence.

I'm concerned b/c while we are close & we've known each other for years etc...I'm afraid he might take offense to what I'm going to tell him. BUT I'd be wrong to not say something.

In times like these, scams like this are flourishing & becoming more brazen b/c people are suffering. They're out of work, they can't find work (& this for everyone from the blue collar to the college educated), they're losing their life structure & hope & they want a way out. The promise of "happiness & financial security" coupled w/ a smooth voice, flash vids & other tricks of the trade can play upon the vulnerability of many people, even those who are educated.

I hope that he will @ least hear what I have to say & hear me out. But if he doesn't & he gets offended or worse...I guess I will have lost a good, longstanding connection

 

[Clara Oswald]

Well, I guess all you can do is arm yourself with facts about this scheme, and make it about that being fraud etc - just keep from making it seem like they're stupid for falling for it, don't turn it back on them, be accusatory, etc.

Really all you can do is give him the facts, tell him how concerned you are that he might get hurt by this, and after that they are an adult and can make their own decision. As long as YOU don't put the condition of your friendship that he forgets about this scheme, I think you'll be okay. If you are as good friends as you say, he'll see that you are just worried about him.

 

[Karma]

it's kinda worse than i thought.

he sounds...TOTALLY brainwashed and everything I learned upon researching online as well as checking w/ the MI & TN BBB and the FTC contacts I have confirms what I suspect.It was bizarre how SOLD he was on this CRAP. When I kept asking him "how are YOU getting paid by this? what is the work YOU have to do to get a PAYCHECK?" he responded w/ vague, sensational answers about profit share "potential" & when i asked about him seeing any physical income/earning statements from the people who were "higher ups" he said he hadn't & i suggest he at least ask for those & if they wouldn't or couldn't show it...that was ANOTHER obvious red flag he shouldnt ignore.



Everything I tried to share w/ my friend, he responded w/ these things that they apparently drill into their unwitting recruits. All I could do was press on so that I at least said what I had to say completely.

He thanked me for "looking out" & said I just didnt understand that Orrin Woodward (the guy who is behind all this. the same scumbag who was behind MonaVie & a few other multi-level marketing schemes & is someone who has come under the scrutiny of several attorneys general in various states, along w/ consumer protection agencies & the FTC.

I gave him information from various state & fed govt websites to show him its not just "haters on the net"

In the end, I told him that I wanted to have this conversation w/ him b/c I care about him & that's what real friends do. They're honest w/ each other. I can't force him to do anything but I asked him to please be sure to contact me IF he finds himself feeling coerced or extorted in anyway. He said he would.


It's out of my hands now. I just hope that it doesnt take too much time OR money lost on his part for him to see things clearly & to get out of that mess before its too late!