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Thread: A too good to be true scenario (I was offered a job, sorta) ?

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    Default A too good to be true scenario (I was offered a job, sorta) ?

    Hi, so I have a question and I thought there would be no better place to ask it than a place where people deal with business related things daily.

    Yesterday I received a message from an old high school friend wondering if I wanted to "make some extra money" at first I thought, "this is probably really shady" but I just said sure anyways. He then told me that I could make about $500 a month generating traffic for businesses.

    Now, I know that this is usually a less than legit type of business but then again I know that there are some legitimate companies that do this through PR and advertisement etc. I guess I was contacted because I run a small graphic design business but still it is rather out of no where.

    After that he asked me what I did and how much work would I put in etc. I told him and then he invited me to a info session at a hotel a few miles from where I live. He told me there will be speakers, businessmen, and other related people there.

    I am not incompetent and it would be very hard to scam me, considering I have a hard time parting with money for legitimate reasons. The first mention of "just buy this" or give us some money I would walk out. That however is my other concern. This info session is at 7:40 pm at a wingate hotel. Is this normal? He said something about a guy Matthew P... something coming to talk about how he made a fortune, then a ex bank of america vp or something who retired in his 30's. I should have written the names down but I wasn't near a paper. I am worried that since I am younger and new to this they might try to strong arm me into something.

    Sorry for the questions, I am just new to business as a whole and still learning. I don't want to make a mistake so early on.

    **EDIT**

    I did some google searches and I think he may have been talking about Matthew Mickiewicz, I remember it wasn't a common name and ended in a z I could be wrong but I now feel that this was the guy he was talking about.
    Last edited by 3Stag; 08-05-2014 at 11:57 PM.

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    Welcome to the forum 3Stag. From your description it does sound fishy. I don't know when was the last time you spoke to your old high school friend, but id it's as long a time as it sound and he tells you about a money making opportunity, then it's highly likely to be a scam of some kind. People generally don't give money making offers to people they haven't spoken to in awhile. If you do talk often then it's not a big deal.

    Also speakers at a hotel talking about how much money they've made sounds like something that will include a pitch at the end, probably for an expensive course. I can't say for certain that's what's going on, but that's my first impression. I don't think they'd be forcing you into anything, but the speakers will probably be very inspiring and have you convinced whatever they're selling will work. You might feel some kind of peer pressure to buy, but I wouldn't expect strong arm tactics. Again, I don't any of this for certain, but that's what it sounds like based on your description.

    When you say you could make some extra money each month, do you know what you'd have to do? I'm thinking it might be clicking on some things to send traffic to sites, but since you also mentioned graphic design business, I was wondering if maybe you'd be doing graphic work. Just curious if you know some of the details.
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    It is the most common method of network, pyramid marketing...whatever the product is. they will tell you about the downline, upline, cycling and a bunch of goobly gook about the system for making a fortune. Alll you have to do is sell the program to the next guys and they sell it and so on.You'll be doing what your buddy did to you...

    Unless you are really good hustler you wont make a dime. It will probably be worth the experience to go...just to see how they operate. If you've seen one you've seen them all. DON"T LET EM bamboozle you!

    I may be wrong in the details but i am willing to bet its pretty bogus.
    Last edited by Paul; 08-06-2014 at 01:31 AM.

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    Definitely some sort of multi-level marketing scheme. MLM is not my thing but I have been invited to many in my life. The Trump MLM almost sold me. Here is the truth, you can make money in MLM and I know a few people who made a lot of money. But just like anything else, it is a lot of work if you want to make serious money. I would rather put my effort into a company I own. MLM is not for me.

    Let us know how it turns out...

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    Yup thats how they get pyramid marketing to work.

    Basically what it would sound like is that they would sell you on some type of "business" where they then ask you to sell to other people. You'd probably be doing cold calling or going door to door selling crap. Now, why would you want to even do that if you'd rather be spending time and money on your own business instead?

    The way that this meeting will work is they will spend 2 hours just talking about "benefits, how much money you will make, how people's lives have changed etc etc etc"... then at the END you learn that it's just you selling crapola door to door or something like that.

    If you do go, do let us know how it went.

    Anyway I saw this all with experience, my little brother was looking for a job when he was younger and there was a company that advertised $500 a week extra cash, to a 16 year old thats all they need. Turns out after 1 meeting, they just did "interviews" to see how serious the people are.. they didn't even tell him what the business was, only that it had benefits, it was fun, how much money he can make, how much he can learn etc. Then they got him to go to a warehouse FILLLLLLED with tons of people! They had speakers and all they talked about was benefits. At the end, it turned out it was basically him going door to door asking people if they needed to aerate their lawn. What a waste that was! He wasn't interested in that type of job at all. If he didn't sell, he didn't make money. At 14 I did a similar job, worked one day and I quit. I am not a seller and only sold 1 newspaper because I think the lady felt really bad for me.

    The other kids did really well.. they just said "please sir, if i get one more buyer I will win a computer!". The company was fine with this type of selling :|
    Last edited by Wozcreative; 08-06-2014 at 09:07 AM.
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    Make Money Seminars. Ah, that brings back memories of the 90's.

    Look, here's a good rule to follow: Anyone promising the general public that they can make a crap load of money doing whatever the new marketing or web thing is, with "No experience necessary" is running either a Pyramid, MLM, Network Marketing scam, or a drug trafficker looking for mules.

    Remember the one that was going around claiming you can make thousands from Google just by placing ads for other companies? Yeah..that was a HUGE scam.

    Or they'll just be a straight out crook like Jeff Paul's Secret to Internet Millions, Tom Vu's Secret to Real Estate Millions, and tons of others who've had a way to beat the system with strategies "that others won't tell you about" and that anyone can do.

    All of those guys are in jail now.
    Last edited by Harold Mansfield; 08-06-2014 at 09:40 AM.

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    Ya, it looks walks and talks like an MLM. I know someone who got involved in one. For the time she spent she would have made more money at McDonalds.

    The only real case of someone I know making money that was worth it was selling Amway products while she was at work at a laundromat. She didn't make much money anyway and it was a good way to supplement her income.

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    If I had a dollar for every time I was given this pitch at networking events I'd be a rich lady! Every time it's been a multi-level marketing. It's not a "pyramid" scheme so to speak because it isn't illegal but think Beach Body, Melaleuca, Avon, Send Out Cards. They all get you to try and sign up distributors and push their goods to customers. Personally, it's not for me. If you truly love people and are willing to get out and network, network, network you can make a living at it. The fella who signed me up for Send Out Cards makes his living on this business but he also works at it full time. Again, not for me and I wouldn't waste the time showing up.
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    There are folks who make good money at MLM besides just the founders, BUT you have to be a particular type of personality. There are some decent products, but it has to be built up like any legitimate business. So if you have the drive and no way to start your own business it can be an opportunity.

    Unfortuneatly so so many are bogus it's hard to distinquish the good from the bad. The bad ones are just based on reselling the "opportunity" and not the product. The founders of the bad ones just hop from one "deal" to another. They look for any product or service they can pitch a
    "ground floor"," get in early" opportunity for the short term "signups". They skim the cream and move on to the next.

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