False Multi Level Marketing Deceive Believers – ‘Diamond Pyramid Scheme makes Pastor Angry’

On Saturday 1^st August 2009, an article was published in one local newspaper (The Observer) on how a Pastor got devastated at the Central Bank of Swaziland for liquidating a controversial ‘African diamond’ scheme in the country.  I’m not surprised that the Pastor had been consulted by some members of his congregation on whether to join or not. The newspaper reports that he (the Pastor) had done his research on this business and found it good, thus recommended it to those that consulted him. I had done my research too before I ended up ripped of by QuestNet (read about my experience here) that was introduced to Swaziland by another Pastor in 1997. Doing the research doesn’t make any scheme right. I respect Pastors because I’m also a Christian, but telling the truth is what we all want in this world.

The fact that the Pastor consulted his sources or else did a research is not unique and doesn’t hold water. Every sound person is bound to do a research before risking his/her money. I think that consulting the Pastor was just to confirm their own research on the business, otherwise they wouldnt have even thought of bringing this to the Pastor’s attension. Guess what? That is where the trap is ‘confirming through research’. Sometimes you need not do a research but think. As it always is said ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it surely is!’ I like to link this thought to the one that says ‘you cannot cheat an honest person’. Allow me to go through each of these idioms to make my point clear that a pyramid scheme always defile these two.

1.   If it sounds too good to be true, it actually is!

I once was a victim to an MLM that ripped me off thousands and from that day I knew with no doubt that there surely is nothing like ‘free lunch’ or ‘overnight success’ that makes you happy without stealing / cheating someone else. Today pyramid scheme inventors are clever and would want to include a product in their dealings. This makes people believe the scheme and whenever they do research, they surely will believe that at least the product has some value to exchange for cash some time in the future. Therefore, even if the proceeds from downlines don’t work, they will hold on to the product.

The catch with pyramid scheme or MLM products is that they are worthless or at the least far less to the amount spent on it. Like any business person, pyramid scheme initiators don’t want to loose even in the long run, that is, even after their scheme has stopped working.

2.   You cannot cheat an honest man

Honesty wont allow you to invite people to something that has not worked for you. Believe it or not, pyramid schemers never tell the truth on reality of the scheme. They wont tell you that the chances of success are only about 2 percent of everyone who participates. Worse, they would want you to believe that they are already reaping the benefits from the scheme.

If you are honest, you wont buy into the idea because it comes with the condition of lying to others also. Your honesty wont allow you to tell a lie, therefore you wont feel comfortable to join, thus your honesty saving you.

I don’t in anyway suggest that the Pastor may have not been honest by recommending the scheme to some of his congregation, but it may have been an oversight not to allow it time enough to see whether it works or not. I cannot over emphasize the importance of considering the above idioms before engaging in any unfamilier project. These idioms can be of great help if well considered.