Author: Mark Orr
I won't be naming names in this blog but if you want to know more feel free to call me on 07903 655 169 and I'll be happy to enlighten you.
Many years ago, a young gentleman came to Milton Keynes offering a free training seminar. Like many training seminars it was a very slick and carefully designed sales pitch. Unlike many seminars, the sales pitch was for a fraudulent Ponzi scheme which has since been closed down by the authorities around the world.
The seminar was an all day event. In the morning I was enjoying the presentation but I kept thinking to myself that there was something very familiar in the language and style of the presentation. I just couldn't put my finger on it. When I came back from lunch the presenter had put up a new roller banner in the room for a charity that his organisation was associated with. Seeing that banner brought back to me where I'd experienced this style of presentation in the past. In 1989, I'd been coerced into joining a commercial cult. The gentleman who ran that cult had invented his own sham charity. He used it to extract even more money from his mind controlled followers. By the way, the technique they used is called group hypnosis. It's very clever and uses peer group pressure to encourage you to comply.
At the end of the seminar the presenter held many of us back and tried to get us to buy a "lifetime" membership to their entrepreneurs networking organisation normally valued at $12,500 but if we made the decision then and there only $10,000. I didn't bite but i was now very interested to see where they were going with this. The presenter said that just like the Marylebone Cricket Club memberships were limited so the value of our membership would only go up. Obviously, for anybody in their right mind that doesn't make sense as they were out selling new memberships every day of the week and could make us as many as they wanted to. However, you need to remember that many of the people were, by this time, not in the right mind. They were under the influence of group hypnosis.
Shortly after this seminar the same people who'd invited me asked me to come to a breakfast and invite others. We would all get to meet the main man who'd flown in from his Indonesian island home. He told the same story about how membership was an investment and could only go up. He even said he'd sold his own mother a membership. he even proved his point by saying we used to sell memberships for $2,500 and now they're $12,500 so they've already five times more valuable than they were. Classically, he even had half a dozen plants in the room who nobody knew locally all saying how much money they'd made since joining the organisation.
When he asked if anybody had any questions I put my hand up and he introduced me as the biggest sceptic in England. I told the audience to do their own due diligence online before investing and also said that I thought the biggest sceptics in England and worldwide were the hundreds of people who were already asking for their money back. Outside of that meeting the presenter of the original seminar made threats of physical violence towards me and had to be restrained by hotel staff. A really nasty piece of work.
Anyway, several years have gone past and I do hear that presenters name being mentioned from time to time. One of my most trusted business friends has started to get influenced by this person. Because I follow that friend on Twitter I saw him re-tweeeting one of this presenters tweets which appeared to show that he had really changed his ways. So, I responded to the tweet copying my friend in and said something humorous about how pleased I was that he'd found the "road to Damascus" because he appeared to be criticising the tactics he himself used to use.
Minutes later I received a phone call from an "Unknown" number on my mobile. I waited until the person calling spoke to make sure it wasn't a sales call. It turned out to be the presenter. He had called to threaten me which was really disappointing because I had hoped that he'd changed. He also said that he could expose skeletons in my cupboard at which point I told him that I didn't have any but was sure he'd be able to make some up if he wanted to. Anyway, I ended the call as we was becoming increasing rude and aggressive and advised him that i would be discussing his call with my business buddy.
Whilst I was on the phone to my business buddy I received three more calls from "unknown number" which may or may not have been him. I don't know, I did answer and he obviously didn't leave a message. I have also messaged him privately on Twitter because I know he reads his tweets and advised him that if he calls again I will be recording it.
So, why on earth have I bothered with this long blog? What has any of this got to do with me? Years ago I watched people who could not afford to pay for this Ponzi scheme get ruined by thinking it would live up to all the promises and hype. One couple were even persuaded to take on one of the owners friends as a mentor at great expense. He told them that within three years they'd be multimillionaires. The sad truth was they both went bust and lost their home.
So, as small business owners, particularly those of us who do business networking, we all need to look out for each other. Some people think that only gullible idiots get scammed. Sadly, that's not true. Confidence tricksters or con men as they're more usually called can make anybody part with their money, not just fools.
The old adage is correct. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. One more word of advice. Never let anybody pressurise you into making any decision there and then on their timescale. Always go home, talk to people who know you, love and you and care for you and get their approval to make the investment. lastly, never ever buy from anybody who uses one of those magic 7's at the end of their prices. It's designed to be a trick. There is no genuine science behind it but the person using it knows they're trying to trick you. If whatever they're selling is genuine why would they need to trick you?
Take Care!
