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Aaron & Sophia Rashkin Launch New Success Blog

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

The Rashkin's new success blog is already shaping up to be an awesome resource.

From 24-7 Press Release:

Leading Home Business Professionals, Aaron & Sophia Rashkin recently launched their NEW Success Blog, AaronAndSophia.com

AaronAndSophia.com has been in the works for several months as a result of hundreds of requests by their students and colleagues who routinely ask for advice, support and feedback on marketing strategies, advertising campaigns and overall positioning online.

"In today's economy, marketplace and financial climate, it's more important than ever to get the right information when it comes to building a successful home based business," say Aaron & Sophia Rashkin.

Aaron & Sophia continue, "We share true, personal stories and philosophies that people can relate to and then apply to their own businesses and lives."

The couple's goal by creating AaronAndSophia.com is to contribute to the success of other Home Based Business entrepreneurs and provide a solid foundation to build upon when it comes to reaching higher levels of success.

Through audio, video & text, Aaron & Sophia plan to educate and inspire those who are looking for the competitive edge when it comes to becoming the leaders that others are looking for.

iJango Scam, Cameron Sharpe May Face Class Action Suit

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

This just in from one of our readers. This is where I get to say I told you so... I told you so!

"Here is the deal for those that are thinking about Ijango, Steve Smith is a liar. Cameron Sharpe is a liar. They both stated in Vegas (I was there) that iJango would be the biggest and best thing to ever hit the internet. The next day it didn't work. It hasn't worked yet.

The site is not developed. Maybe 10% developed. They are claiming the site is in Beta mode. BS. They new the site did't work when it launched. Cameron was lying through his teeth in Vegas.

Now the BBB has uncovered some of the truth. The truth is the Cameron Sharpe owns the the domain name Ijango.com. Since iJango will not release info on the partnerships between iJango and its affiliates, there is a 99% chance the the affiliate agreements are with Cameron Sharpe. What does the mean? Cameron would control all monies flowing into iJango through its affiliate programs. Think about it. Cameron could skim off the top, give iJango through a legal agreement less than the actual commissions, then still get a check as an outside consultant. This is where the deception possibly lies.

Steve Smith said today that the possibility that they can get the BBB to retract their report is 50/50. Thats because Cameron Sharpe has the agreements and not iJango.

Oh, did I also mention that Steve Smith put his girlfriend as the top International Rep that way all director signups flow through her (what I was told from my upline).

These statements are the best of my understanding as to what has actually transpired and in no way should be construed as factual. (My release of liability).

I think there could possibly be a class action lawsuit here against iJango and its board. Maybe you directors that are on the fence need to think about what is happening and not be afraid to speak up."

Tupperware Banned on Missouri Rivers

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

Just when I was about to take a vacation boating down a Missouri river with my Tupperware collection!

From OzarkFirst:

(Jefferson City, MO) -- You may want to rethink taking Tupperware along with you on Missouri's rivers.  That's at least for the time being.
   
The Associated Press says state lawmakers have banned it, but not on purpose.  They apparently meant to vote on outlawing Styrofoam, but confused their plastics.
   
The problem came up because Styrofoam is a brand name, so lawmakers tried to name the plastic used to make foam coolers.  Now having Tupperware on a river can land you in jail for a year.
   
No word about a repeal of that law.

Google Responds to Work from Home Scams and iJango Scam

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

Google has denied any "agreement" with the iJango scam. But it's not only iJango that claims a relationship with Google. If you are considering a direct sales or multi-level marketing or work at home or internet marketing opportunity and you read about a company that claims to work with Google - get out your ten foot pole.

Here's a good article that discusses this scam phenomenon.

From About.com:

Gina Kaysen Fernandes, a writer for momlogic.com, contacted me recently as she was preparing an article for MomLogic on home-based business and work from home scams. Essentially, she wanted to know if any of the many advertised home business and work from home opportunities were actually legitimate. During our conversation, I mentioned the Google work from home scam I had been following and I told her how many people were getting ripped off or came awfully close to it. I also mentioned to her that the FTC was starting to clamp down on an organization that featured the Google work from home scam in a variety of ways. Apparently, I got Gina's attention, as her article, Home Based Hoax, Don't be fooled by work-at-home schemes has now been published on MomLogic.

Fernandes was able to get a response from Google, which I have been unable to do so far. In her article, she writes:

In their defense, the company issued the following statement to momlogic: "As Google is not affiliated with these sites, we can't comment on individual claims. However, we recommend that users exercise the same amount of caution they would when evaluating other types of get rich quick claims. If there are trademark concerns regarding sites that misuse Google Trademarks, our Legal team reviews them and takes appropriate action if necessary."

In addition to links to these scams being created in Google AdWords and then published on sites that post Google Adsense ads, these scam ads show up in email and have been also showing up in pop-ups lately. Google should be banning these phony ads through its AdWords program as the landing pages used violate several conditions of Google's AdWords program policy, especially when it comes to their landing page and site quality guidelines, including, at the very least:

1. Under the Relevant and Original Content section: "Feature unique content that can't be found on another site. This guideline is particularly applicable to resellers whose site is identical or highly similar to another reseller's or the parent company's site, and to affiliates that use..." How the scam fails: I know for a fact that the identical content is being used on a variety of the Google work from home scam sites. In fact, the blog comments posted on many of these landing pages are identical, they are supposedly from the same people saying how much money they made, and they use the same images of the Google AdSense checks and the account earnings screen shot. The policy goes on to state: "It's especially important to feature original content because AdWords won't show multiple ads directing to identical or similar landing pages at the same time." Oh really?
2. In the Transparency Section: Visitors personal information - "Allow users to access your site's content without requiring them to register. Or, provide a preview of what users will get by registering." Sorry, these scam landing pages are a blatant violation!
3. Under Navigability "Avoid excessive use of pop-ups, pop-unders, and other obtrusive elements throughout your site." On many of these scam sites, if you start filling out information and try to close the window, a pop-up appears asking you to chat with a representative. Sometimes, these pop-ups are not easy to dismiss. Violation!

NY Times touts Direct Sales as a Recession Fallback

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

Here's an interesting article about Direct Sales growth during a recession.

From NY Times:

Three weeks before her third child was due, Susan Drucker Hunsaker had more than 20 women over to her home in Burlingame, Calif., for conversation and refreshments. She also invited them to look at Stella & Dot costume and semi-precious jewelry, which she had begun selling the week before.

Ms. Hunsaker, a former high school art teacher with a master’s degree in education, sells jewelry because she needs cash, and she needs it quickly. Her husband works on a commission basis in commercial printing sales; his income dropped by half in 2008, and he expects more of the same this year.

“We had already pared down as much as we could,” Ms. Hunsaker said. “I knew as soon as the baby came, I would probably have to go back to work. But with three children under 5, if I went back to teaching I wouldn’t make enough to pay for child care.” In the first two months of this year, she sold $12,000 worth of jewelry at six parties, taking home 30 percent of that as commission.

Ms. Hunsaker is not alone in turning to direct sales to make ends meet. Many direct sales companies report rising numbers of sellers signing up. In February of last year, 24 new sales consultants joined Stella & Dot; this February that number is 160.

The number of new sellers at Lia Sophia, another jewelry company, is up 26 percent from January-February 2008 to 2009; the number of sales consultants at the Cutco Corporation, a manufacturer and direct seller of high-end kitchen cutlery, was up 20 percent this January over last.

The average annual growth in direct sales in nonrecessionary years is 3.3 percent; during the last three recessionary years — 1990, 1991 and 2001 — it was 4.5 percent, said Amy Robinson, spokeswoman for the Direct Selling Association, the industry’s trade group.

Read the whole story...

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iJango Scam a Recipe to Lose Your Money, El Paso BBB Warns

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

I wonder why the iJango hucksters don't allow media in their meetings. Could it be they don't want their elaborate scam revealed?

From KFOX:

EL PASO, Texas -- The Better Business Bureau said a company named iJango is recruiting in El Paso, and its operations may be a scam.The Austin-based company held a meeting at the Embassy Suites in El Paso Thursday.

A KFOX crew stopped by but was told the media was not allowed inside.

Better Business Bureau of El Paso president Margaret Perez said that is not the only action that's raising red flags.
"It's a recipe to lose your money," said Perez.

Perez said the BBB suspects iJango is really a pyramid scheme."A pyramid scheme is when the focus is on recruiting more people under you, and that's how you're getting your money," said Perez.

According to a BBB's report, iJango asks consumers to pay an upfront fee of $50 to join, but recommends buying a package for $149.95 with a monthly maintenance fee of $19.95. The report said iJango then claims the consumer will make money by inviting your friends and family to use iJango."Supposedly, you're going to be making commissions from people that go to your portal," said Perez. "And then go from there to shop on the Internet."A promotional video on iJango's Web site makes a tempting offer to make money easily.

The company's Twitter page has more than 1,100 followers. The page said iJango's company chairman would be in El Paso Thursday, and it explains that iJango is "a web portal that allows you to access all your favorite sites from one central location."

The BBB contacted sites like Google, Rhapsody and iTunes that iJango claims to be affiliated with, but those all those companies said they are not.

The BBB has given iJango a "F" rating, which is the lowest possible.

Read more...

Beware Work From Home Scams

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

We're seeing more and more work from home scams preying upon people who legitimately want to work from home. Beware!

From The Chicago Tribune:

Jerald Marshall was searching for jobs online when he came across an ad for a Google work-at-home business. The ad featured a "Chicago Tribune News" story about Mike Steadman, a college drop-out from North Carolina, who was earning buckets of money placing links on the Google Web site.

"I get paid about $25 for every link I post on Google and I get paid every week," the story said. "I make around $10,500 a month right now."

But something about the story didn't seem right to Marshall. When he checked with the real Chicago Tribune, he learned the story was bogus. Experts say the ad is part of a growing trend on the Internet: companies using fake stories that co-opt the names of respected news organizations and other firms to gain credibility for their work-at-home business schemes. They dupe consumers into believing they are trusted companies with good reputations.

"It's a pandemic problem across the Internet. There are so many fake Web sites with the BBB seal as well," said Steve Bernas, president and chief executive of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois. "If [consumers] see that it's supposedly endorsed by a newspaper, they think it's true. They think there's no need to check it out because [the news organization] did."

Business Kit for Google, the business behind the ad, didn't return a phone call on Tuesday. By Wednesday, the company attached to the Web link had changed its name to Google Fortune and the name of the publication in the ad was now the New York Tribune News. Again, phone calls weren't returned.

You Say iJango, I say iJango Scam You

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

Serial con-artist? Deadbeat dad? Or good looking guy in that iJango video...
the man at the center of the online universe...
credited with brainstorming the idea to "network" Google?

Will the real Cameron Sharpe please stand up?

Cameron Sharpe is like the anti-Dalai Lama. Google Cameron and ALL you'll find is fake pages at free blog sites set up prior to the iJango scam hype. And domains registered in China. It gets curiouser...

Check out this page - it hosts an Indian Java Developer's resume...and mentions iJango.

Look for breaking updates on the Cameron Sharpe scandal and iJango scam this coming Monday!

Creative Crowdsourcing For MLM Professionals

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

Have you ever needed a logo for a new website quickly? Some copy for a landing page? A viral video? In this increasingly cluttered digital world you need to stand out. Fast.

Enter GeniusRocket! It's like having your own Ad Agency - with over 11,000 creative professionals at your beck and call.

Here's how it works - you register at GeniusRocket and post the details of your creative project and GeniusRocket members submit completed work. You choose the work you like. That's it.

Simple and powerful. The Power of the crowd.

What Do iJango, eFusjon, Zrii, Zija, Xango and Yoli Have In Common?

By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent

It's been a busy week for MLM News at the MLM Blog. Here's a rundown on some of the big stories we've been tracking this past week and the heated debates that have flashed across the web.

What's happening with the iJango scheme? Read the original post called iJango Scam = Failed AGLOCO Toolbar? Or read the post entitled iJango vs. Tampogo for a comparison of two similarly dubious sounding business models.

What's happening at eFusjon? Their Facebook application is set to launch so we'll be watching this one closely.  Read the original post called Efusjon Scam Hype and Lies? Or read Ty Tribble's Exclusive Interview with Derek Broes in the post entitled Efusjon - Derek Broes: The Truth About Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft In this post, Ty gets to the bottom of some of the outrageous claims Efusjon representatives have been making around the web.

What's up with Zija and Zrii? Big news! Read the original post called Cedric Penn Leaves Zija For Zrii So Cedric Penn leaves Zija for Zrii! Was he terminated? Some say yes...but we have no hard evidence as yet. We'll keep you informed.

What's happening at Xango? Looks like some of the top leaders - like Corey Citron, Daren Falter and Robby Fender - have left the company to start Yoli. You can read the original post entitled Yoli - New MLM Company Founded By Corey Citron The new company, Yoli, has a Blast Cap technology that looks interesting. The details can be found here...

If you have any insight or information related to these breaking news stories leave a comment or email me at dan@mlmblog.net or tweet us at Twitter.com/mlmblog