By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent Here's an excerpt from an excellent post at ivetriedthat.com - a great site that exposes scams and as their slogan says "we lose money so you don't have to."
From ivetriedthat.com:
I attended the Las Vegas Launch Party at the Encore. I was approached by Mr. Sharp. Very nice guy, but he was very thin, and seemed to be wiping his nose a lot, and his eyes were a little out of whack.
Now on to the presentation. Steve Smith opened the event by telling you that they have the best legal staff on the planet, I think he said they now have over 4 lawyers on staff. (That should scare anyone, why would you need so many lawyers) Steve went on to say that now, his son, with no real experience, is now the CEO of the company. (That makes you feel so safe in this investment).
Mr. Sharp took the stage crying, telling everyone that he was so proud that so many people who could not afford this trip to Vegas, came. It was very moving. He introduced the guy behind the software which is IJango. Me told everyone that he with 3 other programmers have made an amazing product. (Wow they have more lawyers then they have programmers for a software company. I wonder if Google has 15,000 lawyers).
By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent
iJango claims they are following a "proven network marketing business model".
This just in from Associated Press:
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- An Internet startup company from Texas is denying allegations from the Better Business Bureau that it's offering an illegal pyramid scheme.
The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota issued a public warning to consumers about the iJango Network on Aug. 21 after its ads appeared in the area. On Wednesday night, the company responded.
The Austin, Texas-based company "adamantly denies the allegations" and says it's following a "proven network marketing business model."
Spokeswoman Susan Risdon says the company helps its distributors set up iJango Web sites that generate advertising revenue and those distributors are rewarded for getting other people to set up similar sites.
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."
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:
By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent From MomLogic:
You've probably seen a slew of cyber solicitations these days popping up everywhere in emails, web links and scrolling online advertisements. The intriguing at-home business opportunities promise a steady stream of income with flexible hours from the comfort of your home. The messages draw you in with enticing advertisements offering thousands of dollars a month to post links online. Or they provide testimonials from a jobless mom who claims she went from rags to riches working from home. But don't be fooled by these work-at-home schemes.
As the unemployment rate soars so does the number of people who fall into the traps of these bogus businesses. "The legitimate sites are the exception, most are crooks," said Randy Duermyer a home base entrepreneur who warns, "there's no pot of gold out there where you get something for nothing." Randy has worked more than a decade as a full-time telecommuter who runs his own home business and helps other small business get off the ground. He also writes a blog for About.com about home-based businesses and has recently seen a surge in the number of complaints from his readers who are getting duped by con artists.
In a recent blog post, Randy discussed the prolific Google work from home scheme that promises full-time income for part-time work. The ads offer to send you a "how-to" start up kit for free, except for the small shipping and handling fee. That's how you get hooked. Once you provide a credit card number the thieves will keep charging you, sometimes as much as $100 a month. "If you don't read the fine print you're going to get yourself in trouble," says Randy. Most people don't read the terms and conditions where the devil is in the details. Some of Randy's readers learned that the hard way.
"I should have known better! I was supposed to receive a CD or Kit that had detailed info in it," wrote Heidi. After waiting a week for a CD that never arrived, Heidi called the contact number and realized she was being charged $84.95 a month for nothing. "Scammers! I have filed a report against them," wrote Heidi. Another reader, Jettie wrote: "My kids say I'm the smartest mom around. Can't believe I got sucked in. Way too late for me to realize it was a scam." Jettie was lured by the idea of finding part-time work for her teenage kids. Now she's feeling stressed out about canceling the charge to her credit card. "Still can't believe I got so stupid this morning," Jettie wrote.
These get rich quick schemes have been around for years but they've taken on a more sinister spin by appearing affiliated with reputable companies such as Twitter and Google. That's all part of the ruse. "I needed a job and it sounded fine especially because the Google name is there. I can't believe Google would be this deceitful," wrote Terry.
By Dan Mitchell, MLM Blog Correspondent
Here's an interesting article by Beau Brendler at Walletpop.com.
From WalletPop.com:
These days it's getting so you can't tell the consumer watchdogs from the crooks. I've exposed a number of phony do-gooders over the years, and the pretend-watchdog routine runs rampant among competing marketers of junk-products like acai berry supplements and colon cleansers.
The way it works: One group of bogus marketers sets up something that looks like a product review site, and calls it a name that sounds like a consumer advocate. All the links on the page lead to product sites owned by the same company.
This time, though, we're going to look at a dressed-up, work-from-home scam. Here's a site that calls itself TheConsumerWatchdog.org. It pops up in link ads on, among other places, the Internet Movie Database.
At first, the site looks kind of convincing, with links to a radio network and an embedded video from an ABC network TV show that appears to be talking about this particular work-at-home site.
It's a common tactic of bogus marketing sites to link to video clips from network TV shows or to festoon the site with logos from big-media brands, to try to imply an endorsement that isn't there. Sure, Diane Sawyer may have been talking about working from home -- but not about what this site is selling.
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...
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.
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