When Neo-liberal Thug pastors with security detail Rob Ugandans with impunity: Slay Prosperity Bishop FRED NTABAZI of ONE LIGHT INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES cons Ugandans of Millions in Ponzi Scheme
Ponzi schemes in Uganda are part and parcel of the government’s Plan to promote economic development through Primitive Wealth Accumulation : Why Museveni’s Neo-liberal banditry state pretends to Sympathize with the Victims of Ponzi Schemes
Victims of pyramid schemes fill claim forms, in March 2009, issued by a task force formed by the government. Victims of collapsed pyramid schemes want the government compelled to pay them more than Sh4 billion they invested in the organisations a decade ago. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
More than 26,000 victims of pyramid schemes have opened a fresh battle to recover the Sh4.15 billion they lost to fraudsters eight years ago.
Through a petition filed at the High Court, the investors are seeking orders authorising use of the assets of the fraudulent schemes that the Central Bank of Kenya confiscated during a 2007.
The National Pyramid Scheme Victims Initiative (NPSVI) argues that continued withholding of the funds, failure to arrest and prosecute the architects of the fraudulent schemes, and reluctance to compel them to surrender the ill-gotten wealth is negligent and unacceptable.
The victims have sued the Attorney General, CBK, and principal secretaries for Co-operative Development and Marketing, Finance and Office of the President for compensation over money they lost in 257 pyramid schemes.
“The petitioners claim this money as of right, with interest and the damages arising therefore. The respondents have impounded the funds that never belonged to them for eight years. The petitioners’ property rights are violated daily by the respondents’ continued retention of the money,” NPSVI chair Samuel Kariuki says.
PSVI’s suit joins a growing list of individuals seeking compensation from the State. Three years ago, Andrew Gesora, another victim of the pyramid schemes, sued the State on behalf of 26 investors. Loise Nduta also filed a separate suit on behalf of 36 victims.
The victims claim that the successful crackdown on pyramid schemes and implementation of the 2008 Sacco Societies Act was an admission that the fraudulent businesses could have been stopped before they duped thousands of Kenyans.
Mr Kariuki says the government should be held liable for the losses suffered by victims as it has allegedly admitted liability in the past through actions aimed at safeguarding Kenyans from pyramid schemes.
“From 2008, the respondents set up the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority to control deposit-taking societies. This implied admission of responsibility and liability yet it has not made good our losses,” adds Mr Kariuki.
NPSVI reckons that the victims of pyramid schemes could have been saved from loss if the government had properly vetted institutions that were later found to be fraudulent.
The organisation says its members entrusted their money with the firms in the belief that the government had done its due diligence before registering them.
“The negligent and illegal registration of the outfits enabled them to comply with banking requirements and open bank accounts, where the petitioners paid money. The petitioners cannot just be punished because people unknown to them committed crimes and who should have been arrested,” Mr Kariuki says.
Former Co-operatives Development and Marketing minister Joseph Nyagah in 2009 appointed a task force that published a report identifying 270 pyramid schemes that stole Sh8.1 billion from 121,205 Kenyans.
The unearthing of the massive scam, which took place between 2005 and 2007 had adverse effects on investors, including breaking up their families, suicides and deaths from stress-related illnesses.
“We pray for an order for modalities to be put in place by the respondents to enable peaceful and systematic refund of the money recovered,” NPSVI adds.
The organisation also wants to be refunded for the costs it has incurred in collecting data on details of its members over the last four years.
The organisation holds that the National Treasury has in the past agreed to refund victims of the scams. NPSVI has over 60,000 members, and the organisation claims more will join the suit after tracing documents proving they invested in the companies.
The Central Bank of Kenya. Nearly half of all non-bank institutions surveyed by the regulator said they see demand for loans rising in the remaining months of the year and well into next year, which is expected to boost economic growth.
Failure by financial sector regulators to do their job is to blame for the recent blossoming of pyramid schemes in which Kenyans have lost at least Sh34 billion, a government watchdog says.
The Public Complaints Standing Committee (PCSC), popularly known as the office of the Ombudsman, also blames security agencies for complicity in the exponential growth of unregulated investment schemes that collapsed at the end of 2007 leaving thousands of people with huge financial losses.
“The PCSC is concerned about the regulatory environment in the financial sector where the Central Bank of Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority and the registry of companies are the main players,” says the Ombudsman in its third quarterly report covering January-March 2009.
“The roles and possible contributions of the Criminal Investigations Department and the National Security Intelligence Service in the escalation of pyramid schemes to a national disaster is also a matter of concern,” the report says.
The Government through the Ministry of Cooperative Development has established a task force headed by a former cabinet minister Francis Nyenze to inquire into the extent of losses that Kenyans incurred in the pyramid schemes.
The task force says it is investigating a possible loss of Sh34 billion through 132 pyramid schemes and the background of their directors.
Organisations that took deposits contrary to financial sector regulations and collapsed included Deci, Sasanet, Clip Investments, Global, Jitegemee, and Akiba Micro Finance.
Akiba has been sued for receiving deposits from investors without a valid licence from the Central Bank of Kenya.
“We are awaiting the report by the government task force and if they are less than candid we will investigate the matter with a view to unearthing the truth,” said Mr Kenneth Mwige, the executive director of the PCSC.
“Clearly none can collect billions of shillings from the public and without the knowledge of any regulator,” he said.
The PCSC says it held consultations with the Central Bank, Attorney General and the Ministry of Cooperative Development on how to deal with the complaints relating to pyramid schemes.
600 complaints Through its provincial visits and town hall meetings, the watchdog has received more than 600 complaints on the fraudulent schemes.
Some victims of the pyramid schemes have lodged complaints with the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission but the agency has been unable to deal with them, citing lack of prosecutorial powers.
The PCSC recommends that the findings of the government task force be implemented with a view to ensuring that the investors recover their money.
It also recommended that a legislative framework be put in place to prevent the establishment of such fraudulent investments schemes.
PCSC also says the government must monitor Saccos and deposit taking institutions to shield the public from losses.
But even as the Ombudsman continues to receive the complaints, investors are quickly losing hope of ever recovering their billions.
The lure of easy money or big returns blinded thousands of people to take the risk of trusting dubious institutions with their money.
Most of those companies were not properly registered and did not offer full disclosures to their unsuspecting investors.
The masterminds of the pyramid schemes started off paying hefty interest rates to investors who spread the news by word of mouth to attract more savers whose money would later be used to pay off the initial investors.
Major towns Soon thousands of people were lining up at the offices of the firms to deposit their money and wait for returns. During 2006, the pyramid schemes spread from Nairobi to other major towns such as Mombasa and Kisumu and even to smaller districts like Siaya, Kisii, Embu, Kakamega and Nyeri.
The police have prosecuted some managers of the collapsed pyramid schemes but any conviction is yet to be achieved.
Many Kenyans have been thrown into debt.
There have been cases of people who died from depression after losing their money in the pyramid schemes as the investments which were intended to be a route out of poverty led them into serious debts and financial losses.
The complaints committee says it has received and documented over 600 complaints relating to the pyramid schemes.
“The complaints by the public was, and continue to be, the failure by any government agency to detect the fraud by the promoters of the pyramid schemes and to take necessary action to save gullible members of the public from falling prey to the fraudsters” says the Ombudsman.
A House team has threatened to sanction Cabinet secretaries who fail to implement resolutions after it emerged that 2004 victims of pyramid schemes are yet to be compensated for losses running into billions.
Despite preparation and passing of the pyramid schemes report, MP David Gikaria, the Implementation Committee chairperson, said very little had been done to implement the resolutions of prosecution, seizure of assets and compensation of the victims.
“Other than the ministry putting in place measures to stop pyramid schemes from happening again, very little has been done to implement the House decision,” he told Malava MP Moses Injendi.
The MP had sought to know the status of the implementation of the report of the task force then chaired by current leader of Minority Francis Nyenze, compensation for victims and prosecutions of directors of schemes.
Investors of the pyramid schemes lost billions of shillings when the schemes collapsed in the year 2004/2005 leading to the formation of the probe team.
Mr Gikaria told Parliament that despite investigations by the office of the Attorney- General, Director of Public Prosecution, the Central Bank of Kenya banking fraud unit and the ministry of cooperative, suspects of the pyramid schemes were acquitted by the courts and some awarded compensation for wrongful prosecution.
He said 11 cases were taken to court but were completed without any convictions.
“Others were given compensation by same courts,” Mr Gikaria said and blamed victims for failing to come out to testify or make claims against funds that were frozen.
“There are indication from the ministry of industrialisation and Enterprise that recoveries from accounts/directors were not made due to court cases. The Cabinet secretary told the committee that Sh11.8 million was withdrawn after lifting of freezes on accounts by the courts,” the Nakuru Town West MP said.
He said matters were complicated by the lenient penalties stipulated in the Banking and Microfinance Acts.
“Fines were payable to the State and not pyramid scheme victims. It is our recommendation that the CBK should fast track changes to legislation on pyramid scheme to provide for stiffer penalties.
“The Attorney General, the Treasury and industrialisation ministry should establish information centres for victims to register their case,” he said.
MPs Robert Pukose (Endebes) and Samuel Gichigi (Kipipiri) demanded to be told why the victims were not compensated through the money CBK froze from accounts of directors of the pyramid schemes.
The Committee on Implementation noted only two cabinet secretaries had filed status reports on the implementation of 29 House resolutions.
House Standing Orders require the committee to seek the status reports on implementation of resolutions adopted by MPs 60 days after passage.
Relevant Cabinet secretaries are required to file quarterly reports to Parliament indicating what the government has done to implement the decisions of the House.
“We have scrutinised 29 House resolutions but we have only received two status reports from Cabinet secretaries responsible for Industrialisation and a commitment by the leader of Majority Aden Duale on the increased prostitution in the universities,” said Gikaria.
How investors were conned of Sh1bn by Kiambu couple
Investors storm VIP Portal forex agency offices in Limuru before its collapse last year to present complaints to management. More than Sh1 billion was lost, court documents show. PHOTO | FILE
A Kiambu couple defrauded thousands of investors by promising to double their cash deposits only to later disappear and close shop after collecting more than Sh1 billion, witness statements filed in court by victims of the suspected con game show.
Alfred Wangai Mundia and Mercy Nkatha Kirimi, the owners of online forex trading firm VIP Portal, allegedly told clients that they would use their capital to trade stocks in internationally listed companies but fell back on the promise as soon as the money had been deposited into their account.
Some 122 investors have lodged a class action suit against the forex trader seeking compensation for their money, which they claim has not matured one year after deposit, despite a guarantee that they would receive dividends on their cash within a month.
The petitioners claim to have paid a total of Sh77 million to VIP Portal, but police records say the suspected fraudsters at one time had more than Sh1 billion deposits in the account.
The alleged fraud scheme first came to public limelight last year when accounts of VIP Portal at Family and Barclays banks were frozen through a court order sought by the police.
The victims want the court to order the couple to refund their cash and pay them general damages for the broken promise, and punitive damages for breaching the contract they entered into with the forex trader.
“I deposited money with the defendant expecting payment of my initial investment sum plus interest. This, however, was not to be as the defendant refused to pay what it owes to me, being Sh5.5 million.
“The defendant’s actions have been done with the intention of defrauding and swindling me of my hard-earned money and in addition are an express breach of the service agreement between us,” George Mungai Nyanjui, one of the petitioners, says in court papers seen by the Business Daily.
The promise of getting one’s investment plus returns of up to 80 per cent in just 25 working days with the premium option easily lured several investors looking to get rich quick.
Investors could also go for the platinum option, which would see their investment grow by 60 per cent in 29 working days.
Samuel Njoroge, another investor, claims that VIP Portal had agreed to absorb any losses that would arise after trading using his cash. This was to give relief to investors who were afraid of losing their money, and was key in attracting more clients to try their hand in the business.
“Further terms were that in case any losses were made, it would be absorbed by VIP Portal and not passed on to the investors. Pursuant to this, the members deposited money with VIP Portal expecting payment of their initial investment sum plus interest,” Mr Njoroge says.
The class action suit comes as Mr Mundia and Ms Kirimi are facing criminal charges in the Kiambu Chief Magistrate’s court for defrauding the public and running a forex trading business without a licence from the Central Bank of Kenya.
The matter attracted the attention of the Law Society of Kenya, which piled pressure on the police to investigate the firm.
The couple was charged in June after police officers from the Banking Fraud Investigation Unit concluded that VIP Portal appeared to be a pyramid scheme and was running a forex trading company without a licence.
Mr Wangai has, however, argued that the firm is listed as an international business company in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and that it has never engaged in any illegal business.
Victims of the suspected con game moved to court after they learnt of a suit in which VIP Portal is fighting to unblock its accounts held at Family Bank. Walter Rotich, who lost Sh3.6 million, claims that VIP Portal is attracting new investors, whose money is being wired to offshore accounts.
“Despite having its accounts frozen, the defendant company has continued to receive money from innocent members of the public who now wire money to their offshore account in Poland,” he said.
Justice David Onyancha had in October paused the proceedings of VIP Portal’s suit against Family Bank to allow the criminal trial to proceed. He, however, directed that the suit continue on December 19 after the criminal trial failed to start and was pushed to March, 2015.
Mr Mundia and Ms Kirimi are the firm’s directors alongside a man identified as Colin Mundia, who has gone missing since the start of investigations. Police suspect he fled to avoid being arrested.
The Central Bank of Kenya had written to the police in March saying that VIP Portal was not licensed to operate as a forex trading firm, which led to the couple’s arrest and arraignment.
At the time the forex trader’s accounts were frozen in May, the firm had handled over Sh1.08 billion, most of which had been withdrawn by Mr Mundia and Ms Kirimi. The account had a balance of Sh174 million prior to the freeze.
“Between October 2013 and May 2014, the VIP Portal bank account with Family Bank had received a total of Sh1.08 billion from the public as deposits. The action against Mr Mundia and Ms Kirimi was taken to prevent a major pyramid scheme,” police said in a letter to Law Society of Kenya.
The 122 petitioners claim that they have visited the forex trader’s head office in Limuru several times but have been denied information regarding whether they will be paid.
“The petitioners have on several occasions gone to VIP Portal’s registered office to demand payment of their money only to be met with hostility and denied information as to when they will be paid,” added Nellie Wairimu,” who is representing the 122 investors.
The petitioners hold that despite serving VIP Portal with demand letters, the forex trader has refused to pay them their dues.
Nigeria: SEC - Tightening the Noose on 'Ponzi' Schemes
With an estimated three million Nigerians losing about N18 billion to the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) Ponzi scheme some years ago despite warnings by the regulatory authorities against investment in such dubious schemes, many Nigerians today are still patronizing the schemes in their desperate bid to make it big financially.
A Ponzi scheme, which is also known as Ponzi game, is a fraudulent investment package through which the operator, who may be either an individual or organisation, pays returns to investors from new capital paid to the operators, rather than from profit earned through legitimate means or operations.
After the failed MMM Ponzi scheme investment 'disaster', investigations by Sunday Trust indicated that fraudsters are re-strategizing and re-packaging new schemes such as Twinkas and an online investment scheme tagged 'Loom Money Nigeria', in their tricks to defraud Nigerians and cart away their 'loot' undetected.
Today, as regulatory requirements continue to make it difficult for promoters of illegal investment schemes to thrive in European, American and Asian markets, many of them are beaming their searchlight on emerging markets to make fortunes. Of course, Nigeria has remained one of the havens they are exploring.
Like a horde of preying locusts, scores of these managers are exploring Nigeria's investment landscape with an uncommon aggressiveness in recent times to offer mouth-watering but 'poisonous' schemes that portend financial death risk to whoever decides to swallow their 'wealth-creation' prescriptions.
With the impact of the bitter experiences of millions of Nigerians that suffered huge losses in the MMM 'investment voodoo' still real in the nation's economy based on the increasingly worrisome poverty level and in furtherance of its statutory mandate, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has, in the last few years, prioritized investor education in its activities in a move to protect investors from the ravaging onslaught of the 'army' of investment fraudsters.
Specifically, Section 13 subsections (a) and (s) of the Investment and Securities (ISA) 2007, the SEC is empowered to regulate investments business in Nigeria and; to promote investors' education and the training of all categories of intermediaries in the securities industry. This is in line with the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) requirements and global best practice standards.
Appreciating the enormity of the task before it, the SEC had in January 2017 signed a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which it renewed in 2019 and signed a new pact with Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to strengthen its anti-fraud campaigns in the investment space.
An appraisal of the commission's enlightenment programmes indicates that the capital market regulator, in furtherance of its statutory roles and particularly to restore investor confidence in the market after the global financial meltdown of 2007-2008, has taken investor education drive to major cities in the country, advising people against investing in Ponzi schemes in view of the risks of such schemes to retail investors in particular and the nation's financial system in general.
For instance, since January 2016, the Mary Uduk-led management of the SEC has moved to the grassroots in Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Karshi and Gwagalda in the FCT and other cities, to sensitise the public and members of the armed forces on how to identify fraudulent schemes and avoid being trapped in the promoters' nefarious investment web.
Apart from the preventive steps to guide investors against the fraudulent activities of the monsters in the investment space, the commission has also, in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), concluded plans to introduce capital market studies as part of mathematics, accounting, business studies and other subjects' curriculum in primary and secondary schools.
Similarly, the commission is also intensifying its investment space sanitization drive by clamping down business premises of the Ponzi operators and exploring legal options to sanction them.
Last July, based on complaints by the public and in collaboration with SEC, the EFCC sealed off the premises of MGB Global, froze its accounts and the promoters were arrested and interrogated by the police. Other illegal operators whose premises had been closed in recent months were Money Rite, Bitcoin, No Failure Development company and X-World.
Commenting on the commission's intensified drive to protect investors through sustained investor enlightenment campaigns across the country a few days ago, the Acting Director-General of the SEC, Mary Uduk, said what the SEC had done apart from continuing to educate people, is to also go after the promoters of these schemes, clampdown their illegal offices and prosecute them.
She said: "We are stepping up our enforcement mechanisms to ensure that they are apprehended and their offices sealed off. So many of them are being prosecuted in courts, we have secured convictions for some, and we have closed down so many.
"We verify ownership and return monies collected by them to the owners. It's a problem around the world and we can tackle the problem by educating the public, telling them the right investments to make and the right places to put in their money", Uduk stressed.
She cautioned investors against investing in any scheme that is proposing return levels that are unreasonably high by ensuring that the fund managers and the products they are offering are registered with the commission.
Uduk added: "These fraudsters or promoters of Ponzi schemes are the false prophets of the investment environment; they are the ill wind that blows no good and at whose sight you must flee. They are to be avoided. This is one message you must take home to family, friends, relations and acquaintances in order to save them from the agony of loss of their hard-earned money."
Commenting on what SEC has being doing on investor education and the impact on ordinary Nigerians who have little or no knowledge about investments in the capital market or other platforms, a graduate of economics, Sunday Oluwasola, told Daily Trust on Sunday that the commission's efforts were desirable in the economy in view of the low investment education of the people and the likelihood of many falling victims of the fraudsters.
He said: "What the commission has been doing in the past few years to educate the people on the risks of investing in Ponzi schemes is commendable. I have read about the SEC's investor education activities and how they are dealing with illegal fund operators and I feel that government should encourage them to do more in protecting investors in the country.
"I think an area the government should support them more is in area of improved funding so that they can do pamphlets in indigenous languages about these very dangerous schemes and take to the grassroots during their programmes. In this way, the message of their campaigns will get to the grassroots and the impact would be felt more and more", Oluwasola advised.
An investment analyst, Nonah Awoh, while admitting that SEC's initiatives are desirable to improving investors' confidence in the nation's investment space, argued that there was the need to take the various campaigns deeper to the grassroots for optimal impact on the financial illiterate masses.
"Let me say that the commission still has a lot of work to do in this regard. As against the current situation in which the enlightenment campaigns are concentrated in urban centres, SEC should be more concerned about the people in the rural areas and take these campaigns to them if the objectives are to be fully achieved", he advised.
SEC has warned stakeholders and the investing public against the activities of some unlawful/unlicensed market operators and promoters of other fraudulent schemed.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned stakeholders and the investing public against the activities of some unlawful/unlicensed market operators and promoters of other fraudulent schemed.
This was disclosed in a circular, which was released by the apex capital market operator to the investing public and capital market operators. In the circular, the investing public was advised against dealing the 12 fraudulent Ponzi scheme operators with their bogus investment and return claims. “The commission, in recent time, has observed the proliferation of the operation of unlawful/unlicensed investment schemes, with promises of huge, but unjustifiable returns on investment.’’ [READ MORE: SEC to strictly regulate crowdfunding, issues new rules)
SEC said these activities are perpetrated by the suspected promoters of these Ponzi and other fraudulent schemes. These Ponzi scheme operators include:
Loom Nigeria Money
Box Value Trading Company Ltd
Now-Now Alert
Flip Cash Investment
Result Investment Nigeria Limited
Helping Hand and Investment
No Failure Development and Empowerment Nigeria Ltd.
MBA Forex and Investment Ltd
Federate Investors and Trading Company
Jamalife Helpers Global Ltd
Flexus Global Solutions and Investment Ltd
United Capital Investment Company Limited
SEC pointed out that, “Members of the public are to note that by virtue of the provisions of section 39(1) of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2007, only persons registered with the commission can engage in capital market activities, thus making the actions of these entities listed above unlawful.” Consequently, SEC advised the general public to refrain from investing in any scheme from those firms that have been listed and warned that anybody that invests in any unlicensed/unlawful scheme, does so at their own peril.
Recall that in 2019, SEC clamped down on some of those Ponzi scheme operators which include MGB Global, X-World, Money Rite, No Failure Development, Dantata Success & Profitable Company and so on. The commission blocked the bank accounts and real estate properties linked to operators of the Ponzi schemes and also sealed their premises. Acting Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Mary Uduk, stated that the Commission had recorded significant successes in its efforts to protect the investing public from fraudulent persons.
[READ ALSO: SEC adjusts operations, introduces e-filing, other measures) She said that there was an upsurge of Ponzi schemes in Nigeria in 2019, so the Commission had to step up its enforcement actions to safeguard the investing public and stop these illegal operators. Nigerian, some few years ago, were victims of the then-popular Ponzi scheme, MMM, which later crashed.
A Ponzi Scheme is a fraudulent investing scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. It generates returns for early investors by acquiring new investors and is similar to a pyramid scheme in that both are based on using new investors’ funds to pay the earlier backers.
Bank of Zambia warns public on GDN/Zed Chilimba pyramid scheme
THE Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has warned members of the public to be aware of a group of criminals operating as Global Dream Network (GDZ) which has been offering illegal financial services to the people. According to the Central Bank, Global Dream Network has been offering a financial service by collecting deposits from members of the public using social media platforms especially WhatsApp. “BoZ’s review of the business model of Global Dream Network has revealed that the company is in effect engaging in a ‘money circulation scheme,’ which is prohibited under Section 157 of the BFSA,” reviewed BoZ in a statement. The Central Bank added that, the same WhatsApp administrators are enticing would be participants to invest a minimum of K350 and get a return of K100 cash after recruiting two people at the first level. It also revealed that the scheme promises up to K32, 000 in returns at level four. BoZ has also warned that anyone who participates in the scheme is liable for criminal sanctions. “The Bank of Zambia wishes to also warn members of the public that, according to Section 157 of the BFSA, it is illegal to conduct, participate and issue notice or other documents inviting members of the public to subscribe to a money circulation scheme. Participants and promoters are both liable to criminal sanctions upon conviction,” BoZ stated. It advised members of the public to desist from getting involved and to further be alert to investments that promise huge returns without underlying economic activity.
SCORES of Zambians have lost life savings in a pyramid scheme that went bust. Mineral pay is just one of many that have duped many people across the globe into investing in the money-making scheme. Last week, Zambians woke up to find that the money they had invested in Mineral pay could not be accessed because the organization’s website had been disabled and the only message left for depositors was that their accounts had been reset to zero or reduced to zero until further notice. The website has promised to rectify this in the ‘near future’.
More tellingly, even local Whatsapp groups have reported been disbanded and members removed. But what is a pyramid scheme and why do people fall for this? The following is an excerpt from an online publication on pyramid schemes and how they work and more importantly, why at one stage, people lose out.
A pyramid scheme is a fraudulent investment strategy, deemed illegal in many countries. According to the Federal Trade Commission, pyramid schemes “promise consumers or investors large profits based primarily on recruiting others to join their program, not based on profits from any real investment or real sale of goods to the public.”
n a pyramid scheme, an initial investor recruits a second investor to work under him. This second investor is required to “invest” a certain sum of money to be paid to the initial investor. He is also required to recruit another investor under him and another and so on. Each recruit is required to pay an “investment” to the recruiter above him and to recruit more investors. If any recruit can get just ten recruitments under him, he or she will make back his initial investment plus a small profit. This process continues until there are no longer any recruits to be found and the lower level can no longer support the upper levels. There are some variations on this basic model.
How to tell a pyramid scheme from a real investment
Many people are exposed to get-rich-quick schemes the world over. South Africa, in particular, has seen a lot of such money-making schemes over the past few decades. The appetite for investment opportunities that promise “high returns” remains high, and anything that can meet this insatiable demand will definitely find buyers.
With a lack of enforcement of regulation, schemes where the potential to make money is deemed very high have evolved. Some are pyramids, and others use goods and services to lure unsuspecting investors. Some sell cosmetics, some sell services, and they are sometimes called “multi-level marketing”. The marketers of these schemes aggressively defend them as not being pyramid schemes. Pyramid scheme members at the top benefit the most and those nearer the bottom only benefit after top members have been paid. New members must be recruited to ensure existing members are paid and this is the main source of income rather than value created from a product or investment. When new members can no longer be recruited fast enough, the scheme inevitably collapses. It is good to be able to differentiate between an investment and a pyramid scheme. Quick and huge returns are more appealing than the prospect of making long-term returns, but while you may perceive one of these schemes as the shortest route to wealth, they could in fact cost you all your money.
INVESTMENT RETURNS Bigger than normal returns is one way to identify a pyramid scheme. It may offer as much as 5% per day, or 30% per month. As a general principle, a product that offers returns above 30% a year is abnormal and, therefore, is a pyramid scheme.
The lack of regulation in this space means promoters do as they please when setting expected returns, and there are no legal consequences when the scheme fails and investors lose their money. You will only be guaranteed a return on any legitimate investment monitored by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (formerly the Financial Services Board), if it is a fixed income one. Banks usually do this quite well – their 60-day notice deposits are an example. Government retail bonds also guarantee fixed returns on certain amounts over a certain period. Other investments such as shares and unit trusts, for example, do not promise any returns when sold correctly by professionals, carry a full risk warning stating that you can lose your investment as the value of such securities depends on the market, and the company’s performance. The risks are fully communicated so you, the investor, can make an informed decision. Steinhoff, African Bank, Aveng, Group Five and Impala Platinum are examples of stocks whose values were significantly reduced over time. But investors always knew the risk of loss of capital as it was communicated. Pyramid schemes, however, promise unrealistic returns and should be treated with caution. REQUIRES YOU TO INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN This is perhaps the common giveaway for a pyramid scheme. Its success depends on new members joining the scheme with new money to keep paying those who joined first. Schemes often ask members to bring three participants, and each new member in the scheme has to focus on bringing new participants. Once everyone who falls for the scheme has joined, it will eventually collapse as there is no more cash injection. This is why schemes don’t survive forever.
Companies promoting normal investments do not carry such invitations for other people to invest. Instead, as an investor, you will be told the risk of loss and the potential to earn returns, whereas the pyramid scheme pushers conceal the reality of potential losses. SERVICES AND GOODS ATTACHED TO SCHEMES These days, as a measure of reducing scepticism around such schemes, promoters usually introduce products or services that go with the scheme, and people get a sense of comfort because they have a holiday package, or some drink that can help reduce weight, to sell. Be cautious if the traits outlined above are reflected in the scheme, regardless of the goods and services attached. People should continue to invest in long-term capital growth, and avoid being taken for a ride by such unethical schemers.
‘Get rich quick’ scams
Signs to look out for that it is a “Get Rich Quick scam”:
It claims to pay out double-digit returns.
It claims to be an opportunity of a lifetime.
You can’t understand how it generates money.
It is not a registered product or a product offered by an authorised financial services provider.
Returns or profits earned are dependent on recruiting more members to the scheme.
Awareness tips on how not to fall victim to “Get Rich Quick scams”:
If it sounds too good to be true, it’s most likely a scam.
Be skeptical of any investment’s insistence that you act “NOW”.
Be careful of investments that guarantee you high profits with little or no financial risk.
Exercise due diligence in selecting investments and the people with whom you invest – do your homework before investing your money.
Consult an unbiased third party – like an unconnected broker or licensed financial advisor before investing.
SOURCE: businesstech.co.za
Ponzi schemes
Tips to spot a Ponzi scheme:
The promoter promises high returns, which could not be achieved through normal conventional investment opportunities, within a short period.
In some cases, the promoter will use fake qualifications or references to entice investors, for example, an ‘attorney’ with ‘many years’ experience in the stock market’.
Often high returns are paid initially and then investors are lured into investing even more money.
They often promise guaranteed returns –no return is ever guaranteed, all investments carry some risk.
Promoters are usually quite secretive about the actual business model.
The promoter becomes unavailable and returns dry up.
Usually the scheme collapses soon thereafter.
SOURCE: businesstech.co.za
Beware of Latest Ponzi Scheme on the Scene – Invest K25 and get back K100!!
The irony of life is that greed knows no bounds! The latest Ponzi doing the rounds is the one shown here. It simply states that you *”invest” K25 and get back K100* and so on. I wont waste time explaining the scheme for it is _illegal and breaks every law there is concerning investing and group savings._ One way people are hoodwinked is by being told that it is a *”Chilimba”* and that then gets the unsuspecting people to part with their money for promised returns. Let me get to the point, _it is not a Chilimba in any way!_ It is *100% ILLEGAL* and if anyone is involved in it, I suggest you drop it like a hot coal because *THE LAW WILL VISIT YOU IN DUE COURSE*.
I warned the same some years back over *LWESA*, and people did not heed my warning. When the authorities visited, _many had not just their fingers burnt, but faced the indignity and challenge of having to refund so many people back their money which they “invested”!_ 😟 *Very simply put, here are the proofs that this is illegal in every way* *#1. Registration fee*. No genuine chilimba has any registration fee whatsoever. It’s just a group of savers who take turns _SAVING THEIR MONEY and ALWAYS GET BACK WHATEVER THEY PUT IN._ Only difference is that whoever is first gets back what they eventually save first.
*#2. Group of savers* all know each other and the total amount is always governed by the number of people saving (times contributed) *#3. No recruiting is involved* in a genuine Chilimba in order to earn more. In these “Ponzis” you are _required to bring in new people because its their money (the new entrants) that purportedly pays you back your “investment as promised”_. However, any smart person can see that sooner or later the _new entrants will run out and then problems will start!_ All new entrants lose out. *#4. Registration fee goes to founders.* Now this is where it _gets interesting *(and ILLEGAL)*._ If a registration fee is charged, what is it for? All *Genuine Chilimbas* are technically *”group savings”* and _all fees (if any) always get back to the group at the end of the day._ In this case, where do these fees go? I can tell you, _its to the founders and that is where they make their millions (apparently for administering the process)_. Every *new entrant must register and pay a fee*. _Multiply that by the number of new people and its mind boggling how many millions will be made!_ I have another word for this *(its FRAUD)*. *#5. The Village Banking Concept*. There is a newer and _more powerful Chilimba that is currently on the market that is 100% LEGAL and in order by this name_. In that Chilimba, everyone contributes and can borrow after every cycle with agreed rates of interest charged. _It is a very clear and transparent system_. When the entire process is done with, *moneys are then *returned to everyone and all earnings are shared equitably*_ The above is *100% legit and is currently running in Zambia very successfully*. This *Chilimba is very commendable and we as #ProsperityInsights fully endorse it* *BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE* The new concept doing its rounds on *WhatsApp is not only illegal but will defraud thousands of their money once the Ponzi grows*. All those who start will earn their money back and that is what lures new people. But inevitably the numbers grow and it soon _becomes unsustainable and then backfires_. At that point people will start requesting for their refunds and that is when _”all hell breaks loose”_. *CONCLUSION* As one who always _promotes investment and wealth creation and is a big promoter of Network Marketing too_, I am sounding *the clarion call and resounding the gong against this scheme*. _Be warned._ Those intending to join _may make money at the beginning, but it will inevitably fail and you may end up in a lot of problems later_. As for *the founders*, _you risk being arrested and even facing prosecution to the full extent of the law that may include one or both fines and even a jail term_. *Please avoid this scheme.* _PS: Kindly share with all your networks and help someone avoid getting into trouble._
