Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by stopscams007

13th General Election

stopscams007 — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 20:01:16 +0800

I guess it will be right after the Merdeka Day or even more likely between Hari Raya & Merdeka Day. It may be announced during the PM's Hari Raya wishing and the election will be over by Merdeka day. Clean sweep. What do you think ?

That's the time most favourable to Najib as most Malaysians will be in a happy mood and the oppositions will be caught unprepared in their holidays. Even better if we can earn a gold medal in the Olympics. All the right timing for him.

Watch out for my new thread next week !!

A pyramid energy stone scam in Sri Petaling

stopscams007 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:00:48 +0800

Please inform your parents quickly or forward this to your friends before they become victims.
Please bump this thread in order to help others.

I have personally tested their products and there is no energy effect at all !!

This scam with office and showroom in Sri Petaling has thousands of members and victims in just one short year because of some very CON_VINCING demostrations.
Most of their victims are the less educated elderly people.
Here is how it works:

When their promoter approach you or when you are invited to their office, they will use 2 straight wires, holding 1 each parallel and pointing at you. The wires will not move. Next, they will ask you to place anything of your belongings into a pyramid stone which are they are selling(prices from RM600 to over RM10,000 depending on sizes and "luck-effectiveness". You can but your name card, a ring or anything, even a hair or a little nail clip from your body. Nothing to put ? You can just write something or sign your name on a small piece of paper and put it in.
They will tell you their pyramid will immediately transmit the energy from the pyramid to your body via your own thing.
To prove it, they hold the 2 wires pointing you again and WOW !! The 2 wires begin to move(because you have better energy now !!)

This is a gimmick !!
While it is true the 2 wires move because of energy but the energy is not from you(the prospect). It comes from the promoter who is holding them !! The person holding the wires can change its effect from his own touch and the result of his own PLACEBO effect. I will explain how placebo effects work so well in most MLM Companies in a different thread soon.

The promoter will further convince you with the other usual energy-product-gimmick with the "balancing act" which I am sure most people have heard by now.
The boss of this Company learn some numerology reading and some of their promoters are taught how to read your life and fortune from a birth date; so you will believe them more and buy their pyramid stone since they can predict you so accurately.
Their partner of marketing leader is someone named Lim Thiam Hock, formerly owned Network 99 selling some jade mattress from Korea and got sued by the Genting family and caused his Company to close down. He is considered a very successful scam leader in the MLM field. He has done Lion Best, Genesis World, Lampe Berger and Sunshine Empire beside running Network 99.

They will tell you having their pyramid stone at home or the office will improve your luck, health, even strike lottery. They claim the stone is made from materials from the sun and of course, the more expensive ones bring better power.

Please inform your parents or farward this to your friends.
Their victims are mostly elderly or Chinese educated people.

A new scam in Pavilion Residences Tower

stopscams007 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:31:55 +0800

Please inform your parents or forward this to your friends.
Please help to bump this thread to prevent others from being their victims as I seldom have the time.

This scam is started by Stanley Wong(Dato now) and Rey Gan who started Mobil Wallet some years ago.
They made over RM20 millions in Mobil Wallet, after that did something call LV.
Now they are back with s new scam which is even more CON-VINCING.

They bought a condominium unit on the 44th or 43th floor of Pavilion Residences to impress victims.
Next, they tie up with an American Nasdaq public listed Company and invite their CEO to come over regularly to give talks or meet the prospects.
They will tell they have investments from property to plantations all over the world and if you invest your money with them now, in a few months to a few years time, your return can be few times to hundreds times more.
They use a scheme like mlm. If you recruit investors for them, you will be paid 10% to 20% of the amount collected. If you don't wish to recruit members, you just wait for your returns later. In you join now, you are sure of being paid because they need testimonials.
If you ask them for documents to prove all their claims of ownership and investments, they will beat around the bush with all kinds of excuses for not showing it to you.

Normally, they will use words like:

"You come in only if you feel comfortable"
"So and so's share is already worth 3 times now and profited 200% in value"
"Dr. So and so just invested 50k last week"
"Mr. So and so, a lawyer felt skeptical like you initially but after doing all the research or visit our office etc finally invested in RM100k instead of RM50k".
"Some people accused us of being a scam without any proof"
"In fact, the police and even Bank Negara investigated us because someone report but the facts that we are operating now should we are legal"

Nearly everyone who turn up at their Pavilion Residences Condo will be impressed. Closing rate is nearly 100% !!
I have personally checked with the Pavilion Residence management office and informed them but they say owner of a unit are free to have visitors anytime of the day; so they cannot do anything about it.

Scams exist because there are willing victims and there are victims because those who know the scams did not inform those who don't know it.
If you wish to contact me personally, please write to stopscams007@yahoodotcom

How do identify a product or investment scam ?

stopscams007 — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:01:06 +0800

Since I started a thread informing members of some scams that are going on, I received many e-mails and most of them ask me whether this compnay or that company is a scam or not.

I wish to reply you all once and for all in this single thread and hope you will share it to others.

All scams are the SAME. They will never admit it is a scam and they all have ways and tricks to con you and make you believe that it is not a scam.
They will tell you their business is LEGAL so it is not a scam. Of course, all businesses are legal until they are proven illegal in court.

In a nutshell, there is only ONE single way or condition to identify whether product youa re asked to purchase or a business you are asked to invest is a scam or not a scam.

A scam is sure to get you to make some payment, whether it is for a deposit, purchase or down payment to puchase something or to make an investment.
Simply ask yourself, for that money that you are paying, are you getting something back IMMEDIATELY worth the money you are going to pay ? If you think not, it is a scam. If you think the product is worth your money, it does not matter if it is a scam or not since you have already received your products worth your money.

The above applies more to a product purchase. Of course, there are times when a product is not worth the money. I will soon start a new thread to caution you on some products scam like a negative ions clothings and sleeping pad, a pyramid object selling in Sri Petaling that claims to bring good luck and health and goodarch, something put into your shoes. They all have very CON-VINCING methods to close a sale. I will explain to them in another thread soon.

Beside products scams, the most popular are investment scams. These are more common as it is easier to run since no products are involved. They normally make use of a website, futuristic projects that are involved elsewhere, mostly in another country and a bogus strong background involved.

CON-VINCING tricks used are mostly some legal documents, testimonials of others who are happy with the products or the investment return, some doctors or professionals employed, etc. Remember that in any business scam, when you made some money, you have already victimised others, will you want to do that ?

REMEMBER: There is only ONE way to identify a scam. I repeat: For the money you need to pay, what do you get back in return immediately ? If it is not worth the money you paid, it is a scam. Forget about all the other hopes and promises.

If you find this message useful, please keep this thread active or forward to all your friends and relatives to prevent them from being scammed.

Harmful Products All Must Know !

stopscams007 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:26:44 +0800

This is very serious. A lot of such products have been sold during the last few years that claimed to be made from volcanic soil and give energy to the body. FusionExcel started selling it a few years ago for around RM500 per piece or much less if you buy more and later Cosway followed by selling at a much cheaper price. There are many other brands too and some are in different forms.

Please caution all your family members and friends before they fall victims to such products.
Read links below. Both Companies have a lot of excuses for it but don't believe them !!

I have been studying energy products for a few years and I know those tricks and theory being used by those people selling most of such products are NOT right !! Those genuine products are NOT sold in such a manner. I will explain more in another day.
This remind us of those tricks used to sell some "foot-patch" that is suppose to extract your toxins through your foot overnight. That product cheated millions about 10 years ago but no one believe in it anymore. Now the trend is "energy pendant".

Since the following news are out in September last year, I have visited a few Cosway stockists office as well as FusionExcel's office in PJ.

Here's what they told me:

Cosway's stockists' and members' top 4 replies:

1)"Is that so ? I have never heard about it. I heard it was FusionExcel's Quantum pendant that was found to be harmful"(Pretending ?)

2"We are being framed. Someone send other's product to the HK govt, it's not our product"(You think HK govt so simple ? If it's not your product, have your Company written to HK govt ? Why can't you show us some documents to prove it ?)

3)"Cosway is owned by Berjaya, a big organisation, they will not sell poor quality products.(What about the Pan-Lab incident few years back ?)

4)"That HK report was a mistake or misunderstanding, we have clarified with them and we are allowed to sell in HK now. If it is really harmful, this product will be banned". (Mistake ? Then why don't your Company get them to delete that report ? Who said it must be banned ?)

Cosway is also selling an "Energy Cup"(just a metal cup with a piece of the defective SE pendant locked at the base) and a rubber necklace that also claim to produce energy. When I ask them to prove their effectiveness. No one can give me a satisfactory reply. They only said there are a lot of good testimonials(many past Companies have good testimonials too, where are they now ?) and Berjaya group is strong and reputable, so their products must be good(take me as fool ?).

FusionExcel's members' top 4 replies:

1)"That was old news. We have already submitted our products to HK for testing and it's found to be not harmful."(Then how come their Company never made any attempt to stop the HK goverment from displaying their news in the website above ?)

2)"It was Cosway pendant that was found to contain harmful ingredients"(Funny, both Cosway and FusionExcel members only know the other Company's product got mentioned by HK government but not their own)

3)"We are 4 to 5 years already. If our products are no good, we won't be so successful. Our Company produced many millionaires. Don't listen to others, our records and testimonials are the best evidence.(Then I am told who are their top earners and I am showed a lot of pictures of doctors and sportsmen pictures with their products, acting as their spokepersons or ambassadors. Even Dato Lee Choon Wei's picture is used. I am one person who don't believe in advertisements and spokepersons.)

4)"Our bosses are very nice people. They did a lot of charity, unlike Vincent Tan".(Showing me files and figures of money paid to charity. Ya, but where did all these money come from ?)

A friend told me personally that FusionExcel is aware that this product's future is no good due to several reason: Many competitors are selling them cheap, too many members are having the stock unsold, bad reputation of the pendant now etc.
They have now geared towards other products like energy bracelets, energy watches etc.

The followings below are the links in both English and Chinese reports.

1) Quantum Pendant sold by FusionExcel;

http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/en/c...1016en05009.htm

http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/tc/c...1016tc05011.htm

2) SE Pendant sold by Cosway.

http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/en/c...0909en05006.htm

http://www3.news.gov.hk/isd/ebulletin/tc/c...0909tc05007.htm

Thank you for reading and please forward to your friends. Remember that:

"People get victimised by scam because they don't know about it and they don't know about it because those who knew it did not inform them"
Now please e-mail this message to all your loved ones before you see them wearing such harmful pendants.

If you know any other harmful or bad products in the market, please contribute and add to thise thread to help each other.

I have 2 other threads on scams in Malaysia, if you are interested to read:

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/615194 - A list of Companies that I believe are scams.

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1265480 - Mostly on common tricks used by MLM & investment scams that all must know.

Thank you to all those who contributed information to me and if you have any information useful to me, please pm me or send to my e-mail at stopscams007@gmail.com.

Most Common Tricks used by Investment & MLM Scams

stopscams007 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:55:26 +0800

Thanks to the good response of my other thread: http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/615194 which I listed some of the better known scams in MLM, I am starting a new thread here that list some of the most common tricks used by those MLM and Investment scams in the past and present. If you find them useful after reading, please pass it to your friends and loved ones to prevent them from falling victims to such scams. It's just a few clicks of your fingers but it can save many people and money (Please send the whole message so they know this is not complete yet).

I know some of them from my personal experience and some of them are contributed to me from members here.
Thanks to all of you who wrote to me and contributed and I hope you will continue to do so in order that I can update this thread for everyone's benefits.

I have only list the tricks names and explained some. Please come back later to read more details of it. Meanwhile, if you wish to contribute any more tricks that you heard, help me to elaborate and give some examples to my list, please reply here or pm me.

After reading, please give some comments or opinions, if not some related informations so that I know my effort are not wasted.
Please note this thread is on "TRICKS" used. If you wish to add or discuss on any COMPANY, please go to this thread:

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/615194

If you wish to keep confidential, you may write to me at:

stopscams007 alias gmail.com

Here's my list:

1) "Denial" trick - They will claim "we are not mlm". Knowing that many people don't support a mlm or direct sales products, some Companies will keep denying they are MLM and used other terms like "franchisee" business, eg. Lampe Berger, STG, IRC; or "investment schemes" eg. Sunshine Empire, GRI, etc;

2) "Get-A-Job" trick - Read my thread on Easypha-max: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1254569&hl=

3) "Future Plan" trick - This has been most common in the past. They will tell you a lot of rosy future plans like setting up factory in Malaysia; or going public listed soon and you will be given free shares or priority to buy cheaper chares; or whatever you purchase now be worth much more in the future.

4) "Secret Formula" trick - on both plan and product. When they cannot explain how the product or their marketing plan works(obviously not if it is a scam) they will tell you "this is Company secret, tell all will means allowing competitors to follow us". Fixed return on investments(ROI) scams that take monies from the new victims to pay the old ones always use this statement.

5) "Other Industry" trick" - This trick started by Sunshine Empire is most commonly used by those investment scams that promised fixed return. This is the most common trick now. After the failure of investment scams like Sunshine, Mobilwallet, STG, etc many people already know that it's impossible for products selling or food business to gain such profits margin for unlimited members. So they use other industries like a certain plant or tree cultivation, seaweed, fish, fuel, IT-related development and the latest is "turning waste oil into crude oil" with office at Mont Kiara. Others out soon(being planned now) are church-related, shipping industry, space industry, etc

6) "Long History" trick - You probably heard many times on this. Those MLM Companies that have longer history will use this trick to "bully" the newer companies but what has that got to do with their products or whether it is a good business ? They will tell you their Company is stable because of a longer history(don't they have their beginning too ?) or used products supplier's history which do not belong to them.

7) "Testimonials" tricks on both products(esp healthcare products) and on the business opportunity. Nearly every healthcare products MLM used it. Sunrider, Morinda, SNE, BioYoung and many others, where have they all gone now if their products are so good ? Most of the time, the effects are placebo(see no. 13 below) or exaggerated. Testimonials are commonly used for the income opportunity too. They will always tell you so and so in their company earned a lot but NEVER caution you that over 99% of those who joined earlier have left or lost some money.

8) "Moneyback gurantee" trick - Is this a trick too ? Certainly ! This trick works well because people fill safe in paying for it BUT when you try to claim your money back; here are the common senario: your introducer or seller is hard to locate now, there is a 10% "certain fee" not brought to your attention earlier, certain offer items are not returnable; or your upline will beg you not to return because commissions they and you earned need to be refunded.

9) "International" trick - They will tell you their organisation has reached many countries, so what ? What has that got to do with you and your money which you are going to pay ? In some cases, foreign based MLM Companies are actually Malaysian-created with a virtual office addressed overseas. Some US claimed companies don't even do much business in US. Past examples are Enrich, Xango, etc

10) "Professionals" trick - most commonly used are doctors and lawyers. Doctors and Lawyers who speak for any business have poor code of ethics and comnpanies who used such tricks are worse.

11) "Doctors Endorsement" trick - Can we trust doctors who breach their own code of ethics ?

12) "Legal Agreement" trick. This one is most common now in investment scams. You think legal documents will protect you ? They are used to earn your confidence or take away your rights, more later. In most of their agreements, they have a clause included that the Company can change any conditions in future leaving the members no rights to take actions against them. Past examples of this trick are MobilWallet and STG. Their bosses, offices and restaurants are still around but members cannot do anything legally.

13) "Placebo-effect" trick - Used widely by Fusion Exel and those energy pendant sellers. Placebo effects are more significant and effective from "energy" products like those made from magnets, ceramic or lava soils. When the users(normally MLM members) believe and have greater faith in them, a certain inner energy can be produced that may be good enough to cure some illness or symtoms. After the enthusiasm is over, you will find the product no longer effective. This is one of the reason why MOST of those MLMs selling health products are gone. I am sure we have all experience with doctors too. If you lack confidence with a certain doctor or medicine, it may not work for you because your inner energy from your own placebo effect is working against it.

14) "Chemical Reaction" trick - Remember the footpatch that cheated so many people ?

15) "Give you downlines" trick - This is a fishing trick used most commonly in those called binary plan. Some Management can even create new accounts for you to be placed somewhere on top; or they will tell you "I will give you a very strong line from Indonesia or Thailand, all you need is just build one leg"

16) "Free Body Checkup" trick - They will use a gadget or some machines to do for you a free check and later recommend you to buy their product and claim it will work for your problem. Some of them do not even tell you their purpose when they invite you for the "free" checkup. After you entered their office and did the check-up, you are trapped !!

17) "Only-we-have-products" trick - Mostly OEM products that no one knows or trusts. This is traditional in every MLM business. Everyone will claim that ONLY their Company has the product. Of course, because they simply contract a manufacturer to manuafcture for them. In most cases, the products are much more overpriced compared to similar products of another brand available over the counter. Such products are usually not value-for-money and only in the beginning because they are bought up by the distributors or the members of the company. Past examples are Forever Living, Sunrider, Bio-young, XKL, Morinda(Noni juice), Nu-skin, For-Life, Reliv, Xango, SNE etc. They all started with a hype and great volume during the 1st one or 2 years and quiet down later when even their hig-ranking members will no longer buy them.

18) "Brainwashing" trick - wow, this is going to be long.......

19) "Training" tricks - They only tell you "not to quit" but not why and how you will fail. While training is good for one's personal development, it can be harmful if you are trained in a misleading way by any particular Company. Take Amway for example, I am sure everyone of you has a friend or 2 who swear that they will NEVER leave or quit the Company 5 or 10 yeras ago(all due to their great trainings, brainwashings and motivations) but disappeared now due to embarrassment. My advice is "since 99%(statistics don't lie) of all MLMs or pyramid schemes business members will not be successful or make it to richness, NEVER close your back door by swearing you will never quit." Another such example is QuestNEt that started with that no-value gold-plated coin that ask for over RM1000 each. Their members(mostly youngsters) are all trained to approach at least 100 prospects before they should quit. It will only lead to more victims and when they eventually quit, they will be so disillusioned that they will never want to get back into any form of business.

Remember this example if you are ever trained or brainwashed not to quit a business:
A fly inside a closed room saw a big heap of delicious rubbish outside through the closed window. The fly has the motivation, aim, goal, an action plan(everything ever needed and trained for achievement) to knock down the window and get out for the rubbish. With a "Never Quit" attitude, the fly will knock the window until it gets killed. So much on trainings and brainwashings.

20) "Tee Up" trick

21) "Good People" trick - announcing they are of a certain religion or vegetarians

22) "Chicken & Duck Talk & Physcology" trick. This is also very common now and used by nearly every MLM or scam with a good training department eg: When you question them on the business module and suspect a scam or when you have cornered them, they will give you answers like:
"In any buisness, you need to work for your income, there is no guranteed income",
" I am afraid you have been misled by others or heard too much negative things from those who are not even how members, so how could they know better than us ?",
"Failures always find excuses not to work, successful people always find ways to succeed"
"Birds of the same feathers always flock together - Only failures listen to failures(we listen and learn from our successful leader in our company"
"Those who failed or left are jealous, so they condemn us"
"No one force them or point a gun on their head to make them join"

I am sure you have heard much more, maybe help to contribute ?

23) "All are Pyramids" trick

24) "Confusing" Plan trick

25) "Company Background" trick - They are big in China or U.S. - What has that got to do with the products ?

26) "Treat You" trick - Let's come out for yum cha and there is a free makan !! Greedy people will get this one.

27) "Gadgets-Testing" trick

28) "High Repeat Sales" trick

29) "Impressive" trick - Normally on their office or website

30) "Figures" trick

I will explain all the above with more details another day. Please visit again soon.

If you find them helpful, please forward it to your friends or include them in your blogs.

Thank you for your time.

EasyPha-max used Sunshine Empire's tricks

stopscams007 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:32:00 +0800

Most people have heard about EasyPha-max by now. If you have not heard about them yet, this Company has their office in Puchong. The boss is a Dato Yip or Yeap(another Dato !!). He has a younger brother named Danny. They used to market wheatgrass products about 10 years ago under the name of INS. After INS failed, they went into other locally manufactured health supplements using some new tricks like "food-accroding-to-blood-types". It failed and they used the Blue Ocean Marketing Strategy and changed their name to EasyPha-max following James Phang's Sunshine Empire trick of "fixed investment return" SCAM.

EasyPha-max's fixed investment scam sounded more promising. Besides a false promised fixed return, they advise their members who invested by purchasing around RM30,000 worth of stock each to KEEP their stock with the Company so that the Company will help them to sell their stocks through their online EC shop. This trick also sounded better than Lampe Berger where the victims has no hope of selling their stocks. Even better for the Company, no products need to be given to anyone.

Months passed, of course, the members don't get back any money. News spread, some members even go to make police reports, nothing can be done. The Company management gave some excuses:

"We are still helping you to sell your products, which other Comnpany ever help you on that ?"
"Will you like us to fail and close shop ? You will lose everything and no chance of recovering back your money if that happens"
"Be patient, we will have a new plan out soon that GUARANTEE all of you will get back your money with more income".

Obviously, victims don't hope their Company to close shop. They hope the Company will CONtinue to do well so that they have a chance of getting their money back. During that time, their Malaysian business started to slow down but their business expanded to overseas, especially China. So more victims from overseas. Meanwhile, the Company leaders or top earners will encourage their members not to talk bad about the Company or say anything negative if they want their money back.

More months passed, and Malaysia has no more new members joining them. Losing confidence, some members started to ask for their products(afterall, better than nothing) . Obviously, Dato Yip will not want to give any products, if possible. So he must come up with a new trick.

The new trick is using development projects, used numerous times by various scams in the past, most widely known is James Phang's Sunshine Empire.

These few days, The Company call in all their local and overseas members and prospects to announce a development plan.
They announced they have a few hundred acres of land in Nilai to be developed in many bungalows. Members are offered to purchase first at a special price using their "stock-value" and "bonus points value"(owed by the Company) as down payment. If those points are not enough, they can top up with some cash.
How smart, not only the Company don't have to give any stock or money owing to members, they can trick their members to pay more now.
In order to make it more realistic to their members, many developers, designers, advertisers are also invited in for "show" into this "set-up". Hopefully, these people will also ended up paying them to join their scheme because they all hope to get the job.

Throughout the whole meeting today, not a single document is shown to prove that there is such a project.

This incident showed 2 of the common tricks used by many such scam business, which I call the "future plan" and "set-up" meeting tricks.

Later, I will write more tricks and put them under a new topic "Most Common Tricks Used by Scam Operators".

Those who wish to read about the other 20 over scams using MLM schemes which I knew, please read in my other thread

Remember:

"Scams exist because there are new victims and new victims exist because those knew it did not share it with them"

Now please share this message to all your loved ones to prevent them from being victims.

Investment SCAMs

stopscams007 — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:09:36 +0800

I received this SMS, in exactly the same words. I think it is very useful. Please sms to all your close friends. Actually many scams are on because those who know about it never warn others. We never know whether our relatives or friends will be a victim. Please sms to your closed ones if you think it is useful. Just a ringgit and you could prevent your friends from being conned. The sms read like this:

"Warn your frens. Many schemes take money n return 5% monthly. U nvr know when it stop n ppl will lose money. Scams exist because ppl nvr warn their frens".