In 2004, a new company called Vemma Nutrition started offering a life-changing opportunity to earn full time income for part time work. Vemma’s offer was open to everybody, regardless of prior experience or education. There were only two steps to start get started earning: purchase a $500-600 kit of their liquid nutrition products, and recruit two more members to do the same.
Godine 2004, nova kompanija, pod imenom Vema nutricionizam, počela je da nudi mogućnost koja menja život, zaraditi pun prihod za povremeni rad. Ponuda Veme je bila upućena svima, bez obzira na prethodno iskustvo ili obrazovanje. Postojala su samo dva koraka za početak zarađivanja: kupite paket njihovih tečnih hranljivih proizvoda u iznosu od 500 do 600 dolara i regrutujte još dva člana da učine isto.
Vemma Nutrition Company grew quickly, becoming a global operation that brought in 30,000 new members per month at its peak. There was just one problem— while the company generated $200 million of annual revenue by 2013, the vast majority of participants earned less than they paid in.
Kompanija Vema nutricionizam je brzo rasla, postajući globalni poduhvat, koji je, u svom vrhuncu, imao 30 000 novih članova mesečno. Postojao je samo jedan problem: dok je kompanija godišnje prihodovala 200 miliona dolara do 2013. godine, velika većina učesnika je zaradila manje nego što je uložila.
Vemma was eventually charged with operating a pyramid scheme: a common type of fraud where members make money by recruiting more people to buy in.
Vema je na kraju osuđena za vođenje piramidalne šeme, uobičajenog tipa prevare, gde članovi zarađuju pare regrutujući još ljudi da se priključi.
Typically, the founder solicits an initial group of people to buy in and promote the scheme. They are then encouraged to recruit others and promised part of the money those people invest, while the founder also takes a share. The pattern repeats for each group of new participants, with money from recent arrivals funneled to those who recruited them. This differs from a Ponzi scheme, where the founders recruit new members and secretly use their fees to pay existing members, who think the payments come from a legitimate investment.
Obično osnivač traži početnu grupu ljudi da se uključe i promovišu šemu. Tada ih ohrabruju da regrutuju druge, obećavajući da će im pripasti deo novca koje ti ljudi ulože, dok osnivač takođe uzima deo. Obrazac se ponavlja za svaku grupu novih učesnika, sa novcem od pridošlica koji se usmerava onima koji su ih regrutovali. Ovo se razlikuje od Poncijeve šeme, gde osnivač regrutuje nove članove i tajno koristi njihove članarine da bi isplatio postojeće članove, koji misle da je isplata došla od legalne investicije.
As a pyramid scheme grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for new recruits to make money. That’s because the number of participants expands exponentially. Take a structure where each person has to recruit six more to earn a profit. The founder recruits six people to start, and each of them recruits six more. There are 36 people in that second round of recruits, who then each recruit 6 people— a total of 216 new recruits. By the twelfth round of recruiting, the 2.1 billion newest members would have to recruit over 13 billion more people total to make money– more than the entire world population. In this scenario, the most recent recruits, over 80% of the scheme’s participants, lose all the money they paid in. And in real life, many earlier joiners lose out too.
Kako piramidalna šema raste, novim regruterima postaje sve teže da zarade pare. jer se broj učesnika širi eksponencijalno. Uzmimo strukturu gde svaka osoba, da bi zaradila, mora da regrutuje još šest osoba. Osnivač regrutuje šest ljudi na startu, svaki od njih regrutuje još šest. Na drugom nivou imamo 36 regrutera, od kojih svaki regrutuje 6 ljudi, što je ukupno 216 novih regrutera. Do dvanaestog nivoa regrutovanja, 2,1 milijarda novih članova morali bi da regrutuju ukupno više od 13 milijardi ljudi da bi zaradili, što je više od cele svetske populacije. Po ovom scenariju, najnoviji regruteri, što je 80% učesnika šeme, izgube sav svoj uloženi novac. U stvarnom životu, mnogi koji su se priključili među prvima takođe izgube.
Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries, but they can be difficult to detect. They are presented as many different things, including gifting groups, investment clubs, and multi-level marketing businesses. The distinction between pyramid schemes and legitimate multi-level marketing can be particularly hazy. In theory, the difference is that the members of the multi-level marketing companies primarily earn compensation from selling a particular product or a service to retail customers, while pyramid schemes primarily compensate members for recruitment of new sellers. In practice, though, many multi-level marketing companies make it all but impossible for members to profit purely through sales. And many pyramid schemes, like Vemma Nutrition, disguise themselves as legal multi-level marketing businesses, using a product or service to hide the pay-and-recruit structure.
Piramidalne šeme su ilegalne u većini zemalja, ali ih može biti teško uočiti. Predstavljene su kao toliko različitih stvari, kao što su grupe za poklanjanje, investicioni klubovi i mrežni marketing. Razlika između piramidalne šeme i legalnog mrežnog marketinga može biti prilično mutna. U teoriji, razlika je u tome što članovi kompanija mrežnog marketinga pre svega zarađuju proviziju od prodaje određenog proizvoda ili usluge kupcu, dok piramidalna šema prvenstveno plaća članovima za regrutovanje novih prodavaca. Ali, u praksi, mnoge kompanije mrežnog marketinga čine gotovo nemogućim za nove članove da zarađuju samo kroz prodaju. A mnoge piramidalne šeme, kao Vema nutricionizam, se prerušavaju u legalni posao mrežnog marketinga, koristeći proizvode ili usluge
Many pyramid schemes also capitalize on already existing trust within churches, immigrant communities, or other tightly knit groups. The first few members are encouraged to report a good experience before they actually start making a profit. Others in their network follow their example, and the schemes balloon in size before it comes clear that most members aren’t actually profiting. Often, the victims are embarrassed into silence. Pyramid schemes entice people with the promise of opportunity and empowerment. So when members don’t end up making money, they can blame themselves rather than the scheme, thinking they weren’t tenacious enough to earn the returns promised. Some victims keep trying, investing in multiple schemes, and losing money each time.
kako bi sakrili strukturu „plati i regrutuj”. Mnoge piramidalne šeme koriste već postojeće poverenje unutar crkava, migrantskih zajednica ili drugih usko povezanih grupa. Prvih nekoliko članova se podstiče da izveste o dobrom iskustvu, pre nego što stvarno počnu da ostvaruju profit. Ostali iz njihove mreže slede njihov primer, i šema je već raširena, pre nego što postane jasno da većina članova nema zaradu. Često žrtve ćute, jer su posramljene. Piramidalne šeme mame ljude obećanjima o mogućnostima i osnaživanju. Kada članovi završe bez zarade, često krive sebe, a ne šemu, misleći da nisu dovoljno prodorni da zarade obećani obrt. Neke žrtve nastavljaju da pokušavaju, ulažući u brojne šeme,
In spite of all these factors, there are ways to spot a pyramid scheme. Time pressure is one red flag— be wary of directives to “act now or miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Promises of large, life-altering amounts of income are also suspect. And finally, a legitimate multi-level marketing business shouldn’t require members to pay for the opportunity to sell a product or service.
i gubeći pare svaki put. Uprkos svim ovim faktorima, postoji način da se uoči piramidalna šema. Vremenski pritisak je znak za uzbunu. Čuvajte se smernica da „delujete odmah ili ćete propustiti jedinstvenu priliku.” Takođe su sumnjiva obećanja o velikoj sumi koja će vam promeniti život. I na kraju, legalni posao mrežnog marketinga
Pyramid schemes can be incredibly destructive to individuals, communities, and even entire countries. But you can fight fire with fire by sending this video to three people you know, and encouraging them to do the same.
ne bi trebalo da traži od članova da plate kako bi prodavali proizvode ili usluge. Piramidalne šeme mogu biti veoma destruktivne za pojedince, zajednice, pa čak i čitave zemlje. Ali možete se boriti vatrom protiv vatre, tako što ćete poslati ovaj video trima osobama koje znate,