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.
2004年, 一家名为Vemma营养的公司 开始提供一个改变人生的机会, 只需要做兼职即可获得全职报酬。 Vemma的这个职位向所有人敞开, 不论你是否有工作经验或教育背景。 只要两步即可开始赚钱: 购买一份500到600美元的 该公司营养饮料产品的装备, 并招募再两名成员也来做这件事。
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.
这家公司成长迅速, 并在国际范围内运转, 最高时每月能招募 30000名新成员。 这其中只有一个问题-- 当这家公司在2013年 达到年利润达到2亿美元时, 大部分的参与者 赚的没有投入的多。
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.
Vemma最终被以层压式推销 (也就是金字塔骗局)起诉: 这是一种常见的骗局, 参与者们通过 招来更多的人投资来赚钱。
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.
创始人一般说服 起始的小团队 投资并宣传他们的计划。 接着鼓励他们招募新人 并允诺回报他们投资的那部分钱财, 同时创始人也捞上一笔。 这一模式在新的参与者中重复, 最后新投资人的钱汇总回馈给招募者。 这和庞氏骗局不同, 庞氏骗局的创始者招募新人 并私底下用新投资者的钱 回馈现存的老投资者, 老投资者们认为回馈是来自合法的投资。
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.
当金字塔骗局壮大时, 新投资人很难再赚到钱。 因为加入者的数量呈指数型递增。 就拿一个需要招募六人 来实现盈利的结构来说。 创始人招募六个人来开始计划, 每一个人再招募六个人。 完成第二轮招募就有36个人, 他们再每人招募6人-- --总共216个新投资者 在第12轮招募过后, 将有21亿人在这个团伙中, 亟需招募新人, 总共130亿人参与盈利-- 超过整个世界人口。 这个情况下, 最新加入的投资者, 即整个骗局的80%, 将会失去他们投入的全部钱。 在现实生活中, 许多老投资者也会亏本。
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.
金字塔骗局在大多数国家是非法的, 但它们很难被察觉。 他们以很多种外表呈现, 包括礼品销售团队, 投资俱乐部,多层营销公司。 合法的分级营销和 金字塔骗局有区别, 但界线非常模糊。 理论上,它们的区别在于, 分级营销公司的员工 主要通过销售特定商品或服务得到报酬, 且卖给零售消费者, 而金字塔骗局主要通过 招揽新投资人给老投资人报酬。 实际上, 许多分级营销公司让员工 通过单纯销售 而可能获得盈利。 而像Vemma这样的层压式推销组织, 通过所谓的产品或服务 掩盖招募-回馈的架构, 把自己伪装成合法的分级营销产业。
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.
许多层压式推销组织还利用 教堂,移民社区或其他紧密联结的团体 成员之间的信任。 最先加入的投资者 在真的开始获取利润之前 被要求说自己体验良好。 团体中的其他人也效仿这种做法, 在大多数人意识到 他们并未赚到钱之前 骗局像气球一样不断膨胀。 通常骗局的受害者会羞于启齿。 层压式推销组织还利用机会 和授权的口头保证诱骗人们。 所以当投资者没有赚到钱时, 他们会责怪自己而非这个组织, 他们认为自己不够顽强, 所以赚不到事先保证的收益。 一些受害者受骗后会继续尝试, 在多个金字塔骗局中投资, 但每次都无功而返。
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.
尽管有上述因素, 还是有办法能识别金字塔骗局。 “时间紧迫性”是一个警告-- 一定要警惕“现在入手 否则错失人生良机”的指示。 一些诸如“巨大的,改变人生 数额的收益”的承诺也很可疑。 最后,合法的分级营销 不应该要求员工为销售 该组织产品的机会付款。
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.
金字塔骗局对个体, 团体,甚至整个国家, 是毁灭性的。 但你可以以毒攻毒, 把这个视频发送给你认识的三个人, 也让他们继续转发下去。