http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has obtained orders restraining three individuals from promoting an alleged pyramid selling scheme called TVI Express through Facebook.
On Friday 14 May 2010, in the Federal Court, Sydney, the ACCC obtained ex-parte injunctions restraining Laulhati Jutsen (also known as Teddi Jutsen), Tina Aroha Brownlee and David Graeme Scanlon from promoting the alleged pyramid selling scheme.
Pyramid selling schemes are deliberate scams designed to benefit the originators while taking advantage of later recruits. They operate on the basis that members receive commissions for recruiting new members. However, they inevitably collapse leaving most participants out of pocket.
The TVI Express scheme is promoted by the respondents through various websites including the site www.tviteamoz.com and the TVI Express Oz group on the site www.facebook.com.
People who wish to participate in the scheme are required to pay a membership fee of $330. Once an individual has paid the $330, they receive a 'travel voucher' and the opportunity to receive commission payments for recruiting other people into the scheme.
The ACCC understands that Ms Jutsen, Ms Brownlee and Mr Scanlon had planned to hold presentations across Australia and New Zealand this week to promote the scheme. The orders obtained by the ACCC will prevent these presentations from going ahead. If the individuals ignore these orders, they risk being in contempt of court.
The court orders also restrain the individuals from knowingly accepting payments from, or making payments to other participants in the scheme. The individuals are also required to place notices on various websites alerting members of the public to the ACCC's court action.
The TVI Express website hosts YouTube video's from the groups Indonesian arm, with participants in the scheme with glowing reports of the quick riches they made by participating in the scheme and is embedded below. As always, when investment schemes/clubs seem to good to be true, they often are.
This case seems to have come as a result of other network marketing businesses operating in Australia and New Zealand fearing the loss of their top net-workers crossing the line and taking their teams with them and joining TVI.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously forget they too went before the ACCC and were found wanting for front loading a business to join up. Well over $500 as I remember and the people signed up for the services are paying commissions to members as part of their bills.
'Facebook pyramid scheme'? TVI has no affiliation with FaceBook. There are over 400 million people and millions of groups on FaceBook. FaceBook is a social network. Here we go with the misinformation. Unbelievable yet typical.
ReplyDeleteGet it right for A CHANGE!