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Pop star discovered tragically dead at 33 in the wake of scandal

<p>South Korean pop star Choi Sung-bong, who was caught running a notorious cancer scam has passed away at age 33.</p> <p><em>The Korean Times</em> reported that Choi was found by police at his Seoul home on the morning of June 20. He was pronounced dead soon after.</p> <p>Authorities have reportedly ruled the singer’s cause of death as a suicide.</p> <p>According to the Hollywood Reporter, after years of online fame stemming from a 2011 performance on Korea’s Got Talent, Choi confessed he had tricked his fans into donating money to him after claiming he needed funds for cancer treatment.</p> <p>Choi had claimed he had been battling multiple forms of cancer to obtain the donations, however, his claims were later exposed as a hoax.</p> <p>He also claimed he had returned all donated funds from a false fundraiser.</p> <p>Choi later issued a grovelling apology and vowed to return all of the donations sent by his fans.</p> <p>One day before his alleged suicide, Choi posted a note on his YouTube channel apologising for “foolish mistakes” in the past, according to The Mirror.</p> <p>The chilling letter said he needed to "repay for his sins with his life” and showed the address of where his body would be after taking his life.</p> <p>“My body can be found at [his home location]. I don’t know how to write a final message, so I will just write it in my own style. Even though my breath may have stopped now, I have no regrets about the brilliant journey of my life. I have lived my life to the fullest and made efforts to find happiness every day. Age thirty-four," (as per Korean age system), he said.</p> <p>Choi was best known for competing in Korea’s Got Talent in 2011, coming in at second place.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIy99OT2BAQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIy99OT2BAQ"></iframe></a></p> <p>A clip of him singing a cover of Nella Fantasia by Ennio Morricone quickly went viral online, thrusting him into the spotlight  – <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">with singing sensation Justin Bieber even acknowledging his talent.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: YouTube</em></p>

Caring

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Pizza chain's delightfully devilish scheme lets you pay when you die

<p>A delightfully devilish pizza chain is taking the 'buy now, pay later' scheme to the next level, giving customers the chance to pay for their pizza when they die. </p> <p>HELL Pizza is inviting pizza fans to apply for the trial scheme, which involves amending their wills to have their total cost included. </p> <p>The chain has one store in Brisbane, with the rest of its stores located around New Zealand, with customers from both countries able to apply for the scheme, which involves no late fees or penalties.</p> <p>The restaurant will select 666 applicants from each country, who will be invited to sign a real amendment to their wills allowing the cost of their pizza to be collected upon death.</p> <p>According to HELL Pizza CEO Ben Cumming, pizza is one of the simple joys of life, and AfterLife Pay means diners can get their fix without having to dip into the bank account immediately.</p> <p>The scheme emerged after the business was approached by popular 'buy now, pay later' providers who wanted HELL Pizza to offer the service to its customers. </p> <p>The pizza chain's unique AfterLife Pay came as a direct response to this proposal, as a statement against “schemes trapping a growing number of Aussies in spirals of debt”, Cumming said.</p> <p>“We’re seeing a growing number of people using the schemes to buy essential items like food, and we think it’s taking it a step too far when you’ve got quick service restaurants like ours being asked to offer BNPL for what is considered a treat,” he said.</p> <p>“Especially when you consider people are falling behind in their payments and 10.5 percent of loans are in arrears."</p> <p>“AfterLife Pay is a light-hearted campaign that reinforces HELL’s stance on BNPL schemes - you can have your pizza and eat it too without any pesky late fees or penalties.”</p> <p>Applicants can apply for the scheme <a href="https://hellpizza.nz/wickedpedia/2023/05/25/buy-now-pay-much-later/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online</a>, with the chain's restaurant assuring that you will you won't pay anything for your order until "you're resting six feet under". </p> <p><em>Image credits: HELL Pizza</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Get-rich-quick schemes, pyramids and ponzis: five signs you’re being scammed

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Ze<em>ka</em></a><em>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a></em></p> <p>Consumers are under a lot of financial strain. The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/cost-of-living-crisis-global-impact/">World Economic Forum</a> reports that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people across the globe. With food and fuel prices rising, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep financially afloat. On top of that, salaries <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/workers-pay-globally-hasnt-kept-up-with-inflation-e6df92d">aren’t keeping up with inflation</a>, making it more difficult to save and build wealth.</p> <p>It’s during such times of economic difficulty and uncertainty that fraudsters lure unsuspecting consumers into “<a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">get-rich-quick</a>” schemes, offering <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/stay-safe/ponzi-pyramid-schemes/">an avenue to make easy money</a> by investing in a “lucrative” financial opportunity.</p> <p>Nothing beats the prospect of making easy money, and every now and again there seems to be a “get-rich-quick” scheme circulating on WhatsApp or on social media that seems legitimate. But it’s not.</p> <p>Our research interests centre on financial systems in emerging economies, and we advocate for financial inclusion and empowering marginalised communities through financial literacy and financial planning. We use our academic platform to share our expertise on finance, including common financial traps people should steer clear of.</p> <p>“Get-rich-quick” schemes are one such trap. They’re also sometimes called ponzi or pyramid schemes. The schemes are a form of <a href="https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/financial-fraud">financial fraud</a>. The people running them take money through deception: the misrepresentation of information and identity. They promise financial benefits that don’t exist.</p> <p>You should avoid them because, more often than not, they are bogus and fraudulent business ventures.</p> <p>There have been some massive fraud schemes over the past 30 years. In the early 1990s, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/mmm-global-russian-ponzi-scheme-from-1990s-reborn-and-now-spreading-like-wildfire-in-africa-a7333366.html">MMM Global</a> - one of the world’s largest and most notorious ponzi schemes - defrauded up to 40 million people, who lost an estimated $10 billion. Ponzi schemes have since resurfaced in different forms in <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/ponzi-scheme-investigated-as-some-victims-lost-as-much-as-r200-000-c3c3633c-2abb-4dd4-b668-a5ea608deb41">South Africa</a>, <a href="https://guardian.ng/business-services/nigerians-lose-over-n911b-to-ponzi-schemes-related-fraud-in-23-years/">Nigeria</a>, <a href="https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/zimbabwe-money-pyramids-ponzi-schemes/6305100.html">Zimbabwe</a>, <a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202105170964.html">Kenya</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/JFC-09-2020-0177">Ghana</a> and several other African countries.</p> <p>There are five tell-tale signs of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. Watch out for them.</p> <h2>The five tell-tale signs</h2> <p><strong>Firstly</strong>, they offer exaggerated and above-market returns within a short period of time, with the promise of little to no risk.</p> <p>There are two golden rules when it comes to investing. The first is that it takes time to make money. Amassing a small fortune within a short space of time should raise questions about the scheme.</p> <p>The second rule is: the higher the risk, the higher the return. In other words, no investment is risk free or can guarantee significant returns. There is always some risk involved. An investment that promises substantial returns tends to be quite risky, which repels most people with a low appetite for risk.</p> <p><strong>Secondly</strong>, new members are constantly recruited to join the scheme.</p> <p>Typically, such schemes are sustained by relying on the investments of new members to pay existing members. Once the number of existing members exceeds new members, the scheme goes “belly-up”. At best you lose out on the returns you were promised. At worst you lose all the money you’ve invested.</p> <p>When the scheme collapses, it is almost impossible to recover the money you’ve lost because you’ve technically given it to a stranger (remember, the definition of financial fraud encompasses the misrepresentation of identity).</p> <p><strong>Thirdly</strong>, there is urgency to join the scheme and no clarity on how the scheme works.</p> <p>This is a classic characteristic of a “get-rich-quick” scheme. There is usually no clear answer about the nature of the scheme, what it invests in, how it generates its returns or the credentials of the organisation.</p> <p>Legitimate investments are transparent and can provide investors with all the information they need to help them decide whether to invest. Unsurprisingly, a proper check of “get-rich-quick” schemes will unmask their fraudulent nature. This is why there’s always the urgency and coercion to make an immediate financial commitment under the guise of missing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get rich.</p> <p><strong>Fourthly</strong>, the scheme is not registered with or regulated by any recognised authority.</p> <p>Regulatory authorities are important because they monitor the conduct of financial service providers and protect consumers by keeping their best interests in mind. The protection provided by financial regulators also instils confidence in financial systems.</p> <p>“Get-rich-quick” schemes are not registered and operate outside the framework of regulatory bodies. This makes investors more vulnerable to loss and makes it more difficult to seek legal recourse when the loss occurs.</p> <p>Legitimate investments in South Africa are offered by authorised financial service providers and regulated by the <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Pages/Default.aspx">Financial Sector Conduct Authority</a>. You can search for any authorised financial service provider on the authority’s <a href="https://www.fsca.co.za/Fais/Search_FSP.htm">website</a>.</p> <p><strong>Fifthly</strong>, they use the testimonies from existing members who’ve earned big bucks to promote the scheme.</p> <p>At the initial stages, the scheme tends to pay out to those who have invested early, and these members are encouraged to share the news of their wealth (which travels fast and far) to promote the scheme.</p> <p>But this is a tactic used to create the impression that you too can earn returns in the double digits. These schemes are both unsustainable and unethical as one person gets wealthy through someone else being deceived.</p> <h2>Too good to be true</h2> <p>It’s worth repeating that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.</p> <p>Wealth comes from a sound investment strategy and decisions made over time. Any promise to “get rich quick” should be treated with the cynicism it deserves. It will ultimately reveal its fraudulent nature. Recognising the signs of “get-rich-quick” schemes can save you from unnecessary financial distress.</p> <p>It’s always a good idea to do your own investigation before committing your finances into any investment. You can find more information on the various types of scams through the <a href="https://www.sabric.co.za/">South African Banking Risk Information Centre</a>’s website and report them to the <a href="https://www.safps.org.za/Home/Contact">South African Fraud Prevention Service</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205798/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bomikazi-zeka-680577">Bomikazi Zeka</a>, Assistant Professor in Finance and Financial Planning, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/abdul-latif-alhassan-1390159">Abdul Latif Alhassan</a>, Associate Professor in Development Finance & Insurance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-rich-quick-schemes-pyramids-and-ponzis-five-signs-youre-being-scammed-205798">original article</a></em>.</p>

Money & Banking

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Melissa Caddick’s husband claims millions in jewels, cars, homes and assets

<p>Melissa Caddick’s husband, Anthony Koletti, has lodged a claim indicating that he is entitled to a significant share of the multi-million dollars worth of cars, houses, artworks and jewellery left by the missing Sydney woman.</p> <p>After it was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/melissa-caddick-s-hidden-millions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that Caddick had misappropriated $25 million of investors' funds in a Ponzi scheme via her company Maliver Pty Ltd, court proceedings were begun in November 2020 by the corporate watchdog in order to return the vast amounts of swindled money to investors. These proceedings remain underway.</p> <p>Mr Koletti has now filed a statement in Federal Court as an interested party, claiming that he is entitled to matrimonial property including $2 million of clothes and jewellery, $7 million worth of shares, proceeds from $360,000 of cars that have been sold, as well as two homes in the multi-million dollar price range.</p> <p>Mr Koletti also claims entitlement to personal property that includes five valuable John Olsen paintings, a Louis Vuitton watch, a Gucci wedding dress and several more pricey items of white-gold jewellery – including a $33,960 diamond ring set by Sydney fine jewellery designer Canturi and his own $26,500 wedding band.</p> <p>According to court documents, Mr Koletti’s claim was based on his “financial and non-financial contributions” to the relationship since his December 2013 marriage to Caddick.</p> <p>Mr Koletti’s basis for the claims rest with the fact that he used up almost all of his income and assets to support Caddick and her son during their marriage, and that furthermore that since Caddick’s disappearance he has personally paid around $500 a week to care for her child.</p> <p>The claim went on to state that “due to the extensive media coverage relating to the Defendant’s disappearance, the time taken by legal proceedings and Mr Koletti’s grief, he has not been able to secure gainful employment in his usual trade other than casual hairdressing services and some income from <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/music/melissa-caddick-s-husband-releases-album-about-her-disappearance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his music</a>.” </p> <p>Mr Koletti’s court filing comes ahead of an inquest set for September, which will further probe the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/wild-theories-over-melissa-caddick-disappearance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mysterious disappearance</a> of Caddick.</p> <p><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

News

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That reverse mortgage scheme the government is about to re-announce, how does it work?

<p>Many Australians have never heard of the <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/pension-loans-scheme">Pension Loans Scheme</a>, and many more assume it’s just for pensioners, which is understandable given its name.</p> <p>That’s why the government is poised to rename it the Home Equity Access Scheme and make the interest rate it charges more reasonable, in the mid-year budget update on Thursday.</p> <p>The soon to be renamed scheme is best thought of as a <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/mortgage/reverse-mortgage/">reverse mortgage</a> where instead of paying down a home loan each month, the homeowner borrows more against the home each month, paying off what’s borrowed when the home is eventually sold.</p> <p>Although reverse mortgages have been provided commercially for some time, the number of providers has shrunk as large banks have <a href="https://download.asic.gov.au/media/4851420/rep-586-published-28-august-2018.pdf">left the field</a> in the face of increased scrutiny and compliance costs.</p> <p>The government version is misleadingly named the Pension Loans Scheme (PLS), even though it is available to all retirees with homes and not just pensioners. It was introduced by the Hawke government in <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2015/February/The_Pension_Loans_Scheme">1985</a>.</p> <p>The maximum amount that can be made available under the scheme and the age pension combined is <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-much-you-can-get-under-pension-loans-scheme?context=22546">150% of the full pension.</a> This means a retiree who is on the pension can get extra fortnightly payments from the scheme to bring their total payment up to 150% of the full pension.</p> <p>If the retiree is not on the pension they can get the entire amount of 150% of the pension via the PLS.</p> <p>The payments stop when the loan balance reaches a <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/maximum-loan-amount-under-pension-loans-scheme?context=22546">ceiling</a> which climbs each year the retiree gets older and climbs with increases in the value of the home.</p> <p>The ceiling for a 70-year old with a home worth $1,000,000 is $308,000.</p> <p>The key difference between the PLS and commercial reverse mortgages is that the size of its lump sum payments is limited. Payments under the PLS have no impact on the pension, whereas commercial reverse mortgages can trigger the means test.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437703/original/file-20211215-13-kxrv2s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437703/original/file-20211215-13-kxrv2s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Colin Zhang, Macquarie Business School</span></span></p> <p>As attractive as the PLS might appear, hardly any of the four million or so Australians aged 65 and over have taken it up, perhaps as few as <a href="https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/business-law/budget-changes-make-pension-loans-scheme-more-attractive-senior-homeowners">5,000</a> – one in every 800.</p> <p>So in this year’s May budget the government announced two changes to make it more attractive.</p> <p>One was a “<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1902/PLS_2021-22-budget-16_%281%29.pdf">no negative equity guarantee</a>”. Users would never be asked repay more than the value of their property, even if the property fell in value.</p> <p>The other was the ability to take out up to <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1902/PLS_2021-22-budget-16_%281%29.pdf">two lump sums per year</a> totalling up to 50% of the full pension in addition to fortnightly payments.</p> <p>Total government payments would remain capped at 150% of the pension.</p> <h2>New brand, same scheme</h2> <p>That second change won’t begin until July 1, 2022 and is likely to be re-announced in Thursday’s mid-year budget update.</p> <p>Also announced in the budget was a decision to raise awareness of the scheme “through improved public messaging and branding” something which is also likely to be re-announced on Thursday along with the new name.</p> <p>The other change expected on Thursday is a lower interest rate charged on the sums borrowed. In January 2020, the rate was cut from 5.25% to 4.5% in accordance with cuts in other rates. From January next year it should reduce further to <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-opens-up-mortgage-loan-scheme-to-help-elderly-fund-their-own-retirements/news-story/9f8c56fbba899f6b76c72ce51ceb9331">3.95%</a>.</p> <h2>Attractive, but not riskless</h2> <p>There remain risks associated with taking advantage of the scheme.</p> <p>One is that if you live long enough you are likely to eventually hit the ceiling and be unable to take out any more money, suffering a loss of income.</p> <p>If you chose to sell your home and move to an aged care service, you need to use a big part of your sale proceedings to pay what’s owed.</p> <p>Other risks are that neither the interest rate nor home prices are fixed.</p> <p>Just as the government has cut the rate charged in line with cuts to lower general interest rates, it might well lift it when interest rates climb. And home prices can go down as well as up, meaning that, at worst, all of the value of your home (although no more) can be gobbled up in repayments.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171671/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/colin-zhang-1234147">Colin Zhang</a>, Lecturer, Department of Actuarial Studies and Business Analytics, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a></em> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ning-wang-1297929">Ning Wang</a>, Associate Research Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/that-reverse-mortgage-scheme-the-government-is-about-to-re-announce-how-does-it-work-171671">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

Real Estate

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4 reasons to avoid MLM schemes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether you’re looking for an income boost or are strapped for cash, you’re likely to come across multi-level marketing (MLM) while figuring out your options.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Multi-level marketing, also known as direct selling, is a form of direct sales where salespeople who aren’t employees of the company and don’t receive a salary or wage are used to distribute products or services.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These companies often sell wellness and cosmetic products - such as essential oils, supplements, and skincare products.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recruiters of MLMs often target vulnerable people with promises of flexible working hours, getting to be your own boss, and being able to “get rich quick”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In situations where money is tight, it’s easy and understandable to be susceptible to that kind of temptation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To combat the stigma and dispel the myths around MLMs, here are four reasons why they may not be the solution.</span></p> <p><strong>#1 You have a 99.7 percent chance of losing money</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though some MLM recruits say their income allows them to travel the world and buy new cars, the representative body for direct selling, Direct Selling Australia, says otherwise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Direct selling isn’t about buying boats or bigger houses … [rather] earning additional income that contributes to school fees, weekly groceries, saving for a holiday and bills.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But even that is a reach for most members.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gerard Brody, CEO of Consumer Action Law Centre, said more than 99 percent of recruits will lose money, going against the wealthy lifestyle MLMs claim to fund.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor David Wishart, who has researched the dangers that come with MLMs, said it’s important to remember these companies “don’t operate within the social contract that business has with society”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If you are in business, yes you look after your own needs, but there are limits and morality - everyone is supposed to have that,” Professor Wishart said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“[MLM recruits] operate outside of that.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People down the end are simply ripped off. It’s a bad taste capitalism.”</span></p> <p><strong>#2 It could cost you your friendships</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Members of MLMs often rely on their existing relationships with friends and family, but it can come at a cost.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many people become frustrated with friends attempting to ‘commodify’ their emotional connection,” said Marie O Sullivan, a lecturer in marketing at the Cork Institute of Technology who has studied MLMs from a feminist perspective.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr O Sullivan also said some of these companies encourage members to cut ties with those who don’t support them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Participants are encouraged to cut out anyone who expresses doubt as this negativity will prevent them from achieving their full potential.”</span></p> <p><strong>#3 You’re blamed for failing, despite working hard</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With many MLMs pushing the idea that the harder you work, the more you earn, many are left feeling shame when they don’t make it in direct selling, Dr O Sullivan explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sara Balanuik, who had sold weight-loss products for a MLM in the past, recalled: “I hustled hard but was still not a successful boss babe, as was promised.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She was told by her “upline” that she wasn’t seeing the results promised because she wasn’t working hard enough.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This kind of business model sets people up to fail, according to Anna Jenkins, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at the University of Queensland.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s very, very important for all potential sellers to make themselves aware of the statistics around MLMs,” she said.</span></p> <p><strong>#4 It can be an ethical conundrum</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While MLMs aren’t strictly illegal - unlike pyramid schemes - they can be ethically dubious.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many MLMs use a business model that focuses on recruiting “downline” - meaning they get new distributors to buy the product - rather than selling products to actual customers, making them similar to pyramid schemes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“While there are many genuine underlying economic activities involved in these schemes, they commonly operate to benefit those at the top. And disadvantage those at lower levels,” Mr Brody said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Wishart recommended doing your due diligence on the company before deciding to join their ranks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Read what you’re in for. Work out what the terms are.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Look at the product and the sales commission you get on it. Compare the product with what else is on the market. Nobody buys Tupperware anymore as there is stuff that is just as good.”</span></p>

Retirement Income

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Why one man's bulk buying hand sanitiser scheme failed

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>A man in America, Noah Colvin, bought 17,700 bottles of hand sanitiser with the intention of reselling them on Amazon for a profit, but the tech giant has put a stop to that immediately.</p> <p>Amazon has cracked down on pandemic price gouging, which resulted in the company suspending Colvin’s account.</p> <p>He drove over 2,000 kilometres across Tennessee, stocking up on hand sanitiser and sanitary wipes but is now unable to get rid of the excess of goods.</p> <p>He’s not the first account to be suspended, with Amazon removing hundreds of thousands of listing of people trying to price gouge items others are looking for, including respiratory masks.</p> <p>Colvin said to<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/technology/matt-colvin-hand-sanitizer-donation.html" target="_blank"><em>The New York Times</em></a><span> </span>that the whole experience has been a “huge amount of whiplash”, as he was able to sell 300 bottles at a markup before the company suspended his account.</p> <p>However, Colvin has since donated all of the supplies on Sunday just as the Tennessee attorney general’s office began investigating him for price gouging.</p> <p>He helped volunteers from a local church load two-thirds of the stockpile of hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes into a box truck that will distribute the goods across the state to those who need them.</p> <p>“I’ve been buying and selling things for 10 years now. There’s been hot product after hot product. But the thing is, there’s always another one on the shelf,” he said.</p> <p>“When we did this trip, I had no idea that these stores wouldn’t be able to get replenished.”</p> <p>After receiving hate mail and death threats after<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/14/technology/coronavirus-purell-wipes-amazon-sellers.html" target="_blank"><em>The New York Times</em></a> published an article about him, Colvin has since expressed remorse for his actions.</p> <p>“It was never my intention to keep necessary medical supplies out of the hands of people who needed them,” he said, crying. “That’s not who I am as a person. And all I’ve been told for the last 48 hours is how much of that person I am.”</p> <p>Tennessee’s price gouging laws are strict and prohibit charging “grossly excessive” prices for a range of items, including medical supplies. People can be fined up to $1,000 per violation, and the attorney general’s office sent Colvin a cease-and-desist letter as well as opening up an investigation.</p> <p>“We will not tolerate price gouging in this time of exceptional need, and we will take aggressive action to stop it,” Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III of Tennessee said in a news release.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Money & Banking

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The downside to loyalty schemes

<p>Loyalty schemes are everywhere – petrol stations, supermarkets, clothing stores, online shopping, airlines – all offering customers discounts and rewards in return for sticking with their brand.</p> <p>But the relationship may not be so clear cut. Big business don't just join loyalty schemes to make you loyal, they collect information on what, when, and how, you make specific purchases.</p> <p>Massey University business analytics professor Leo Pass said data gives businesses an overview of your entire purchase history.</p> <p>"Not only at your company but at other companies, and that way you get a more complete picture of the person you're dealing with," he said.</p> <p>But the potential for what companies could do with purchase data is huge.</p> <p>"Many companies have these tremendously large data sets on consumers' transactions. And there's so much more they could do with our data, but they can't analyse it, you need highly statistically knowledgeable people to do this," he said.</p> <p>Companies are gathering more information on their customers' buying habits, but may barely be making use of it.</p> <p>Companies increasingly felt it they had to join loyalty schemes to attract customers.</p> <p>"There's a lot of possibilities. One is advertising directed towards the right person and predicting what people would be worth in the future," Pass said.</p> <p>"One area is lending money - banks can know whether people are going to pay off the loan, or if someone is an insurance risk."</p> <p>Do you join loyalty schemes? Or are you concerned it’s an invasion of privacy? Share your opinion in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Rachel Clayton. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

Money & Banking