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Hey /adv/, just wanted your thoughts and opinions if this sounds like a scam or pyramid scheme of some sort to you guys, and if it is one where should I go from here?
I got a text from one of my old high school buddies tonight for the first time since September, who I occasionally text with once every few months or so just to see if anything new is going on with each other and sometimes talk about what is new in gaming and other bullshit.
My buddy asked me how is it going etc. etc. and I asked the same thing back and he said good and we caught up with each other a little bit. Then he told me he has something that might interest me and he asked me if I am doing anything this Saturday.
I told him I might be free but I can't give him a guarantee as of right now. He then texted me that he has a business idea, I then asked what type of idea is it or what field is it in and all told me was that it is a "personal improvement" business, he then texted me that it would be easier to explain or show in person.
I then told him that I don't know if I have any interest in something like that, he then told me that it is "pretty cool" and if I change my mind on his idea that the "offer is always there", he then said that this has a lot of potential. I haven't replied since then and he has probably gone to bed since then as it is getting late.
What say you guys? I'm getting weird vibes from this and I am honestly a bit surprised my friend is telling me about this in the first place because he never really struck me as the type of person who could get involved in something kind of shady like this if it is a pyramid scheme or whatever. We were close friends in high school but don't get to hang out with each other much anymore, usually just a few times a year and I have known him since middle school. We are both in our early 20s.
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Anyone showing up suddenly with business idead is scamming you, specially if said person haven't catch up with you for a while
If you're not familiar, keep an ear out for the expressions "multi level marketing" and "binary tree". They're the words of the week for pyramids
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>>17996105
If working for the company entails:
A: Purchasing a large volume of product in advance to sell to people
B: Primarily receiving profit from recruiting people underneath you
C: Both things
You can bet your butt it's a pyramid scheme
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no harm in listening to the guy if you're cautious now im sure red flags will be popping up all over the place.
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If his idea was so great he'd be working with qualified personnel, not a random fag with no skills in the industry like you. Of course maybe this is a good shot for you, but the self-improvement might as well be the snake-oil industry, for every person who is honest and useful there are going to be 100 charlatans. If he asks you to put any money up walk away, and if you care about him as a friend, try to explain to him that he is in a pyramid scheme.
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>>17996130
There are already more red flags than in a chinese army parade
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>>17996105
It is a pyramid scheme. Just say you're not interested. You don't have to give any reason. If he persists, stop replying to him.
He can't and won't take it personally because he's essentially spamming everyone he's ever known with this scheme. Most just ignored him, but you gave him the opening and he's pressing. Shoot him down and he'll go away.
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>that it is a "personal improvement" business, he then texted me that it would be easier to explain or show in person
If he can not concisely state how the business earns money then it is definitely a scam. That is because he isnt showing it to you, he is selling it. And it is a lot easier to sell something to someone in person than via text. Just the "personal improvement" bit alone makes it flaming bullshit.
Also this:
>There are already more red flags than in a chinese army parade
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>>17996114
OP here. I have heard of the first term before but not the second one so i will look it up right now.
Also I should add that he said that he would bring a buddy of his(or coworker I presume) who is also involved in this business or whatever the hell it is with him to meet me onSaturday if I wanted to, so it wouldn't just be the two of us getting together.
I don't know if that makes things even shadier but I thought I should add that.
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>>17996160
Sometimes people bring their "superiors" toghether. That's usually the person immediatly above them in the pyramid, or someone higher up.
They're usually the succesful guys that managed to bring a lot of people in, so they convince people to join offering them training in sales technics. That's probably it.
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>>17996135
OP here again. I also got weird vibes whereas he has been so vague about everything and won't really text me over the phone anything in decent detail about this whole business idea bullshit thing.
I'm undecided if I should just try meeting with him in private and seeing what the fuck is up with this thing. Because assuming that this is a pyramid scheme I'm disappointed that he has gotten himself involved in something like this.
My only exposure really to pyramid schemes is from the anime Welcome to the NHK a few years ago (as corny as it sounds) and god damn did that show make that shit look dangerous as something you don't ever want to get involved in.
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>>17996105
How could it be that "the offer is always there". If he is starting a real business, he would want it up and going yesterday, not whenever his friend gets involved. If it was a valuable business idea, the way it would work is, he'd get a financial partner and then hire people to work for him. This is a scam. He may not know that it is a scam. There is little use in trying to convince him of that. Just say you are not interested and have your own career goals, and don't have time.
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