It has been a loooong 2 months and at last, I've decided to blog!! Yes, I'm not dead yet, so don't worry. Hm... I think this will be my first time blogging here huh.
The MCB test 2 yesterday was awfully hard (don't get me wrong, it means Molecular & Cell Biology). Even if I've read them and memorized them (I doubt I did), it still gave me a hard time answering the questions. I gave up a one small part of 4 marks when the time's up even though my lecturer said she will give extra time. I was too lazy to think already... Waking up at 4 consequently really drains me out...
Anyway, I came across an interesting e-mail, so I thought I can share it over here. Be reminded that I'm not the one who wrote this, and it does not represent where I am standing:
Blacklisted Companies
1. The cafe scams - Island Red Cafe & Stevens Corner
Both of them are located in Pandan Indah. Island Red Cafe collects RM6k from its members each and promised 5% return every month, and even give you a name in the ROC shareholder, but what's the point when they run away? Stevens Corner, the famous Indian coffee shop, follows due to drop os bussiness since their renovation. They collect RM3k per member and promised a return of RM150 monthly and plans to open nice franchise cafe called Stevens Tea Garden. Someone mentioned that they will make you sign an agrement that gives them the right not to pay you anything in the future. If you really wish to join, you can ask for a copy of their agreement and consult your lawyer BEFORE paying them. Both of them collect money from MLM (multi-level marketing) recruitment schemes and pay the old members like Sunshine Empire. You'll never know when they will run away.
2. Sunshine Empire (busted by BNM)
This licensed and legal company has an impressive office at the ground floor of KUB building along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, near Menara Public Bank and AmBank building. They also have a showroom office at the ground floor in the next building. 3 or 4 months ago, Singapore Strait's Times and The Paper (they stopped paying back members now and all investors lost their money, as expected).
Although Singapore is investigating them, they did not stop their business as the business is legal and so far, no Singaporean have failed to recieve their commissions as promised. Thus, the government cannot stop them yet. The news published that the founder, director and group president is someone named James Phang but he is not the owner. At the end of the game, James Phang can just disappear from the company easily and claimed that he was just 'employed'. Such tricks always happens in scam bussinesses. Now, the company has stopped paying commissions and interests to members with the excuse that the Singapore government has freezed their bank account while under investigation. Do you think their boss will be so stupid to keep that much money in the bank to be freezed? They are all transfered away. It's just an excuses not to pay their members and members are only paid with "e-bonus-points" which is cashless. If they wish to convert them to cash, they have to recruit new members to pay them cash and the recruiter less out from the amount. So victims act like vampires and are "forced" to victimise other victims if they wish to get their money back. And their victims will later transform to vampires and the scam carries on…
3. MobilWallet
This company owned by 2 young men, Stanley & Rey Gan, owning an office in Queens Avenue Park, has collect multi-millions for the last 2 years. Claimed that they tied up with Telekom, Utility Board payment like Water & Electricity bills, even Maybank got fooled by them. Advertisement billboards were everywhere. They STOPPED paying back their members few months ago and the members cannot do anything because they are made to sign an agreement unaware that the company can stop paying them by CHANGING terms and policies.
4. Water bussiness - Oxygenated water products
Some of these are bottled water and some are filters or equipment that claimed the trick.
One of the better known company that sold "oxygen" water is SITO (supposed to stand for Selangor International Trading Organiszation and claimed that Selangor State Government owned some share in it). The key person and founder is Dato Robert Ong from Rawang but his name is no longer in the business now. Their products are sold for RM2 to RM3 for a 350ml bottle and now concentrating mostly in the Indian market. Their Chinese and Malays market are long gone since a year or 2 ago. Their customers are made to believe that their water has more oxygen and able to give miraculous effects for the body. Water is H2O, how to put more O into it? Anyone knows how much oxygen do we breathe into our body everyday at FOC? Latest news is that this SITO company is going to create a new label to market under a new company since the SITO name has already gone bad. Someone informed that this company is owing alot of money(due to refunds) to ex-stockists but just refuse to pay them. (Latest news, SITO shifted to another place and their MLM business has closed but planned to start again with a different name, beware!!)
5. Car fuel booster - K-Link
K-Link, the famous scam MLM company that sold the footpatch TAKARA, later the "cock-ring" and energy-card launched the patrol-saving pills last year. Got so hot that even grocery shops are selling for them. Recently many of these cars that used the pills are rushing to the workshops to clean the residual. Few months ago, another MLM Company launched a fuel booster gadget, claimed that saves up to 20% fuel, that is attached to the cigarette lighter. Started off well using binary plan but business begin to fade now and most users find it NOT effective.
6. Perfume
(eg. Lampe Berger & Bel Air)Lampe Berger is not so hot now in the neighbouring countries but there are still new victims every month in Malaysia. Must thank those who have contributed and kept the thread alive here in Kopitiam. Bel-Air have closed in Malaysia. LB is almost zero in Singapore. This perfumery product from France with over 100 years history is just bottles and fragrance (check the factory's website) but the Company marketing them in Asia claimed them as an "aromatheraphy" product. Hong Kong TVB aired a program that exposed their scam but their members claimed that HK's TVB already apologised to them. Note that the biggest strenght in a MLM Scam is that their members will go all way out to lie in order to defend for their company. The reason is simple: these members fear that they will not be able to make their money back if the company collapse. Knowing that the Lampe Berger products are moving slow, they add a line of skincare products named Estebel, also claimed to have over 100 years history in France. (Hardly anymore Chinese newcomers, they are now tapping the Malays in Malaysia.)
7. Energy products
(eg. stone pendants, bracelets, mattress and pillows). They use all sorts of gimmicks and demonstration to make you into believing them. They will do some tricks and demo to prove that these products really produce energy BUT is there any tricks in their demo? So what if they really produce energy? Is it good or strong enough to help the body? The effect is actually similar to placebo!!
8. Hi-tech products
Names like bio-tech, nano-tech that claimed millions of dollars of research involved, eg. Bio-Young and XKL few years ago. Most of these will have a professor named behind them (even with name and picture of a person) or used words like "U.S.A. formula", "German Technology" or "Nanotechnology" and no further details. If you ask for more details like the professor or factory's address, the answer will be "trade secrets".
9. Investment schemes (busted by BSN)
SWISSCASH is the king of all. Swisscash is nearly over now but there are many similar and smaller ones that are still on. (Now, it's closed or stopped paying back members.)
10. GoldQuest
This copany that claimed to be HK-based started with some non-value gold-plated coins that are sold for over RM2k have several names and changed their products several times (QuestVacation, QuestNet, etc.). They have several offices in Amcorp Mall, PJ and their key person (in fact, the owner), a Malaysian Indian was arrested last year in Indonesia for being involved in a very big Phillipines scam. Most of their overseas offices are closed or inactive but their Malaysia business is still hot, with some "energy" products.
11. Numerogy & fortune telling
A company named Visible is using MLM to sell fortune telling classes using your birthday based on numerology fortune telling. Prospects will be told that they need to buy a certain "number" between 1 to 9 in the form of pendants or bracelets made of stainless steel and sold from RM600 to RM20k. Customers, or rather victims are mostly females from rural areas. Very hot in Penang now and a number of spin-off companies have started.
12. MJ - Life
This Company boost of a very big background with many many years of history which is NOT true. Their people or associates may be long in business but they have nothing to do with their MLM launched recently. Why is it considered a scam or bad? New members are told to pay a sum of money (up to RM1k) and you get NOTHING for it. You only get a membership entitling you to enjoy all sorts of special prices and discounts when you have medical check-ups in their centres... They will claim all those check-ups cost more if done elsewhere. It's not true. Only the naive and those new to medical check-ups will fall victims to them. Most members who paid the money ended up with nothing.
13. Seaweed venture scams
One such company is located in Taman Maluri, Cheras. They will ask you to invest a few thousands ringgit for their venture of growing seaweed in East Malaysia and you are guaranteed returns. To gain your confidence further, they will tell you your investment money is secured by "insurance" or "unit trusts" & "trustees". When you ask for further documents to prove, they will give all sorts of excuses or just ignore you because they know they cannot get you. This seaweed scam is one of the hottest now, warn all your friends about it before they are victimised.
14. MXM (previously MGM)
This is a master in scamming among the younger groups, very successful 2 or 3 years ago but since they moved to their big 10-storey office at Phileo Damansara and changed name to MXM, their business dropped. They collect members RM3k to RM4k with credit card monthly easy payment from members and in return you get a hospital benefits insurance from Pacific Insurance worth only a few hundred RMs together with some you-don't-need medical check-ups from their associate company Pathlab. Also talk about fitness, lifestyles bullshit that is all worthless.
15. Gano Excel
This company from the north, a copycat of DXN selling Lingzhi capsules created a new company called Gano iTouch to cash-in in the internet like e-Cosway after their company went down the drain since the last 2 years, selling Linzhi and some no-value energy pendants and alkaline water gadgets. They provide free transport every weekend from KL to visit their Alor Star office.
16. NuLife (HK)
This company started by some HK people has been in Malaysia for more than 10 years but they have flopped in HK and Malaysia due to bad management and a product scam making use of a prosecuted American named Dr Jeffrey Bland, found guilty of false products claim. Since this case in the US leaked out and many Malaysians found out that the real boss in HK is a Steven Tang (he cheated many Malaysians in another scheme about 20 years ago) their business went down all the way. Now they claim Malaysian partners cheated them and startd a new company in Malaysia . Watch out, this new company will come out with some investment scheme idea that will get many to lose their money.
17. Arowana fs breeding
Oora from Germany , Biofuel (Kompleks Maluri) etc - These are some newer scams. Arowana fish venture ask you to invest some money and give you fixed return. Biofuel will tell you their Indonesia connections (just like Sunshine Empire before using Taiwan) & Oora from Germany (never trust those cruel Germans) that market some bio-chips and a gadget that claims to give energy and therapeutic effects of accupunture, tai-chi, yoga, etc depending how you set the toy-like gadget, wear it on your body and you get the effect later.
They could not explain or provide any demonstration to prove their effectiveness. The health effect is actually like placebo.
It have been a busy week... I'm off now.
Yours truly,
Blue-Wingz
