Hi Dere! How to persuade dotty but nice aunt not to join pyramid scheme plz?

One thing I don\'t understand about pyramid schemes: when the letter says to add your name to the bottom, what\'s to stop you adding it to the top instead?

there's a lot of things i don't understand about them, so much so that i don't understand your quesiton.

but it is 4am.

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http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/new_line_cinema/about_schmidt/dermot_mulroney/schmidt.jpg

I had this issue with some friends and eventually, after failing to convince them, resolved to let them learn the hard way, but they are young and foolish and not a retired aunt, so they'll have plenty of other opportunities in life and I don't feel so responsible for them.

Taste of the rings is the only way to get the old hag to see clear.

your aunt is trying to get you to buy a house?

What are they saying/how are they marketing this scheme?

Ask her, for your sake, to come along with you and see the Independent Financial Advisor people, and if they say it's all above board and okay, then say you will let her fire ahead. Or just go and see them yourself and see if they know anyone who would be prepared to talk to her.

Report the scheme to the cops would seem to be the easiest answer.

I had exactly the same thing happen with my mum and sister, they were all madforit.

I was more wanting to know 'how it worked' but all they'd say is "You get lots of money". No, it has to come from somewhere!

Basically, the mark-up from the product is 50%, thats the bit they do all the faffing around with.

Also, the compulsory training courses/seminars cost a fortune.

just to explain a little more-

an alternative heatlthfood/medicine company my aunt has been working for ("earn £££££'s in three hours a week" sort of thing in local classifieds type of thing) has apparently been bought by venture capitalists.

they want the company to grow to seven hundred times its current size in terms of distributors by 2010, and in order to achieve this they are reinvesting all profits made back into the distributors until that time (when they apparently plan to float and make billions). all you need to do to take advantage of this is

buy their product (4 bottles for 200 quid) each month, and sign up three people (each month)who agree to

i) do the same
ii) sign up three people themselves (each month).

by the end of five months, you will be making twelve thousand quid a month! company holiday in tahiti, they'll pay for the car of your dreams, etc

great, eh?

It is hard to talk people out of crap like that, because you can't prove that they won't be able to find enough bigger suckers. Look at all the seemingly intelligent people who are getting stuck with "investment" condos that they intended to "flip."

she won't be looking to screw anyone

"it's the COMPANY'S money"

:-/