How to spot a pyramid scheme - Stacie Bosley

Prevodilac: Kristina Radosavljević Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

In 2004,

Godine 2004,

a new company called Vemma Nutrition

nova kompanija, pod imenom Vema nutricionizam,

started offering a life-changing opportunity

počela je da nudi mogućnost koja menja život,

to earn full time income for part time work.

zaraditi pun prihod za povremeni rad.

Vemma’s offer was open to everybody,

Ponuda Veme je bila upućena svima,

regardless of prior experience or education.

bez obzira na prethodno iskustvo ili obrazovanje.

There were only two steps to start get started earning:

Postojala su samo dva koraka za početak zarađivanja:

purchase a $500-600 kit of their liquid nutrition products,

kupite paket njihovih tečnih hranljivih proizvoda u iznosu od 500 do 600 dolara

and recruit two more members to do the same.

i regrutujte još dva člana da učine isto.

Vemma Nutrition Company grew quickly,

Kompanija Vema nutricionizam je brzo rasla,

becoming a global operation

postajući globalni poduhvat,

that brought in 30,000 new members per month at its peak.

koji je, u svom vrhuncu, imao 30 000 novih članova mesečno.

There was just one problem—

Postojao je samo jedan problem:

while the company generated $200 million of annual revenue by 2013,

dok je kompanija godišnje prihodovala 200 miliona dolara do 2013. godine,

the vast majority of participants earned less than they paid in.

velika većina učesnika je zaradila manje nego što je uložila.

Vemma was eventually charged with operating a pyramid scheme:

Vema je na kraju osuđena za vođenje piramidalne šeme,

a common type of fraud

uobičajenog tipa prevare,

where members make money

gde članovi zarađuju pare

by recruiting more people to buy in.

regrutujući još ljudi da se priključi.

Typically, the founder solicits an initial group of people

Obično osnivač traži početnu grupu ljudi

to buy in and promote the scheme.

da se uključe i promovišu šemu.

They are then encouraged to recruit others

Tada ih ohrabruju da regrutuju druge,

and promised part of the money those people invest,

obećavajući da će im pripasti deo novca koje ti ljudi ulože,

while the founder also takes a share.

dok osnivač takođe uzima deo.

The pattern repeats for each group of new participants,

Obrazac se ponavlja za svaku grupu novih učesnika,

with money from recent arrivals funneled to those who recruited them.

sa novcem od pridošlica koji se usmerava onima koji su ih regrutovali.

This differs from a Ponzi scheme,

Ovo se razlikuje od Poncijeve šeme,

where the founders recruit new members

gde osnivač regrutuje nove članove

and secretly use their fees to pay existing members,

i tajno koristi njihove članarine da bi isplatio postojeće članove,

who think the payments come from a legitimate investment.

koji misle da je isplata došla od legalne investicije.

As a pyramid scheme grows,

Kako piramidalna šema raste,

it becomes increasingly difficult for new recruits to make money.

novim regruterima postaje sve teže da zarade pare.

That’s because the number of participants expands exponentially.

jer se broj učesnika širi eksponencijalno.

Take a structure where each person has to recruit six more to earn a profit.

Uzmimo strukturu gde svaka osoba, da bi zaradila,

mora da regrutuje još šest osoba.

The founder recruits six people to start,

Osnivač regrutuje šest ljudi na startu,

and each of them recruits six more.

svaki od njih regrutuje još šest.

There are 36 people in that second round of recruits,

Na drugom nivou imamo 36 regrutera,

who then each recruit 6 people—

od kojih svaki regrutuje 6 ljudi,

a total of 216 new recruits.

što je ukupno 216 novih regrutera.

By the twelfth round of recruiting,

Do dvanaestog nivoa regrutovanja,

the 2.1 billion newest members would have to recruit

2,1 milijarda novih članova morali bi da regrutuju

over 13 billion more people total to make money–

ukupno više od 13 milijardi ljudi da bi zaradili,

more than the entire world population.

što je više od cele svetske populacije.

Po ovom scenariju,

In this scenario,

the most recent recruits,

najnoviji regruteri,

over 80% of the scheme’s participants,

što je 80% učesnika šeme,

lose all the money they paid in.

izgube sav svoj uloženi novac.

And in real life,

U stvarnom životu,

many earlier joiners lose out too.

mnogi koji su se priključili među prvima takođe izgube.

Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries,

Piramidalne šeme su ilegalne u većini zemalja,

but they can be difficult to detect.

ali ih može biti teško uočiti.

They are presented as many different things,

Predstavljene su kao toliko različitih stvari,

including gifting groups,

kao što su grupe za poklanjanje,

investment clubs, and multi-level marketing businesses.

investicioni klubovi i mrežni marketing.

The distinction between pyramid schemes and legitimate multi-level marketing

Razlika između piramidalne šeme i legalnog mrežnog marketinga

can be particularly hazy.

može biti prilično mutna.

In theory, the difference is that

U teoriji, razlika je u tome

the members of the multi-level marketing companies

što članovi kompanija mrežnog marketinga

primarily earn compensation from selling a particular product or a service

pre svega zarađuju proviziju od prodaje

određenog proizvoda ili usluge kupcu,

to retail customers,

while pyramid schemes primarily compensate members for recruitment of new sellers.

dok piramidalna šema prvenstveno plaća članovima za regrutovanje novih prodavaca.

In practice, though,

Ali, u praksi,

many multi-level marketing companies make it all but impossible

mnoge kompanije mrežnog marketinga čine gotovo nemogućim

for members to profit purely through sales.

za nove članove da zarađuju samo kroz prodaju.

And many pyramid schemes, like Vemma Nutrition,

A mnoge piramidalne šeme, kao Vema nutricionizam,

disguise themselves as legal multi-level marketing businesses,

se prerušavaju u legalni posao mrežnog marketinga,

using a product or service to hide the pay-and-recruit structure.

koristeći proizvode ili usluge

kako bi sakrili strukturu „plati i regrutuj”.

Many pyramid schemes also capitalize on already existing trust within churches,

Mnoge piramidalne šeme koriste već postojeće poverenje unutar crkava,

immigrant communities, or other tightly knit groups.

migrantskih zajednica ili drugih usko povezanih grupa.

The first few members are encouraged to report a good experience

Prvih nekoliko članova se podstiče da izveste o dobrom iskustvu,

before they actually start making a profit.

pre nego što stvarno počnu da ostvaruju profit.

Others in their network follow their example,

Ostali iz njihove mreže slede njihov primer,

and the schemes balloon in size

i šema je već raširena,

before it comes clear that most members aren’t actually profiting.

pre nego što postane jasno da većina članova nema zaradu.

Often, the victims are embarrassed into silence.

Često žrtve ćute, jer su posramljene.

Pyramid schemes entice people with the promise of opportunity and empowerment.

Piramidalne šeme mame ljude obećanjima o mogućnostima i osnaživanju.

So when members don’t end up making money,

Kada članovi završe bez zarade,

they can blame themselves rather than the scheme,

često krive sebe, a ne šemu,

thinking they weren’t tenacious enough to earn the returns promised.

misleći da nisu dovoljno prodorni da zarade obećani obrt.

Some victims keep trying,

Neke žrtve nastavljaju da pokušavaju,

investing in multiple schemes,

ulažući u brojne šeme,

and losing money each time.

i gubeći pare svaki put.

In spite of all these factors,

Uprkos svim ovim faktorima,

there are ways to spot a pyramid scheme.

postoji način da se uoči piramidalna šema.

Time pressure is one red flag—

Vremenski pritisak je znak za uzbunu.

be wary of directives to “act now or miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Čuvajte se smernica da „delujete odmah ili ćete propustiti jedinstvenu priliku.”

Promises of large, life-altering amounts of income are also suspect.

Takođe su sumnjiva obećanja o velikoj sumi koja će vam promeniti život.

And finally, a legitimate multi-level marketing business

I na kraju, legalni posao mrežnog marketinga

shouldn’t require members to pay for the opportunity to sell a product or service.

ne bi trebalo da traži od članova da plate kako bi prodavali proizvode ili usluge.

Pyramid schemes can be incredibly destructive to individuals,

Piramidalne šeme mogu biti veoma destruktivne za pojedince,

communities, and even entire countries.

zajednice, pa čak i čitave zemlje.

But you can fight fire with fire

Ali možete se boriti vatrom protiv vatre,

by sending this video to three people you know,

tako što ćete poslati ovaj video trima osobama koje znate,

and encouraging them to do the same.

i ohrabriti ih da urade isto.