How to spot a pyramid scheme - Stacie Bosley

翻译人员: shuping Lai 校对人员: Ziyao Wang

In 2004,

2004年，

a new company called Vemma Nutrition

一家名为Vemma营养的公司

started offering a life-changing opportunity

开始提供一个改变人生的机会，

to earn full time income for part time work.

只需要做兼职即可获得全职报酬。

Vemma’s offer was open to everybody,

Vemma的这个职位向所有人敞开，

regardless of prior experience or education.

不论你是否有工作经验或教育背景。

There were only two steps to start get started earning:

只要两步即可开始赚钱：

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

购买一份500到600美元的 该公司营养饮料产品的装备，

and recruit two more members to do the same.

并招募再两名成员也来做这件事。

Vemma Nutrition Company grew quickly,

这家公司成长迅速，

becoming a global operation

并在国际范围内运转，

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

最高时每月能招募 30000名新成员。

There was just one problem—

这其中只有一个问题--

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

当这家公司在2013年 达到年利润达到2亿美元时，

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

大部分的参与者 赚的没有投入的多。

Vemma was eventually charged with operating a pyramid scheme:

Vemma最终被以层压式推销 （也就是金字塔骗局）起诉：

a common type of fraud

这是一种常见的骗局，

where members make money

参与者们通过

by recruiting more people to buy in.

招来更多的人投资来赚钱。

Typically, the founder solicits an initial group of people

创始人一般说服 起始的小团队

to buy in and promote the scheme.

投资并宣传他们的计划。

They are then encouraged to recruit others

接着鼓励他们招募新人

and promised part of the money those people invest,

并允诺回报他们投资的那部分钱财，

while the founder also takes a share.

同时创始人也捞上一笔。

The pattern repeats for each group of new participants,

这一模式在新的参与者中重复，

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

最后新投资人的钱汇总回馈给招募者。

This differs from a Ponzi scheme,

这和庞氏骗局不同，

where the founders recruit new members

庞氏骗局的创始者招募新人

and secretly use their fees to pay existing members,

并私底下用新投资者的钱 回馈现存的老投资者，

who think the payments come from a legitimate investment.

老投资者们认为回馈是来自合法的投资。

As a pyramid scheme grows,

当金字塔骗局壮大时，

it becomes increasingly difficult for new recruits to make money.

新投资人很难再赚到钱。

That’s because the number of participants expands exponentially.

因为加入者的数量呈指数型递增。

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

就拿一个需要招募六人 来实现盈利的结构来说。

The founder recruits six people to start,

创始人招募六个人来开始计划，

and each of them recruits six more.

每一个人再招募六个人。

There are 36 people in that second round of recruits,

完成第二轮招募就有36个人，

who then each recruit 6 people—

他们再每人招募6人--

a total of 216 new recruits.

--总共216个新投资者

By the twelfth round of recruiting,

在第12轮招募过后，

the 2.1 billion newest members would have to recruit

将有21亿人在这个团伙中， 亟需招募新人，

over 13 billion more people total to make money–

总共130亿人参与盈利--

more than the entire world population.

超过整个世界人口。

In this scenario,

这个情况下，

the most recent recruits,

最新加入的投资者，

over 80% of the scheme’s participants,

即整个骗局的80%，

lose all the money they paid in.

将会失去他们投入的全部钱。

And in real life,

在现实生活中，

many earlier joiners lose out too.

许多老投资者也会亏本。

Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries,

金字塔骗局在大多数国家是非法的，

but they can be difficult to detect.

但它们很难被察觉。

They are presented as many different things,

他们以很多种外表呈现，

including gifting groups,

包括礼品销售团队，

investment clubs, and multi-level marketing businesses.

投资俱乐部，多层营销公司。

The distinction between pyramid schemes and legitimate multi-level marketing

合法的分级营销和 金字塔骗局有区别，

can be particularly hazy.

但界线非常模糊。

In theory, the difference is that

理论上，它们的区别在于，

the members of the multi-level marketing companies

分级营销公司的员工

primarily earn compensation from selling a particular product or a service

主要通过销售特定商品或服务得到报酬，

to retail customers,

且卖给零售消费者，

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

而金字塔骗局主要通过 招揽新投资人给老投资人报酬。

In practice, though,

实际上，

many multi-level marketing companies make it all but impossible

许多分级营销公司让员工 通过单纯销售

for members to profit purely through sales.

而可能获得盈利。

And many pyramid schemes, like Vemma Nutrition,

而像Vemma这样的层压式推销组织，

通过所谓的产品或服务 掩盖招募-回馈的架构，

disguise themselves as legal multi-level marketing businesses,

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

把自己伪装成合法的分级营销产业。

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

许多层压式推销组织还利用

教堂，移民社区或其他紧密联结的团体 成员之间的信任。

immigrant communities, or other tightly knit groups.

The first few members are encouraged to report a good experience

最先加入的投资者 在真的开始获取利润之前

被要求说自己体验良好。

before they actually start making a profit.

Others in their network follow their example,

团体中的其他人也效仿这种做法，

and the schemes balloon in size

在大多数人意识到 他们并未赚到钱之前

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

骗局像气球一样不断膨胀。

通常骗局的受害者会羞于启齿。

Often, the victims are embarrassed into silence.

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

层压式推销组织还利用机会 和授权的口头保证诱骗人们。

所以当投资者没有赚到钱时，

So when members don’t end up making money,

they can blame themselves rather than the scheme,

他们会责怪自己而非这个组织，

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

他们认为自己不够顽强， 所以赚不到事先保证的收益。

Some victims keep trying,

一些受害者受骗后会继续尝试，

investing in multiple schemes,

在多个金字塔骗局中投资，

and losing money each time.

但每次都无功而返。

In spite of all these factors,

尽管有上述因素，

there are ways to spot a pyramid scheme.

还是有办法能识别金字塔骗局。

Time pressure is one red flag—

“时间紧迫性”是一个警告--

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

一定要警惕“现在入手 否则错失人生良机”的指示。

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

一些诸如“巨大的，改变人生 数额的收益”的承诺也很可疑。

And finally, a legitimate multi-level marketing business

最后，合法的分级营销

不应该要求员工为销售 该组织产品的机会付款。

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

Pyramid schemes can be incredibly destructive to individuals,

金字塔骗局对个体， 团体，甚至整个国家，

communities, and even entire countries.

是毁灭性的。

But you can fight fire with fire

但你可以以毒攻毒，

by sending this video to three people you know,

把这个视频发送给你认识的三个人，

and encouraging them to do the same.

也让他们继续转发下去。