
The Agony and the Angst: Wall Street Investors Ponder FTC “Enforcement” on MLMs
Politics will determine FTC Law Enforcement, not rule of law.

Millions of “Direct Sellers” Disappear!
At least 12 million Americans that had been classified and counted as “direct sellers,” aka MLM, officially disappeared from the rolls.

Is Public Perception of MLM as a Cultic Scam Reaching a Tipping Point?
The reality that for years only a few independent and courageous writers, bloggers, attorneys, whistle blowers and web publishers dared to say and for which they were often sued, ridiculed, or physically threatened is now being said out loud by institutional voices – journalists, culture critics, tv and movie producers and academics.

News Media Keep Taking the Bait of MLM “Products”
Vice News and Samantha Bee avoided MLM’s financial and political realities in favor of criticizing MLM products

Advocare’s Claim, “FTC-Made-Us-Quit-MLM,” is Suspicious
Advocare’s claim that the FTC is forcing it to abandon MLM is a suspicious claim. Other factors, including cash-flow, family disputes and recruiting collapse are more likely as primary drivers.

The Importance and Futility of Class Action Lawsuits against MLMs
Recently, yet another class action lawsuit has been filed against a "multi-level marketing" company, in this instance, "Young Living Essential Oils". This Utah-based MLM company (are they all in Utah?) is a digital reproduction of so many other MLMs, that are...

“News” Articles on MLM Uphold Myths and Lies, Mislead
MLM-genre articles contribute to why so many people can no longer distinguish valid journalism from PR, propaganda, fake news and deceptive marketing. Presented as feature news stories, consumer protection pieces, cultural trend alerts or, occasionally, as business news, nearly all the articles could seemingly have been written by the same author. They dutifully repeat the talking points concocted by spin masters at the Direct Selling Association and unwittingly repeated millions of times over by MLM recruiters. They include non-fact-checked profiles of “success” and incredible income claims without qualification. They reinforce the message that if you lost money in MLM, you’re probably just a loser.

Trump’s “MLM” Experience Laid Foundation for his Politics
"Calling a person a "liar" used to be one of the worst things you could say about somebody personally," a friend recently commented. He was referring, ruefully, to the president of the United States being routinely characterized as a liar, and his well documented...
“Newspeak” Is Now Official Policy at FTC on MLM
After publishing a recent "Update" newsletter for Pyramid Scheme Alert, I was sent a correction by one reader to the statement that the FTC had not prosecuted any "MLMs" in the last two years. There had been at least two in early 2018, it was pointed out. It is true...

Consumer Alert: Beware of Scam Using Initials, F.T.C.
Consumers should be on the lookout for an entrapping and misleading document circulating and being widely referenced on the Internet entitled, "Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing." It purports to offer guidelines for legal and legitimate "multi-level...