NewsWhore
02-23-2011, 03:00 PM
A way of raising funds quickly, known as a "pyramid" or "Ponzi" scheme, has spread among young middle class men and women, to the point that it has become the current hot topic at the country's main private universities and on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. A message posted on Twitter by a university student illustrates the popularity achieved by the scheme, called Global Gifting Connection (GGC). "People, here in the (university name) the thing everyone is talking about is the pyramid. Pyramid in the bathroom, pyramid in the elevator, pyramid in the classroom...".
Diario Libre reporters confirmed this yesterday at one of the private universities, where the common denominator of the conversations was the "pyramid". But on the Internet the same thing is happening. One just needs to write "pyramid" in the Twitter search engine in order to read all the comments about the scheme.
The hook that traps the youngsters is the idea of investing US$150 or US$50 and receiving eight times this amount in just a few days, all without having to sell any product or do any work.
In order to get in, someone has to be invited by a member of a pyramid, who creates a user page that gives access to a virtual platform that manages the scheme. But in order to obtain the earnings, the new member of the pyramid has to bring in at least two more new members, in order to go up the pyramid.
Upon reaching the top, he or she will supposedly earn US$1200, if registered in a US$150 pyramid or US$400 if registered in a US$50 pyramid.
When they collect, the recipients withdraw from the pyramid.
Experience has shown that the promoters and the early participants are those who make a buck. Members know that they have to persuade someone else to join in order to cash in, if they get to make it to the top. Parents of university students will recall a similar scheme when it moved its way through the DR around 20 years ago.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)
Diario Libre reporters confirmed this yesterday at one of the private universities, where the common denominator of the conversations was the "pyramid". But on the Internet the same thing is happening. One just needs to write "pyramid" in the Twitter search engine in order to read all the comments about the scheme.
The hook that traps the youngsters is the idea of investing US$150 or US$50 and receiving eight times this amount in just a few days, all without having to sell any product or do any work.
In order to get in, someone has to be invited by a member of a pyramid, who creates a user page that gives access to a virtual platform that manages the scheme. But in order to obtain the earnings, the new member of the pyramid has to bring in at least two more new members, in order to go up the pyramid.
Upon reaching the top, he or she will supposedly earn US$1200, if registered in a US$150 pyramid or US$400 if registered in a US$50 pyramid.
When they collect, the recipients withdraw from the pyramid.
Experience has shown that the promoters and the early participants are those who make a buck. Members know that they have to persuade someone else to join in order to cash in, if they get to make it to the top. Parents of university students will recall a similar scheme when it moved its way through the DR around 20 years ago.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#13)