Are we being duped by the multi-level millionaires?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2019

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The multi-level marketing phenomenon is sweeping across social media as influencers post job adverts offering the chance of six figure incomes, cars and holidays in return for selling products online. More than 400,000 people in the UK are already signed up. We speak to BBC journalists Ellie Flynn and Jennifer Shaw about the darker side behind the enticing Instagram posts amid accusations of illegal pyramid selling, systematic targeting of vulnerable people by recruiters and even brainwashing. We also hear from Lindsay, who hoped selling makeup would help her cover the bills while she struggled to find full-time work. Producers: Duncan Barber and Lucy Hancock. Editor: John Shields. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:05.0	Nico, do you remember that website address?
0:09.0	Mm-hmm.
0:10.0	British Podcast Awards Orr
0:13.4	Brilliant
0:15.8	If you like this podcast
0:17.4	when you've listened to this episode could you please go to that site and vote for us
0:22.2	at the British Podcast Awards. Thanks.
0:25.0	Right then.
0:27.0	Hello, I'm Matthew Price. This is Beyond Today from BBC Radio 4.
0:32.0	Every day we ask one big question about one big question. Beyond Today, are we being
0:33.6	one big question about one big story?
0:35.6	Today, are we being duped by the multi-level millionaires? This is the story of an undercover investigation into an online selling scheme that promises
1:00.8	that you can get rich from sitting at home working on your social media
1:05.1	feeds, but it can also leave you owing thousands of pounds.
1:10.0	So we're going to start with a woman who fell into that trap. She's called Lindsay. She's studying
1:15.2	zoology at Salford. She lives in her dad's house. In fact, she's a carer for her dad. She's got a chronic
1:21.6	illness and because money is tight, she holds down about
1:27.7	two or three jobs at any one time, but she's always looking to bring a little bit more in each month.
1:34.4	And that is where some of her Facebook friends come into this story
1:39.2	because they told her about a scheme that could make her rich.
1:42.3	It's the flattery that they do at the start of it where they tell you you're going to be great,
	...

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