this would be a hard lesson to recover from ..... most people can't just write off $66000 just like that, especially not at this time .... 

but of course .... there'll always be another batch of suckers coming up ..... you know what they say ... a fool and his(her !) money are soon parted .....

but seriously, I suppose greed was a big factor ... but are our youths generally street-wise enough to know a scam when they see one ? ....

haiz .... poor parents ... poor friends (but only just, cos they were suckers too)

 

Originally posted by elindra:

His wife is no longer living with him

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA .....

 

I wonder how his wifey takes it .....

or maybe they don't french at all .......

or his wifey makes him wear a pillow case over his head ? ..... muahahahahahha

 

Undergrad may have lost $66,000 to MLM scam

SHE put $66,000 of her family's money into what she thought would give her quick and lucrative returns.

But a year on, the 20-year-old undergraduate could end up losing most of it because she has no idea what has happened to the controversial company in which she had invested - Sunshine Empire.

A check by The New Paper found that the company, which used to occupy a seventh-storey unit at the HDB Hub in Toa Payoh, is no longer there.

In its place is another company called Niu Lifestyle, which was registered on 20 Mar this year.

However, the corporate websites of Sunshine Empire, which is under investigation by the authorities, are still online, although details of its supposed property ventures have since been taken down.

The undergraduate, who wanted to be known only as Pamela, does not have the faintest clue how to recover the $66,000 she put into the multi-level marketing company.

Lured by the promise of cash rebates of up to $1,000 a month, Pamela bought a total of six packages called Gold Prime under the Sunshine Empire product line.

She paid $11,000 for each package, using money she borrowed from her parents.

She said: 'I don't know if I will ever see the money again. I was naive and foolish.

'I thought that was a smart way to earn money.'

She said her father was hospitalised some time in the middle of last year and she was in need of money. 'My friend told me about Sunshine Empire, and how I should make my money work for me,' she recalled, and started buying through her friend.

'At first, I thought it was too good to be true, but for the first two months, I got cash rebates of $4,000,' she said.

Convinced that the scheme worked, she borrowed another $44,000 from her parents to buy more packages.

She even persuaded two more of her friends to buy packages with her, as by selling the packages, she could earn 'bonus points', which could supposedly be converted into cash.

'I really thought it was easy money, and it wasn't wrong because I wasn't prostituting myself or cheating people.

'We went for motivational talks at the company, which sold us not only the packages promising good rebates, but also the idea of being able to change our lives and live our dreams.'

But in October and November last year, media reports were published about the Sunshine Empire's unsupported claims of grandiose investments in water theme parks in Malaysia and a wireless broadband project in Taiwan.

'My parents were worried and started to warn me and told me to take my money out, but I was stubborn and refused to heed their advice,' she said, her voice tinged with regret.

'My friends in Sunshine Empire said that any media publicity is good publicity and it only showed that our company was famous. I believed them.'

Only in November, when it was reported that the company was under investigation by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD), did Pamela start to panic.

She called her 'upline' (the person who recruited her) asking to withdraw her cash, but was told that all accounts were frozen and there was no cash available.

Hounded by friends

Then, she was hounded by her two friends whom she had recruited.

'I feel very bad that I got them into the same situation as myself,' she said.

Then in March, she was told by her 'upline' that a new company called Niu Lifestyle had been set up at the former office of Sunshine Empire.

'I asked what was this company about, and I was told it was fengshui-related, but to find out more, I had to meet her there at the 'office',' she said.

'If it is a totally different company, why did my Sunshine Empire's upline tell me to meet at the same office, even when it is called Niu Lifestyle now?' she asked.

'I was sceptical by then, and it seemed that it was just a change in name.

'When I asked about Sunshine Empire, I was only told my money was stuck, but I could transfer my account to another new company called Em Max.'

Her 'upline' told her Em Max was a new start-up in Hong Kong.

'By then, I didn't believe anything I was told anymore. I was furious but I was desperate. So I made the account transfer. I don't think I will see my money again, but I am just trying anyway,' she said.

'I feel very stupid, and I felt I was brainwashed. The money I borrowed from my parents was hard-earned, and I feel guilty and that I let them down.

'My relationship with my parents have become strained because of this.

'There is no such thing as easy money,' she said ruefully.

When approached, the Monetary Association of Singapore declined to comment. It had put Sunshine Empire on its investor alert list on its website last year.

When contacted, the police said Sunshine Empire was still under investigation.

The Consumers Association of Singapore's executive director, Mr Seah Seng Choon, had earlier cautioned participants against transferring their money to Hong Kong, as it would put their investment outside Singapore's jurisdiction.

I suppose I should feel sorry for her ... but I think it says so much about the thinking of our youths today .....

everyone's looking for that one get rich quick scheme that'll let them earn millions and retire before 30 .... do they honestly think that money can simply drop like manna from heaven onto their laps without the hardwork ? .... and she's an undergraduate somemore ..... shouldn't she be expected to know better ? ..... or it's something our text-book crunching education system failed to prepared the young for ? .... book smart but street-stupid ? .....

something is wrong with many of the young of today I think .... they all want to wear shirt and ties, strut around looking important, and sit behind an aircon room all day ? ....

no wonder we're being shafted by foreign "talents" over and over .....

I do feel very sorry for her parents and the friends she's recruited though ...... $66000 !!! ... what was she thinking ? ..... if money can be made that easily, there'll be no poor people in Singapore by now ....

 

 

I kinda feel sorry for hammie sometimes .....

I mean ... his self esteem must have dug a hole and buried itself out of sight long ago ? ....

second packet ingested ....

*burps ... lunch ingested ......

meat is good .....

I think it's a pretty legitimate concern .....

if you're putting in time, effort, or money, I think it's right to question how and where it's being used ....

remember durai ? .....

neways I've been hearing a lot of scams and scandals going around local charities these days ....

I hear that there are charities who outsource their fund-raising activities these days .....

in return for a guranteed sum, these companies are able to keep whatever remainder they got afterwards .... which can be even more than the guranteed sum for the charity ....

 

it's pricey though .... and I'm not keen to pay 40+ just to eat the normal stuff ..... do they have crab legs or the like ? .....

 

Originally posted by cassie:

woih...i thought it was modestos? anyway, the date don't jive with me.

the date is not finalized yet ....

and we should go somewhere where fudgie can come along too for a change mah ...

 

Originally posted by fudgester:

*me throws gauntlet in ah fat's face*

*siams gauntlet ....

I'm not lacto-ovo-vegetarian anymore ....

go look at that kiss and make up outing thread .... we're talking of satay .....

 

today .... is a sianz day ....

and there's magneto again ...

*runs ....

 

learning to speak frog ? ...

do I smell a mid-life crisis ? ....

Originally posted by elindra:

Sounds like better than being female in Singapore

And you should see how the losers in the NS forum and SC bitch about females

Hahah

well ... being a Singaporean man in Singapore IS a handicap in some aspects .....

Originally posted by udontknowme:

oh. i have this friend originally from lebanon. but the family has moved to kuwait.

omg. the government throws them free money!! but only for the kuwait(ies?). if you are not a citizen of kuwait, no free money for you. but DAMN are they rich over there. and it's so corrupted i have nothing to say >.< lol

I remember reading this article from an ang moh journalist who lives in kuwait and UAE, he was saying how different the arabs are now from the time he was there in the 50s ......

one day he say little kuwaiti school children of about 10 or so throwing stones at a bunch of banglas for fun ....... the banglas were angry of course, and were screaming at the little farkers, but the kids actually came closer and started throwing bigger rocks at them .....

why ? .... cos the kids know they are king over there, and the banglas would never dare lift a finger at them, least they get deported ......

ever watched syriana ?  .... you saw those banglas getting clobbered by the police ? .... money corrupts .....

 

Originally posted by elindra:

Well they can move to Dubai if they don't wanna pay taxes

But I think over there they spit on you if you need to live on Welfare.

 

on the contrary, must of the oil rich middle east states subsist on welfare ......

I mean, c'mon, when nearly half of the educated population have only theological education, what do you expect ? ....

when the oil runs out, I think they'll go back to exporting dates and pearls ....

 

 

>.< ! ......

Originally posted by udontknowme:

i'd feel guilty using up other people's tax money like that T.T

i mean...some people 'deserve' to use people's tax money like that. but...for pple like me...i don't think it's 'right'

it's true that for some people, what the government gives them is more than what they will get in any job that'll take them. for those, i don't actually mind giving my tax money to. that's right. i don't mind!!! hurhur.

but really. can't they fix the bloody roads here for gods sake!!!!!!!!! :x

tell that to some of the retards at speakers corner, apparently, they think a paradise is where the goverment pays you money to do nothing ....

and yeah, I used to bitch about the blardy roads all the time ...... the roads in canada looks like they belong to a third world country most of the time .... but I think the extreme weather plays a part too .... of course .... if you pay less welfare to single moms to play bingo all day ... or to crack hoes to get their next fix ......

 

a professional bum ? ......

that's a viable career option in canada you know ..... you'll be on the "goverment payroll ".... maybe that'll make you a civil servant of sorts ? ...

shield your lappies, I see magneto in the house ...

which brings us to the thought .....

so to be in a successful relationship, the underlying character of both parties must be similar ? ....

Originally posted by Rhonda:

 

 

Well said, KB! 

Just like some people think, "High EQ" whilst others think, "Darn Faker and Hypocrite"!   

Different strokes for different folks, and that's why birds of a feather inevitably flock together.

assholes flock together eh ......

I noticed that pricks and bitches have a habit of getting together ...... but if one half is a softhearted, easy going darling, the other would be too .....

I'm sure teachers talk about (and curse) certain students behind their backs ....