At present, there are two main types of online pyramid schemes: "pure net" and "grafting".
1. "Pure net" is the mainstream type of network marketing at present, that is, attracting people and transmitting information through the network. Judging from the online pyramid selling cases investigated by the industrial and commercial and public security departments in recent years, there are mainly five versions:
The first is the traditional online version of MLM. Traditional pyramid schemes use the Internet as a platform to promote physical goods and develop offline for profit. This kind of operation mode has low threshold and obvious behavior, and has been gradually abandoned by pyramid schemes.
The second is the e-commerce version. Under the guise of national policies related to the development of e-commerce, charging entry fees in disguised form in the name of online marketing and online direct selling, and setting up various reward methods to encourage members to develop offline are common deception means in pyramid schemes. For example, the pyramid scheme of "China Digital Rural Network" investigated by our bureau belongs to this way.
The third is the investment and financial management version. In the name of personal finance, under the guise of private equity funds and issuing original shares, netizens are defrauded to join the club to obtain high profits, and people are encouraged to develop members by incentives such as "returning original shares and returning funds".
The fourth is the online game version. Advertise seductively in various game forums and QQ groups, claiming that members can earn all kinds of game coins through online games by recharging in the game, and then convert them into cash. If you recommend other users to register for recharge, you can also get cashback.
The fifth is the capital operation version. Under the banner of "capital operation" and "chain sales", on the one hand, MLM organizations use a sum of money as bait to defraud participants of high admission fees; On the other hand, participants are encouraged to develop offline with high commission returns. These investment projects are not aimed at any products or services, but only pure capital operation. It is more tempting and deceptive, and it is quite popular now.
2. "Grafting" network pyramid selling is a new type of pyramid selling that has just appeared in recent years. MLM members use traditional methods to graft the network, which not only uses network communication, but also promotes it on the ground, both "online" and "offline". In terms of specific operations, on the one hand, MLM institutions use online communication to promote products and charge entry fees in disguise to develop offline profits; On the other hand, for those who are older or less educated and don't have the ability to surf the Internet independently, they look for local backbone agents, and then these backbones secretly contact the above-mentioned personnel through various relationships, brainwash them unconsciously with the words of their families, and then help them register online and enter the basic information of referees on the computer, so that they can broaden their horizons and take care of them through the combination of "online" and "underground". Take the "FKC Aikexin" pyramid scheme as an example, pyramid schemes not only promote health care products online to develop members, but also expand business offline, and many people are deceived.
At present, network marketing has achieved a series of activities such as information release, personnel development, salary provision, fund settlement and membership management. Because of the virtuality, borderlessness, openness and rapidity of the network, MLM organizations spread more widely and illegal activities are more concealed. Network pyramid selling has become the most influential and harmful illegal pyramid selling activity at present. Compared with the traditional pyramid scheme, it has the following characteristics:
Virtualization of MLM target
At present, in addition to traditional physical products such as fitness equipment, health care products and cosmetics, there are also virtual services and even virtual concepts such as the amount of online commercial advertising communication data, the share of operating funds, computer software, online distance education and online service space capacity. The types of pyramid selling tend to be complex and virtual, which is difficult to judge and control. In addition, in order to avoid the government's supervision, online pyramid schemes often put on the cloak of "e-commerce" activities, using the relevant policies of the state on developing e-commerce to disguise their pyramid schemes, covering up the essence of developing members or making profits offline, and on the one hand, making it difficult for most participants who don't know the truth to see through the scam of the organizers, on the other hand, creating the myth of contemporary rich people by advocating e-commerce.
(2) Organizing and planning concealment
The organizers of online pyramid selling activities use the Internet as a platform to realize the covert operation of pyramid selling activities: publishing, receiving and feeding back relevant information, and carrying out closed "brainwashing" education for members; Develop members through websites and instant chat tools; Complete the contact between superiors and subordinates through e-mail and instant messaging tools; These methods absorb membership fees and "pay wages" through e-banking, avoiding the situation that offline and online must meet in traditional pyramid schemes. Network marketing makes full use of the convenience of network contact. Organizers communicate through online chat tools and all use screen names. There is only a single line of online contact between the upper and lower lines, and there is no contact between the members, even without knowing the existence of other members. This is a kind of "point-to-point" contact, which greatly enhances the concealment of online marketing.
(c) Remote management and operation
Due to the cross-regional nature of Internet communication, online pyramid schemes have broken through the restrictions of regions and national boundaries, from ordinary pyramid schemes aimed at regional social relations to all Internet users. Network marketing can be promoted to any netizen at home and abroad by means of Internet platform, and its spread scope can be expanded. In the mode of operation, online marketing organizations often set up their website servers overseas to remotely manage organizers and participants at all levels. For example, the online pyramid selling cases such as "Maiku", "WorldCom", "Likangli" and "Lang Yue" investigated and dealt with in Fujian Province all set up marketing websites for remote operation through servers located overseas. However, domestic MLM organizers and participants use the network to develop members across regions, which has changed the traditional operation mode of MLM, such as large-scale team operation, large-scale concentration, large-scale training and large-scale publicity. Network MLM members are scattered all over the country and belong to different teams. They often don't know each other, and usually don't contact each other directly for business training and information dissemination through online instant messaging tools, emails, telephone calls, etc.
(D) Efficient pyramid selling activities
1. Use network technology to achieve strict management within the gang. After establishing the so-called "business system", the network pyramid scheme criminal gang set up different login portals (agent and member systems) in the website through various encryption methods, built an office automation platform for committing crimes, and adopted a "pyramid" model to manage the top organizers, financial management, local member management, technical maintenance, teaching videos, publicity texts, etc. within the gang. All agents and members can also query points, salary, membership development organization chart through this platform, and realize functions such as transfer and agent application. The management of the whole organization is strict and orderly.
2. Real-time "business expansion" is realized by using online instant chat communication tools. Most MLM organizations communicate with each other through QQ, MSN, UC and other chat tools. Some agents and members have also established relatively fixed QQ groups and GOOGLE groups, through which they can publish announcements and latest developments of their activities, regardless of time and space constraints. 3. Use online banking and online payment to realize the automation of capital transaction. Every agent and member in the online marketing organization will generally open online banking or use online third-party trading platforms such as Alipay and Tenpay. The whole process can be completed automatically online, for example, agents and staff from all over the country pay membership fees to the "headquarters", and the "headquarters" pays commissions and wages to agents and members from all over the country.
4. Use free communication platforms such as cyberspace, forums and blogs to achieve comprehensive promotion. Generally, the "headquarters" of MLM provides a series of demagogic information such as "high-tech products" information, membership rules, generous rewards, membership experience, etc., and then the offline agents, branches and members upload them to various free spaces, forums, personal blogs, personal homepages and other network platforms to improve the authenticity of MLM, promote MLM business and trick more people into being cheated.
(5) Socialization of harmful results
At present, the network pyramid selling behavior is on the rise, the fission propagation speed of pyramid selling organizations is accelerated, and the pyramid selling personnel often increase geometrically, involving a wider range. Almost all MLM organizations take "spirit" as the core, take profiteering as the main means, exercise multiple control over the participants, and preach extreme false statements such as "you can't trust the government and the media" and "you should dare to fight against the government and other' enemies who oppose the great cause of MLM'". Some people with ulterior motives even carried out anti-party and anti-government propaganda on the grounds that the government banned pyramid schemes, carried out high-frequency and high-intensity "brainwashing" and imposed psychological coercion on them, highlighting the essential characteristics of "economic cults." At the same time, network marketers and marketing methods are becoming more and more professional. Some marketing organizers set up hierarchical marketing teams, formed a whole system, mastered and used certain means of violence management and confrontation with law enforcement inspection, and gradually changed to underworld organizations.