So is this an illegal Scam or is it within the TOS ?

I just discovered this notecard in my inventory ...




THE 500L$ OFFER HAS ONLY BEEN MADE TO THOSE WITH THE SURNAME SVAROG INGAME. YOU ARE THE FIRST IN THIS LEGACY. NORMAL SIGN UP FEE 1000 L$. AS YOU WILL SEE YOU WILL GET YOUR SIGN UP FEE BACK AND MUCH MORE ON TOP IF YOU SIMPLY FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OUTLINED BELOW.

Hello Potential FFS Officer,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fraggle Svarog (A.K.A. The Fat Man). I have been involved with the MMORPG industry , its politics and economics for over 5 years. My main area of expertise has been in profit and loss forcasting for online MMORPG ventures.

The following offer has already been (and continues to be) highly successful for those who have accepted and currently run the plan in other MMORPGs. The key to making this plan work for you is quite simple: Have Conviction and you will be rewarded.

This program takes just half an hour to set up. After that, there is absolutely no work whatsoever to do on your part. And yet, you will stand to gain many hundreds of thousands of Lindens within the next few weeks from those 30 minutes of easy work! Yes, I know, it sounds too good to be true! I thought exactly the same thing myself until I actually tried similar projects!

Even if you are already involved in another program, stay with it, but do yourself a big favour and DO THIS ONE as well. You have absolutely NOTHING to lose, but you stand to gain a LIFE-CHANGING amount of money within the next few weeks! In fact, there is NO LIMIT to the amount of income you can generate from this one single business program!!

To join the Fraggle Family Svarog group costs 1000 L$ (500 L$ to those with the Svarog name). In return for your donationtion to the group you will be permitted to enlist further members to the Fraggle Family Svarog organisation.
For every member you enlist you will recieve 1/2 of their joining up fee!! So by signing just 3 people you will have made your initial outlay plus 500 L$ profit!!! With an invite simply a notecard or IM away there is a very fast turnaround and you could be making profits within minutes of reading this notecard.

To take part simply goto FIND then GROUPS and type 'Fraggle Rock' in the SEARCH box. Double click on 'Fraggle Rock' and then select the JOIN group button. As soon as you have joined copy this notecard and start your recruitment drive.... remember you get 500 L$ for every single person you sign up!!!!

Once you have joined as member and paid your 1000 L$ sign up fee you will be invited to become an officer. You will then be instructed in how to sign up your own new members.

QUICK PROFIT LIST - Sign up:

3 avatars = 500 L$ Profit
5 avatars = 1,500 L$ Profit
10 avatars = 9,000 L$ Profit
50 avatars = 45,000 L$ Profit

As well as a substantial profit making organisation The Fraggle Family Svarog is a self help group of business partners and associates. We look out for our own and take pride in the protection of our prospecters. Play with one and you play with us all.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Fraggle Family Svarog (FFS)

Fraggle Svarog (The Fat Man)

indeed the phrase "sounds too good to be true" stands out, it is, you are under no obilgation to join the group and pay a sum of L$1000 however group signup fee's are TOS legal in joining you are agreeing to this charge and if you never get it back its ur own fault if i were you i wouldn't even consider it, but its your choice, its a gamble

I'm certainly not falling for this LOL! Spamming is certainly against the TOS and this seems well over the top to me.

Lol Cid!

These schemes are illegal under UK law what about the states ?

I think they are illegal here too, if not... they should be

This is a pyramid scheme or Ponzi scheme. I do believe it's illegal in the states. It surely has to be against the tos. There are many articles on the web explaining why pyramid schemes can't work. Here is a government site showing why it can't work.. http://www.sec.gov/answers/pyramid.htm

Here's another.. the list goes on and on... http://members.impulse.net/~thebob/Pyramid.html

This line says "RUN!!!"

Let me make it clear it was posted but not said be me !

alternatively, you could give me all your money, which, lets face it, probably has about the same chance of making you a profit as this scheme. None.

BTW, I think your should AR it. Although at least if we start getting shit like this as spam in SL, we can hunt down the fuckers with a Seburo

Oh, if only I could do the same irl with the people who fill my inbox daily.

Well that's not really a pyramid so........ *sends Kris all his money*. I'll be rich in no time. MUHAHAHAHA

even more horendous, it sounds like an infomercial! OMG please stay it ain't so...

Anyway, I will hold on to my Linden bucks and give it away at games and events and to fatten the economy by shopping.

Oh this sounds great!!!

Once Ive scammed 3 of my friends .. then its all gravy!


Where do I sign?

Better yet , Can I start a Meiji One? I mean .. if im on top of the Pyramid then I dont need to Pay the $500 or $1000 - so after I SCAM one person its all proffit.


mwahahahahaha!
-----------------------------------------------------
um .. okay *rolls eyes* its a crazy idea.

My money says this is a pyramid started by an alt .. um wait money is how this got started in the first place.

Actually its illegal as its discrimination.

If falls under discrimination due to a "Name" so because I am a Weaver and there are only three active Weavers in the game we cannot participate which is discrimination due to a forced last name.

<<<Blows whistle really hard....Chanting Let my weaver go Let my weaver go...

Shadow

I'm so glad to see no-one has actually paid their fee to become an officer, surprised to see so many members of the group though !

Laukosargas, please Report this to the lindens. Maybe contact the online liasons aswell to let them know.
Many people get in financial trouble by these scams in RL and i don't think we should allow this in SL.
I think a perm ban is the only solution that is appropiate for these kinds of scams.
Lets hope the Lindens will act swift and just.

Pyramids are not illegal in the US per se. Typically people are convicted of mail fraud in the US after they spam a this type of scheme through the USPS.

Pyramids are not a TOS violation as far as I can tell. But spamming by last name certainly is.

Section 5.1(vii) in the TOS explicitly forbids using the system to solicit for "pyramid schemes".

Shore do. Thanks Ricky.

Sounds like this parody I made a few days ago...

http://kexgodel.net/sl/sl419.txt

Definitely this person should be reported then.


I have recieved spam invites from groups wanting $L100 sign up fees and such. People Id never heard of.

I expect some people sign up not thinking, you get used to saying yes to those blue meassges.

Luckily as per the other thread , you become protected, somewhat , from THAT Scam by belonging to 15 groups =/.

More like, "Be rewarded and you will have conviction".

The sad thing is that this kind of scheme often breaks up friendships of those naive enough to get involved when it goes all pear shaped.

Sadder still is this marks the entrance of the lowest common denominator to Second Life.