Why are college students with high IQs deceived into participating in pyramid schemes?

Why do college students with high IQs fall into the trap of pyramid schemes

Gao Aixiao? 2014-01-17 from the Internet

The reporter learned from the industrial and commercial department that traditional Most of the participants in pyramid schemes are disadvantaged groups with relatively low knowledge levels. However, in recent years, college students and other people with relatively high knowledge levels have also been repeatedly deceived into joining MLM schemes. Xinhua News Agency reporters conducted an investigation into the reasons.

Mao Ailun, who has many years of experience in combating pyramid schemes, analyzed that the first reason why college students participate in pyramid schemes is due to the current high employment pressure. College graduates and their families have high expectations for employment. Students are eager to find jobs and are easily tempted by pyramid schemes such as "good jobs and good benefits". Xiao Yuan recalled, "It's so difficult to find a job now. When I hear about a good job, who wouldn't want to try it?"

Secondly, the current ways for college students to find jobs are not very wide. In addition to participating in job fairs, relatives and friends Recommendations from friends or intermediary organizations are also an important way for students to find employment, which provides the possibility for MLM organizations to deceive students. Students who have experienced being deceived told reporters, "They use various means to deceive you to where they are, and that's basically half the battle."

Mao Ailun said that pyramid schemes are "rich in experience," editor A set of rhetoric is used to cover up the deceptive nature of MLM. They often claim that "if you develop your relatives and friends into your downlines, you will make money. If your relatives and friends develop further downlines, they will also make money." If it continues to develop, you and your relatives and friends will not suffer no matter what.” MLM organizations are supplemented by various brainwashing methods. Students who are not experienced in the world cannot withstand the impact, and it is difficult to see “upline people cheating money, and offline people.” With the deceptive nature of "everyone goes bankrupt", with the dream of getting rich, he began to attract classmates and family members into MLM organizations. Over the years, Mao Ailun has seen many students trapped in pyramid schemes and unable to extricate themselves. They deceive classmates and relatives into pyramid schemes like a snowball.

Students have been living on campus, have no social experience, and have relatively poor discrimination ability, which also makes them easy to be deceived by pyramid schemes, especially relatives, friends and classmates who are involved in pyramid schemes.

College students joining pyramid schemes not only cause great harm to college students and their families, but also make it more difficult for the industrial and commercial departments to crack down on pyramid schemes.

Experts point out that the knowledge level of college students is relatively high. Once they are deeply involved in pyramid schemes, they may combine new technologies to renovate traditional pyramid schemes and make pyramid schemes more covert and destructive. The reporter learned from the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce that some MLM organizations have now learned to work in an information-based manner and use payment software for financial management. They use the name of "e-commerce", "online direct sales" and other emerging business formats on the Internet to trick netizens into joining MLM.

MLM organizations use new technologies such as the Internet, and their scope of influence and diffusion speed increase. MLM methods are hidden, servers located overseas are difficult to supervise, cross-regional MLM requires regional coordination, and identity virtuality makes it difficult to obtain evidence afterwards, etc. etc., which has brought new challenges to the work of industrial and commercial departments in combating pyramid schemes.

MLM trap at the peak of job hunting

Recalling the experience of being deceived into a MLM organization last year, Xiao Yuan from a university in Hunan is still in pain.

Last spring, Xiao Yuan, who was struggling for employment, suddenly received a call from a classmate, "I found a job in Wuhan. The benefits and benefits are pretty good. They are still hiring. Come and take a look." "Okay." Xiao Yuan was a little moved, but thinking that Wuhan was an unfamiliar place, he didn't agree immediately and said he would think about it first. The next day, the classmate called again and said, "This is a rare opportunity. You should come. Even if you don't like this job, you can still take it as a trip to relax." The kindness was hard to refuse, so Xiao Yuan took his resume and headed to Wuhan.

When they arrived at the classmate’s residence, Xiao Yuan was taken to a large room and told that it was for internal training. Because “the training must be kept confidential,” Xiao Yuan’s mobile phone ID card was taken away. In the next few days, "experts" will explain on the stage how to "do direct selling in the new era and become a multimillionaire in three years." The premise is to pay 3,800 yuan to obtain company membership, and then have the right to introduce family and friends to join , "Everyone makes money together".

After being brainwashed for many days, Xiao Yuan, who was new to the world, felt dizzy. After paying 3,800 yuan, he immediately contacted his family and said, "There is a good opportunity to make money." It wasn't until the Hunan Provincial Industry and Commerce Department received a report from Xiao Yuan's family and sent people to Wuhan to rescue her. They spent two or three hours in a row explaining to her the deceptive nature and harm of MLM based on a large number of MLM cases that she finally woke up. .

The industrial and commercial personnel involved in the rescue told reporters that what Xiao Yuan encountered was actually a basic pyramid scheme. , the MLM leader made the most money, and all his downlines were deceived. In the end, they went bankrupt and their wives and children were separated." Mao Ailun, head of the Economic Inspection Team of the Hunan Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce, told reporters that March and April are the best time of every year. As graduates from colleges and universities are anxious to find jobs, pyramid schemes have also begun to "recruit." They take advantage of the current psychology of college students who are under great pressure to find jobs and are eager to find jobs, and under the guise of "recruitment with high salary and high benefits" or "starting a business with low investment and high returns", they deceive students into pyramid schemes. There are also some MLM organizations that deceive college students through online recruitment.

According to statistics from the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce, in 2010, more than 600 students were involved in the pyramid scheme cases uncovered by the Hunan Provincial Department of Industry and Commerce and other departments. The more than 600 students who were rescued were basically students from universities in other provinces. Due to the characteristics of MLM organizations operating in different places, most students from Hunan colleges and universities are deceived into engaging in MLM in other provinces, and there is a lack of accurate statistics on the number of people involved.

How to avoid

Experts recommend strengthening employment guidance and services

Hunan Province has established a "trinity" anti-pyramid scheme cooperation mechanism for universities in recent years including education, universities, and industry and commerce. , carried out a publicity campaign to "prevent MLM from entering campus", using the form of a sitcom to vividly expose and criticize the deceptive tactics, operation models and activity scenarios of MLM organizations. The education system of Hunan Province is also working hard to create a "pyramid scheme-free campus" to further improve students' ability to identify and prevent pyramid schemes.

Many experts believe that to prevent college students from being deceived into pyramid schemes, a long-term mechanism against the infiltration of pyramid schemes must be established on campus.

According to Mao Ailun, many students currently do not know enough about MLM. Therefore, while further strengthening the efforts to combat MLM, it is necessary to carry out propaganda among students. This requires universities as the main body to regularly organize anti-MLM knowledge lectures for college students, use school newspapers, school websites and other media to promote anti-MLM knowledge, and distribute anti-MLM books and materials.

Ouyang Zengtong, deputy director of the Student Affairs Department of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education, reminded all colleges and universities to regularly provide employment guidance and employment services to graduates, and popularize some basic information about job hunting to prevent college students from falling into the quagmire of pyramid schemes. At the same time, integrity education for college students should also be included in the daily routines of major universities.

Education experts remind college graduates to participate in job fairs organized by the school as much as possible when choosing a career, because the employers at these job fairs have undergone strict qualification reviews and are relatively safe. If you participate in other job fairs or apply online, graduates should not trust the other party's description of the company. They should go to the local industrial and commercial bureau's red shield website to check whether the company is legally registered. You can also call the 114 directory inquiry desk to check the company's phone number, and call the recruiting company for verification. Is there any recruitment information released? Wait for detailed verification of the identity of the other party and the authenticity of the company before making a decision on whether to go for an interview.

The person in charge of the Employment Guidance Center of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education said that the employment of college graduates is very important. The employment and re-employment funds allocated by the national budget every year must be truly used for the employment of college graduates. Enable graduates to broaden their employment opportunities and increase their employment options.