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On this article “ MMM Revives Lives”, the questions to answer include:

When MMM suspended its operations by 14th December 2016, many people ‘died’ emotionally. This was because a lot of them Had invested so much in this money doubling investment scheme, even their life savings, because it was like a windfall money doubling scheme. Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM), is a money investment scheme, that promised players 30 per cent return on the investment per month in Nigeria.

So when it come back to stream on 13th January 2017 as promised many players revived back to life. But it is not clear yet when it will start merging players and paying them as they still have to work towards regaining confidence of the investors. This means that there are not enough players in the system yet which may mean that people may be merged in groups to be able to pay some large sums.

It is advisable that people begin to provide helps to enable the system start off again smoothly.

It is also advisable that MMM should start paying the players their outstanding investments with their returns early enough to be able to bring people back to their financial footings again. 

Truly, the comeback of MMM is really a life reviving wand.

There are still questions as to why Nigerians are so interested in Ponzi schemes like MMM, despite what they suffered last December when MMM suspended its operations and are yet to recover from it. Before this happened, Nigeria’s public financial and anti-graft institutions, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC), Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation, (NDIC,) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), had repeatedly warned that the schemes were fraudulent and that those investing in them may loose their money.

The NDIC had said that about three million Nigerians lost N18 billion when MMM suspended payment to investors last December; the operators of MMM claimed the suspension was because its system was “experiencing heavy workload” and had to be upgraded.

On January 13, the scheme however resumed operations, 24 hours before the date it had promised to do so. But millions of investors are yet not able to access payment and the system is not running smoothly again because only few new investors joined since then.

Amy one of the online consultants with MMM disclosed that the scheme had introduced new measures to avert the challenges that lead to last year’s problem which forced it to temporarily halt its operation. The new measures include placement of limit on payments to 2016 investors, who are referred to as ‘Mavro-2016’.

“A special limit for Mavro-2016 payments has been introduced. This limit was determined in such a way that GHs for Mavro-2016 won’t create any additional burden on the Community and won’t affect its sustainability”. According to this limit, members get a part of their Mavros-2016 every day.

“Members who can request help in Mavros-2016 are selected randomly. Therefore, if you want to withdraw your Mavros-2016, check your PO regularly. Your turn may come. Besides that, MMM is developing additional tools that will allow it to intensify payments for Mavros-2016,” the consultant stated.

Wikipedia defines Ponzi scheme as a special kind of fraud. It goes on to say that it is based on a fake investment that one schemer (or group of schemers) gets other people to give money to.

Wikipedia has all these to say.

In Ponzi schemes, the schemer basically says, “I found a great way to make money fast. The more you give me, the more I can invest in that cause, and the more I can earn for us all”. But a Ponzi scheme doesn’t actually “earn money”. Instead, all of the scheme’s money comes from the investors.

Once a Ponzi scheme gets too many investors, the system will always crash. This is because the investors all expect more money than they invested, and they will get impatient.

These schemes always stop one of three ways:

a. The schemer runs away with the money they got.

b. The schemer runs out of money; They will be unable to promise money back right away. This is called liquidity, and makes investors panic and demand their money back, often all at once.

c. Authorities find out about the scheme and stop it

Types or examples of Ponzi schemes:

Ponzi schemes are promoted using impressive and vague phrases, such as:

– Hedge Futures Trading (taking a good risk)

– High-yield investment programs (gives you back a lot of money)

– Offshore Investment (makes money easily in other countries)

With these types of phrases the Schemers lure investors into such businesses, most of whom Wikipedia says do not know much about economics.

These are fast making money schemes that look like ponzi schemes. They include:

1. A multilevel pyramid scheme:

A multilevel pyramid scheme is like a Ponzi scheme. Both rely on fake financial promises and investments, but there are differences:

In a multilevel scheme, the second “level” of investors find their own investors to make a third “level”, each profiting directly from the next level. Ponzi schemes “center” around the original schemer.

Multilevel schemes only brag about the money the investors from getting new investors. This makes multilevel schemes look good to poor people. Ponzi schemes brag about having special connections with hard-to-find sources. This makes Ponzi schemes look good to rich people

Multilevel schemes “crash” faster. This is because multilevel schemes depend completely on finding new victims. Ponzi schemers can just tempt early investors to reinvest the money they’ve gotten.

2. A bubble Scheme:

A “bubble” is about re-selling. A bubble is when people buy up all of a product they can, to re-sell it all at a higher price, as many times as they can. The bubble “pops” when buyers stop buying the product, and re-sellers are stuck with product they paid too much for. (The product can be anything.) As long as buyers keep paying more, re-sellers can keep making money. Bubbles don’t even need central schemers, because people can do this accidentally.

3. “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”:

This is when people with debt borrow money to pay their debt, and borrow more money to pay back that debt. This is not a Ponzi scheme, because the debt-havers weren’t promised high returns or anything. Also, the lenders don’t always make money.

4 Multi-level marketing:

Multi-level marketing (MLM) is when companies sell investors things to re-sell directly to customers. Re-sellers can also make money by referring new re-sellers to the company. This may seem similar to a pyramid scheme, but it’s not always the same thing. Honest and legal multi-level markets do exist, and a lot of them simply make money by buying in bulk.

What is Lottery? Why is it different from Ponzi scheme?

Dusaneinfotech defines Lottery as a tool for raising cash, by trading varied sets of numbers, and distributing rewards to the bearer for the set of number drawn at random. It is a game whose victory or failure is lead by probability.

It says, Lottery is a business of Chance & Probability, if one wants to experiment with their fortune, one of the most interesting platforms is this. It does not only pool in money to award the winner, but also acts as a support for the social causes around.

Models of lottery:

Dusaneinfotech went further to give models of lottery in existence.

SOCIETAL LOTTERY

Societal lottery can be conducted by any group, institution, corporation or association of person and any separate section of any such entities.

It is boosted to uplift funds for various Non-Profit organizations.

WORK LOTTERY

Such lotteries are just for pleasure and can only be conducted and played by co-workers at a certain workplace.

All the earnings are utilized for rewards or expenditures done to organize the lottery.

RESIDENT’S LOTTERY

The campaigner of lottery must be an inhabitant and lottery tickets can be sold to only the other residents of the same habitat.

Such lottery does not require any permission to function.

CUSTOMER LOTTERY

This lottery can only be run by a particular venture at its own site, just for its own consumers.

There has to be a limit for the prize that will be awarded.

INCIDENTAL NON-COMMERCIAL LOTTERY

Such lottery can be conducted during some specific event. Lottery tickets must be sold while the event is on and the results should be declared during the event.

LOCAL AUTHORITY LOTTERY

Conducted by local authorities about a place.

To function, an operating license is necessary.

The earning can be used for any purpose related to incurring the expenditures.

ONLINE LOTTERY BUSINESS:

This is lottery done online.

Online Lottery has created a platform, that has made gaming accessible and more exciting.

It is a platform which enhances the system productivity by enhancing the reliability factor and creating a streamlined system.

“ why are Nigerians so interested in Ponzi Schemes?”

To answer this question is one of the purposes of writing this article. I had in other posts encouraged readers of this blog to seek ways of investment this year. But I also cautioned against reckless investment decisions. When I heard our people lost huge sums of money I became worried. One of good business etiquette we teach is prudent decision making and the watching of business environment. When the financial regulators began to warn about this scheme, it was enough for the prudent investor to think twice and perhaps adjust investment in this scheme.

I observed that Ponzi schemes have been thriving in Nigeria since the country slid into recession in 2016 with variety of them in existence. Ponzi schemes started gaining popularity when Mavrodian Mondial Moneybox (MMM) came on board. Many Nigerians could not resist the money doubling scheme which gives 30% return on investment for doing nothing. Those who invested money in this scheme last year are yet to get back their money following a freeze of accounts in December.

 People lost millions to MMM Nigeria. Over 20 Ponzi schemes have sprung up after MMM. Some have crashed and others are at the brink of crashing. But some Nigerians will never learn their lessons. They keep moving from one Ponzi scheme to the other as it keeps crashing. The question is, despite losing billions to MMM last December, Why are there more Ponzi schemes in Nigeria than any other country?

In this article I’m trying to give tentative reasons why I think many Nigerian still take the risk of investing in Ponzi money doubling schemes. May be you will ask what is My interest in this matter. My interest is that it is a business information. Every business information is of concern to this blog. The blog aim is to give you good business information that will benefit you. Now some of these factors I highlight below may or may not be your situation, but I want you to reason out of your negative feeling situations and begin to reason positively on success parts.

1. Poverty :

My colique said; “there is so much poverty in the land and people are struggling to make it. They just want to make quick cash and these Ponzi scheme creators are aware of this fact”. My advise is that you must come out of this negative thinking box. If you continue like this, you will fall pray to many ponzi schemes even right their in your kitchen.

2. The ailing economy:

I know that may Nigerians have been finding one way or the other to survive in this time of economic hardship. Things are hard and the government is doing very little to cushion it. That is what we all think. You also think that with the economic recession, prices of goods have gone up while salary remains the same and you can no longer afford the things you are used to as the value of the little you earn has depreciated. And so, you have decided to help yourself out by joining these quick money schemes which seems better than stealing. 

There are still a lot of business ideas you can invest in with little capital. There are still some services you can render without incurring any initial capital spending. In this website there are a lot of business information on small businesses you can do; check them out. What about Making more money while you work.

3. Greed :

I overheard somebody said “Nigerians will do anything to get quick money. Many are driven by greed which is why Ponzi schemes are thriving. People are not satisfied with what they have. They want more.” There is nothing wrong if you want more by working harder. The opportunists I explained in the beginning don’t work hard. Please turn your greed into hard work.

4. The government:

A friend also said ” If the government is doing its job of making life for the citizens better and satisfying, they would not be patronising these money doubling schemes.” You have to remember that global economy is driven by the private sector. The economic theories of privatisation, and commercialisation tells us why governments should hands-of commercial activities and concentrate on provision of economic infrastructures , legal and social level playing field for all. If you plan well and do well in your business, you will not be blaming the government.

5. Idleness:

In the beginning of this article I told you that the opportunists are always idle seeking for windfalls. Some of you are so lazy and idle. You want to sit down at home and watch money drop on your laps. The thought of getting quick money without stressing for it will not allow you stay away from Ponzi schemes. Learn to work hard for yourself. Invent an idea today. Click to read the following topics. How to be a young rich man @ 25.  Business start-up Processes.

MMM REVIVES LIVES IN NIGERIA

6. Nigerians Take Risk:

Risk is good for business, we know it. But risk can also be shifted or averted by certain economic measures like insuring your business and taking good decisions. A good measure for ponzi schemes is to avoid investing life savings into it. Pension managers don’t invest pensioners money into such risky ventures. They look for safe ventures to invest in. But in this case many of you believed you were a kind of special people When MMM was trending. The government kept warning against investing in Ponzi schemes but you turned deaf ears. Some of you were saying it cannot crash in Nigeria like it did in other countries. If it can crash every other place, what makes you think Nigeria will be any different? Then it crashed.

7. Some Nigerians are Reckless in behaviour:

Many of you don’t reason at all. It will be very easy to scam some of you because you believe almost everything. You do not research before doing anything. For example, many of you patronise the so called prophets and witch craft doctors to make you millionaires. Common sense will let you know that the man who wants to make you a millionaire is as poor as church rat. The question is why can’t he make himself very rich? Do you think that if it is that easy to be rich he will let you know about it? That is the part of your reasoning you should always consult before going into any form of ponzi venture investment.

Some of you have agreed that the popular MMM is a scam, while I still hear some “die- hard” ones among you saying, ‘ I don’t regret anything that happened with MMM’

I encourage you to go through the postings in this blog. These articles are free Tutorials for business men and women. I had published an article titled 150 Business ideas you can do with little capital. I think doing your own thing will pay you more than joining one Money Doubling scheme now and then and losing the little one you have. 

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