Avoiding
The Scam
A
NOTE TO THOSE RESEARCHING JOBS, CAREERS, MLMs
(multi-level marketing organizations, direct sellers, network
marketers, viral marketers, consumer direct marketers, dual
marketers, etc.) , SCAMS,
FRAUDS, OR PYRAMID SCHEMES:
If you stumbled onto this site during your research,
you might as well read it in its entirety. Many of
the points apply to you as well. At a bare minimum read this
page and the
MLM section on the Links page. I admit to being quite anti-MLM.
There is plenty of reason to be wary of any company utilizing
MLM-type practices. |
Below
is a summary of what you can do to avoid being a victim of a scammer.
A.
JOB-SEEKING
Most
reputable companies hire for a single position, expect the employee
to remain in that capacity or advance only minimally (you shouldn't
encroach on your superior's job!), and pay in line with the employee's
education and experience. It would
be nice if a job hunter inexperienced
in the financial services industry could
find an employer/savior who would recognize vague characteristics
like his "potential, ambition, motivation, drive, persistence,"
etc. (instead of simply his education/experience) and train him
straight up to management, but it isn't realistic for the vast majority
by far. Not everyone within an organization can
be a "manager," and each person who cannot advance because
the oversaturated job market is unable to handle any more of his
product will eventually drop out, threatening collapse of the pyramid.
Obviously,
you should be suspicious of any call out of the blue claiming
that you look like a great fit for an exciting new job opportunity.
It's likely a rep who found your resume on a job search site and
is being offered incentives by his firm to recruit (review the "Training"
page).
Job
ads can still be deceiving. Even if the company offers benefits,
you may still find yourself paying for them 100%!
Beware job representations and ads that include these
phrases and characteristics:
- Ads
recruiting for "Financial consultants, finance
management trainees/associates, financial services sales professionals,
financial executives, investment executives, financial planners,
investment advisors, financial advisors, branch managers,
etc. -- Will Train, New Grads Welcome, Six-Figure (or
Unlimited) Income Potential." If it sounds to
good to be true, it usually is. The six-figure hook needn't
be blatant; it may simply offer an income that is unusual for
the target market sought and save the "hook" for the
interview or even employment stage.
- "Unlimited
Advancement Opportunities / Upward Mobility."
See above.
- Vague
experience requirements, such as "self-starter,
has potential, ambition, motivation, drive, persistence, etc."
If the firm isn't seeking experienced reps with multiple
years in the industry, ask yourself why.
- "Promotion
from within."
While it may seem to indicate a commitment to training and promoting
you, it may also indicate that recruiting is focused on inexperienced
and unsophisticated targets, and avoidance of experienced personnel
who might see through a scam.
- "Equal
opportunity for advancement," "become a branch manager."
If everybody's target position is a single class of positions,
watch out. A branch manager position may be a legitimate job
as a full-time employee, or it may be a business opportunity
(independent contractor -- NOT an employee). Review the difference
in the "Independent
Contractor" section of this site.
- "Be
your own boss, set your own hours (flexible work schedule),
work from home." See above.
- "No
telemarketing." It may be legit, but it may be
a clever way of saying that the marketing program will not involve
cold-calling -- you'll be marketing to your friends and family.
Review the "Prospecting"
section of this site.
- "No
sales."
Great, then what DOES the position entail?! I guarantee it isn't
simply "advising."
- "Outside
sales."
Position is usually full commission.
- "Salary
plus commission." Might be legit, but "salary"
(base) may be a draw (loan against your future earnings)
that you'll have to repay. Draw + commission is essentially
full commission, and is NOT a FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE position. If
you see "salary", keep in mind that salaries are paid
to employees, not independent contractors, and it may be advertising
deceptively and misclassifying employees.
- No
salary range indicated.
If the firm is unwilling to advertise a salary range, they may
be avoiding litigation based on false advertising. Chances are
the only salary range you'll ever hear will be verbal, and you'll
never achieve it. Might as well avoid these.
- "Salary
commensurate with experience." Might be a full-time
employee position, or might be a full-commisison independent
contractor position masquerading as one.
- Compensation
advertised is too good to be true for target market's
education and experience.
- "Paid
training." Are they providing a real salary, or
is it full commission? (Draw + commission is full commission.)
- Enticements
such as trips to exotic places. Scammers often
hold out trips to exotic locales as rewards for sales goals,
but these trips are often group excursions to sales
conferences, paid for by the reps - plus the
reps will pay taxes on these!
- A
sense of urgency in an ad, as if it is a limited
opportunity that cannot be missed.
- Phrases
indicating explosive or aggressive expansion in
your area. The firm may simply be seeking to exhaust the trainee
market in your area before the market wises up.
- The
same company that advertises for new recruits every single month,
year after year. They may mine college campus career
fairs in particular. The firm may explain away continual hiring
as due to growth, but you should take care. There is always
the possibility that they're lying about growth and are just
replacing those reps that drop out.
Still
interested in the position? KEEP
THE ORIGINAL AD, because there's one more:
- Sales
positions or business opportunity positions listed in "Employment"
sections of newspapers or other job search media. Commission-only
and independent contractor positions should be confined to the
sales and business opportunity sections, since they are not
hiring employees. Scammers often deliberately advertise
under the guise that the job is a stable position as an employee.
Report ads that misrepresent business
opportunities as legitimate jobs to the medium where you found
them! If a scammer can't recruit, his scam will
be forced to end! You may also
need the original ad in the event you need to sue for false
advertising and misrepresentation, particularly if the position
advertises the position as a full time employee position
with a salary (not base) and an income range that you
don't meet. Base + commission usually means
draw + commission, which is A FULL COMMISSION POSITION
with no salary. Be aware that if
they advertise a salary, you should most likely be classified
as an employee and not an independent contractor.
B.
THE INTERVIEW & PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROCESS
If
possible, try to get everything below addressed over the phone so
you don't waste your time at an interview for a job you really don't
want. If you find yourself serious about the opportunity, GET
EVERYTHING YOU CAN IN WRITING! If it isn't in writing,
do NOT consider it in making your decision to accept the job.
Here
are a few things to learn about as quickly as possible:
1.
EMPLOYMENT STATUS. Might as well start here first:
Will you be an employee or independent contractor?
Most
reputable firms will hire you as an employee. Some scammers may
not be direct in your first interview about your status and what
it entails; if they don't offer this information, ASK. If you're
told you'll be an independent contractor (IC) or direct seller,
take great care and be sure you understand and are prepared for
the costs you will incur, which may include but are not confined
to:
- Business
& professional licenses, bonding.
- Health,
dental, unemployment, worker's compensation and life insurances;
401(k) & pension plans. Some scammers intimate that benefits
are provided but later inform you that although they are provided,
you will pay every cent! Additionally, they may be contingent
upon sales goals that few reps (if any) meet.
- E&O
(Errors & Omissions) insurance.
- Trade
show booths & seminars.
- Taxes
(income, self-employment). Note that prizes, awards, & gifts
are taxable if you are classified by the IRS as a direct seller.
- Office
space, furniture, equipment, and maintenance.
- Phones
and phone bills.
- Photocopies.
- Postage.
- Sales
literature and printing.
- Advertising.
- Travel
expenses.
- Legal
expenses. (Yes, you assume liability as an IC!)
A
direct seller is similar to an independent contractor
for tax purposes; both are considered self-employed. Different
regulatory agencies determine your classification, not your "employer"
-- even if you agreed to such an employment relationship in your
contract. Review
the "Independent
Contractor" section of this site!
2.
PAY. If you're to be considered an employee,
you are probably safe. If you're to be considered an independent
contractor, forget the old adage about not asking about pay
at your first interview! You need to know what sort of income
to expect. If the firm tries early on to sell an inexperienced
new grad a "six-figure income", BEWARE (and probably
RUN).
Is
the pay full commission or base + commission? If it's
full commission, be prepared for the risks. If there is a base,
find out what it is. It should be standard. If the firm tries
to tell you that the base is built around what you previously
earned, RUN. Make sure you understand whether the base is a
salary paid by the firm or a draw against
your own future commissions (loan).
Ask
for the firm's published sales targets and
figures for AVERAGE NET (not gross) second-year income and even
five-year income and determine if you can reasonably
make do on that. Published sales targets are important because
they may be only $12,000/year gross for an average rep while
the firm verbally promotes average incomes of $50K/year
(likely much more). If the published version says $12k, it's
a good bet that that's what you'll expect, and that's gross
before your expenses are taken out of it. Remember, the firm
is not likely to lie on official literature, since this literature
is often their defense in court. Past average net income figures
are important because you need to see what an average rep (not
just the top earners) really made over time. Take these documents
home and file them; you may need them later if you're hitting
the published sales targets and still aren't earning the average
income you've been led to expect (much less that magical income
figure they promoted).
Ask
what the firm intends to do to help you reach published sales
targets. Will it be providing qualified leads? If you're
told you will be using "friends and family" as your
"practice leads", BEWARE! If you are required to turn
over your own leads ("friends and family") as necessary
to your employment, BEWARE! Review the section on "Prospecting."
Will it aid reps in running trade shows to generate leads? Does
it advertise? Will the firm permit you to advertise locally
and approve and print a campaign you suggest for your own use?
Will it permit you to hold seminars for prospective clients?
Keep in mind that all materials must be approved by
the compliance department lest you and the firm eat a big fine.
3.
LICENSING & TRAINING. You will need the securities
and insurance licenses at a minimum to survive financially.
If they advise you to "learn the basics" first before
earning an insurance license, BEWARE. If the firm advertises free
training, make sure that training is really free and not masked
as costs of licensing or criminal background checks. If
the firm asks you to pay anything up front, beware --
even if the firm promises to reimburse you upon completion
of some goal. Most reputable firms will pay up front
any expenses associated with hiring you. You may ask the firm
to sponsor you for free while you self-study. If the
firm does expect you to pay for licensing, check FINRA's
rates for licenses you need and don't overpay. If the training
is to cost you, take care to examine how this training has benefited
their current work force. The training can't be worth
much if the turnover is high. (More on this in #B4, Turnover.)
Make sure you know how long to expect to complete an unpaid training
program and subsequent licensing and whether you can survive financially
during that time. Don't accept an answer of "it all depends
on you"; ask how long reps average in completing the program
and getting licensed.
4.
TURNOVER. Get in writing how many reps
actually achieved their goals during the previous years and have
thus stayed a year or more versus how many quit. Listen for excuses
such as "it's a tough business that few excel at." That's
rubbish. You and the other recruits
supposedly heard all the risks and are prepared, so there's no
reason to fail. Liars will lie, but you need
this figure in front of you in the event you need to sue over
that lie. There isn't a lot more you can do to protect yourself
on this one during the interview process.
5. COMPANY REPUTATION. Homework time. Do not
rely on what the firm represents to you. Many reps are "captive"
to the firm and have severe restrictions on them during their
tenure, so leaving won't be easy. Since your failure at this firm
could leave you broke and even heavily in debt, it is to your
great advantage to know how it conducts its business, both with
consumers and employees.
See
the "Research
Your Company" section of the "Links and Resources"
page for some good ways to research your company's reputation.
6.
EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT. They're generally standard,
but if you can get all points you are concerned about outlined
in a custom contract, it's much better for you. Otherwise, realize
that the contract is usually pretty one-sided and note the following:
- Your
employment status should be included
in the contract; be sure it matches up with all you were told
verbally. You're agreeing to it!
- If
on a base and/or commission, your base and commission
percentages should be stated in the contract. The base's
status as salary or a draw (loan) should be
there too.
- Any
upfront fees (licensing,
training, background check, etc.) and who is paying for them
should be covered. If you are to be reimbursed contingent on
some goal, check to see if that goal is included. Also check
for any clause stating that you'll be expected to repay training/education
fees or the like if you leave the firm.
- If
your contract includes a non-compete agreement (or
non-solicitation agreement), carefully inspect
it to see if you are guaranteed the commission trails on your
sales if you leave. If the firm is to require you do your own
marketing ("Friends & Family 100 List" included),
you will find those leads and make those sales, and
you're entitled to those trails for that year or whatnot
after you leave. Be sure you understand whether it's you or
the firm who will be cultivating leads and decide what's acceptable.
- Look
for an arbitration or mediation clause
as well. By agreeing to mediation or arbitration, you may be
giving up the right to pursue the matter through the courts,
which may severely impact your chances at recovery. Read the
fine print! More info on mediation/arbitration here.
Make
sure you get a copy of the contract and that everything written
matches up with what you were told verbally! If it doesn't, show
yourself the door.
C.
ONCE EMPLOYED
1.
TURNOVER (AGAIN). Watch the turnover and burnout rate.
They are invariably very high at scammer firms. Don't automatically
fall into the trap of assuming the reps who leave "just couldn't
hack it." Remember, they learned "all" of the pitfalls
during interviews/orientation just like you and were prepared,
so why should they fail? Chances are you're no better than they
are, so don't get arrogant. Find out why they left from them,
not their supervisors. Get phone numbers and keep up with EVERYONE.
You just might need those numbers if you can't afford to sue alone.
2. PAY (AGAIN). You saved the literature, right?
If you're hitting your sales targets and still earning well below
what was represented to you, ask your manager about the discrepancy
and how it can be "cured." If you notice him skimping
on aiding you in favor of focusing energies on new recruits, BEWARE.
Don't share commissions with your manager -- he'll be compensated
in overrides.
D.
LEAVING THE FIRM.
At
this point, if you did all you were supposed to do and are still
forced to leave the firm due to a lack of income, you might as well
go right on to the next section, "Prosecution
& Legislation." You've been defrauded, and it's time
to fight back.
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