Schemes that sound too good to be true always are

Wise up, look sharp, question and counter-question, and talk to people. If the rewards seem too quick and too good to be true, then, that is what they are: too good to be true. Smell the con, and do not fall for rosy prose.

A Navi Mumbai resident claims she has become the victim of the notorious QNet scam. The lady said in a report in this paper that she had met one of the independent representatives of the multilevel marketing scheme through social media in February last year and had borrowed money from her friends to invest in the scheme.

A desperate woman who had no job fell for the offer. Since it was pandemic time, no physical meetings took place, which is the usual modus operandi of the scheme. Instead, there were several zoom calls and webinars. The yet unsuspecting target roped in a friend too. Then, the lady realised she is not getting the commission she thought she would. A little later, with no response from the representative and a refusal to return her money, the victim filed a police complaint along with her friend.

There have been numerous complaints filed against QNet and there has been police action. The dragnet has spread across the country. A background check on the Internet may have thrown up these reports, and raised some red flags at least.

Today, we have technology at our fingertips, and we must use this in a conducive way to check credibility and facts. While this certainly does not mean that nobody will be duped, it will at least raise the first alarm and certainly serve as a check, for those who may be won over by smooth words and impossible promises.

Use discretion and wisdom. We see a lot of other dubious financial schemes and lures mushrooming as jobs have been lost in the pandemic, though this incident happened before the lockdown last year.

Wise up, look sharp, question and counter-question, and talk to people. If the rewards seem too quick and too good to be true, then, that is what they are: too good to be true. Smell the con, and do not fall for rosy prose.

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