QuestNet - AssKramm Mintak Bongkar Lagik... Okeh Dol!

 

Berita daripada serata dunia...
(yang mana manusia yang waras akan akui bahawa QNet memang haramjadah)

   

Declares Questnet illegal

  

NYARUGENGE - The National Bank of Rwanda’s (BNR) investigations into the business practices of Questnet have revealed that the company is operating a money swindling pyramid scheme and could be involved in money laundering, The New Times has learnt.

 

In an email sent to The New Times yesterday, the Central Bank said that Questnet is a pyramid scheme, which is collecting money from subscribers in Rwanda and sends it outside to companies called Park King Development and DBS Hong Kong using swift transfer. The Central Bank said its early investigations show that since January this year, Questnet has transferred a total of $500,000 (Rwf284 million) outside the country through illegitimate means.

 

The Hong Kong-based company has however insisted it is a direct selling entity that utilises network marketing to provide innovative products and business opportunities to its customers. According to BNR findings, the company uses multi-level marketing businesses, which sell real products like Bio-discs and small IT materials, which are imported via DHL.

 

“But the underlining objective is to recruit dealers and collect their enrolling fee,” said Angélique Kantengwa, Senior Director Financial Stability at BNR.

 

Kantengwa said that Questnet is a fraudulent company that is not licensed to operate business on Rwandan soil. She said that a successful pyramid scheme combines a fake, yet seemingly credible business with a simple-to-understand yet sophisticated money-making formula. According to the Central Bank, a weekly “interest” is paid to the member of Questnet who manage to bring two new recruits.

 

Katengwa said a certain amount of money is transferred to Park King Development and DBS Hong Kong on weekly basis. She added that the number of layers of the pyramid increases new recruits who find it harder and harder to sell the product because there are so many competing salesmen.

 

“Those near or at the top of the pyramid make a lot of money on their percentage of the enrolling fees and on commissions for the supplied products, but those at the bottom are left with inventories of products they can’t sell.”

 

“These schemes exploit greed and gullibility. To enhance credibility, most such scams are well equipped with fake referrals, testimonials and information.”

The Central Bank says that amounts dwindle steeply down as the pyramid slopes.

 

However, Rajesh Rao, the company’s Public Relations Manager told The New Times recently that direct marketing through network marketing is not about signing up as many people as possible, but getting the product to the market.

 

This is the second time this year the Central Bank is warning the public to be cautious about the reappearance of pyramidal operations or get-rich-quick schemes in which people put their cash. On January 13, BNR issued a public warming about the illegal character of such schemes and on the risks run by promoters and people who agree to subscribe to those criminal activities.

 

“The National Bank of Rwanda calls upon the public to be cautious in order to avoid the risk of loosing their savings to criminals,” the BNR statement reads in part.

 

The bank said that the public must know that a pyramidal operation or a get rich quick is a fraudulent stratagem set up by individuals or a group of people with an aim of making money.

Crippled by decades of war, the government of Afghanistan has little or no power to stop illegal or questionable enterprises. Now a classic investment swindle has entagled thousands of Afghans hoping for a brighter future. Gregory Warner reports.

KAI RYSSDAL: The U.S. State Department said today record poppy harvests in southern Afghanistan are giving the Taliban more money to work with. The crop translated into $4 billion worth of opium, the raw ingredient for heroin. The Afghan government officially opposes the opium trade. But illegal or otherwise, it's nearly impossible for the government there to shut down a questionable enterprise. The World Bank says Afghanistan has fewer protections for business investors than any other country in the world - which has made the country a magnet for scammers large and small. Gregory Warner reports.

 

GREGORY WARNER: It seemed too good to be true: Mahbub was 28, with his third baby, and a dead end-job in Kabul. And then he got a phone call from a trusted friend, with a job offer. The deal was this: If Mahbub would agree to buy a gold coin off a Web site, sold for about five times its value, then, they told him, he could make money if he got his friends to buy the coin.

 

WARNER: You mean, your best friend?

 

MAHBUB: Yes! Just bring your best friend!

 

And again when his friends signed up their friends. It's the definition of a pyramid scheme when your business income depends only on signing up new employees. Such schemes always run out of joiners. But Mahbub saw his big chance. So he borrowed $1,800 - 15 months' worth of salary - and he bought the coin. Then he called up his best friend and his favorite cousin.

 

In this way, a shady Internet outfit known as Quest Net, based in Hong Kong and illegal in many countries, has wooed 28,000 Afghans in two years. The appeal might be more than quick cash. Quest Net is not just not only about money in Afghanistan.

 

Wesal Zaman used to be a translator for the L.A. Times - one of the best paid jobs a young Afghan can have. He quit to devote himself to Quest Net.

 

WESAL ZAMAN: Because people do make money. But besides money, they learn how to talk, how to speak, how to love.

 

WARNER: How to love?

 

ZAMAN: How to love - not love girls! I mean love each other!

 

Zaman is full of slogans about positive thinking and teamwork -- techniques the company uses to obscure the fact that you're taking money from your friends and redistributing it upwards.

 

ZAMAN: They all believe that Afghanistan can be built, and they're the ones who are doing it.

 

Quest Net scammed thousands in Sri Lanka and Iran before the governments there stopped it. But when, earlier this month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced he was banning the business, Kabul exploded.

 

KABUL CROWD: Qwest Qwest Qwest Woo woo woo!

 

It's a chilly Sunday morning, and over a thousand young men are rallying in front of the presidential palace. The crowd is Western dressed, clean shaven. More Yankees hats than turbans here.

 

JAMI: We have vision! Our vision is a bright Afghanistan!

 

All the guys here bought the coin. If Quest stops now, they lose. So they wave signs that say: Fight corruption, not internet technology. They shout: Quest zindagee!

 

JAMI: Quest is life.

 

WARNER: Quest zindagee?

 

JAMI: Yes. Quest is life.

 

Quest, the Hong Kong-based company, is dignity, they shout. Quest is freedom. Qwest is service. Quest gives us hope for the future, says one boy, that our government doesn't.

 

The rally didn't work -- the government stuck to the ban. But the mood at Quest headquarters was victorious. In a room with fake flowers and commemorative coin posters, I watched young men in shiny suits nail up a big Quest Net banner for the local media.

 

Then they assembled on the couch in front of the microphones, like some new political party. Wesal Zaman is here. He says he's not going to stop the work.

 

ZAMAN: The government say what they say. We do what we do. We believe in what we do.

 

Though there is one group that seems able to stop Quest. When Zaman's friends came south to recruit in Kandahar, the Taliban left a letter on their door. It said: Get out, or we'll kill you. And the "businessmen" quickly retreated.

 

[03 Mar 2009 18:13]

Baku. Hafiz Heydarov - APA. “Some representatives of QuestNet in Azerbaijan deceived people,” chief manager of QuestNet for e-trade Volf Diiambor told the press conference in Baku, APA reports. 

Volf Diiambor noted that QuestNet operated in 160 countries and said the company was represented in Azerbaijan by the agency.

“The company’s representatives in Azerbaijan gave false information to people. We call people to join us consciously, while they deceived people and gave false information about the company. As far as I know some persons in Azerbaijan faked my documents,” he said.

Volf Diiambor said they decided to open a representation in Azerbaijan to change inaccurate impression about the company and added that they had started talks with the relevant bodies. Diiambor said he had been in Azerbaijani Interior Ministry and met with the detainees.

“The investigation will find out what crimes the detainees have committed. A large company should not be spotted because of some men. Our activity in Azerbaijan is quite legal,” he said.

Representative of QuestNet for Turkey, Central Asia and Azerbaijan Hanifi Ishgoren also accused the company’s representatives of deceiving people and giving false information in Azerbaijan.

“When I came to Baku I saw that people thought differently of QuestNet. It is impossible to earn millions immediately. Our representatives here gave false information to people,” he said.

Lawyer of the company Natig Abdullayev said that arrested men had not any guilt.

“Therefore 37 of 41 arrested men have been released,” he said. 

Abdullayev said that 6 officials of the company were arrested and two of them had been detained recently. 

“Our production has been confiscated in connection with operations carried out by Interior Ministry’s Department Combating Organized Crimes. Therefore we could not give production to the citizens. The company will give over 800 productions to citizens soon,” he said. 

The criminal group introduced itself as QuestNet Company extended its activity in the capital and other regions of the country promising the employment opportunities to citizens an involving the young people in the sale of jewelries. They sold goldsmith pieces for 800 -1500 USD, higher than its real prices. 

They extended their network on the basis of geometrical cycle, encouraging people with the workshops organized in their offices and promising to the active participants a place of marketing manager. They spent money receiving from the citizens to own high salaries, office rent and other communal expenditures.

The investigation showed that Azerbaijani manager of Hong Kong-based QuestNet Company Valeh Agayev, 42, organized the sale of jewelries to 5100 of 20 000 victims of a crime and nearly 15 000 citizens got left with promises of presents and employment.

Agayev brought the jewelries at the cost of 5-96 USD to Baku and distributed it among the citizens receiving payment in advance. Insignificant part of money was transferred to the account in Hong Kong bank and spent to purchase of cheap jewelries in Germany, but most part of the collected money was robbed turning in cash via electronic card.

41 people working at the sale centers of the company were detained. Valeh Agayev and his three aides were arrested. A criminal case was launched on article 178.3.1 (swindle by organized group) of the Criminal Code and the fact is under the investigation.

The Interior Ministry warned the citizens not to believe in encouraging promises, to be more vigilant and to inform the law-enforcement bodies about the illegal cases they face.

Fraud Quest Net (Times of India 7th jan 2009)

Cops probe complaints of fraud in investment scheme

Pune: The Pune police are investigating a complaint made by at least 10 people in the city against a Chennai-based company, Quest Net, for allegedly duping them under its ‘Gold Quest’ scheme. The complainants alleged that more investors have been similarly cheated and the amount could run into crores. 

“We have received a complaint, and the case will be registered with the economic offences wing (EOW) of the city police. The deputy commissioner of the EOW has been directed to take immediate action,” additional commissioner (crime) Rajinder Singh told TOI on Tuesday. 

Rajendra Dahale, DCP (EOW), said, “We will appoint an officer to investigate the case. We will record the statements of the complainants and accordingly the case will be registered.”

Promising exponential gains in just two years, the company distributed coins claiming that they were rare numismatic products (gold coins, silver coins and precious metal medallions) and lured people for higher gains, said Gaurav Somani, one of the investors in the scheme. 

“We came to know about the fraud when some of the agents of the company operating in Sangli were arrested in the last week of December for duping people,” said Somani, who is into the construction business. 

“Later, we discovered that the Chennai police had frozen the assets of the company on May 28,” he told TOI. Elaborating on how they fell prey to the scheme, Girish Rathod, an MBA student, said two agents of the company were operating in Pune.

 

16 May, 2007 12:45:42

Beware

Sri Lanka warned to be vigilant against pyramid schemes following arrest of Goldquest leaders

May 16, 2007 (LBO) – An international anti-pyramiding activist has called on Sri Lanka to be vigilant against multi-level marketing schemes that can invade the country following the arrest of top Goldquest operatives in Indonesia.

"Treasure Traders International and, more recently, Canadian Diamond Traders, are similar scams that are recruiting victims worldwide," Robert Fitzpatrick, head of the US-based Pyramid Scheme Alert told LBO.

"I hope that Sri Lanka can maintain its vigilance against these scams, despite their false claims about being legitimate 'sales' companies.

"These are not sales companies, but money transfer schemes that require a huge loss rate based on their designs."

Cult Sell

Some analysts have calculated the loss rate of the double-pyramid 'binary compensation' structure used by Goldquest to be as high as 98 percent, indicating that only 2 percent of the participants make money.

Its products are sold through intensive selling meetings where people are repeatedly given the same message until it is ingrained in their brains in a cult-like fashion.

Goldquest's Quest International (QI) group Chief Executive Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam is said to be held in 'demi-god' status by his follows.

"Endless chain schemes have almost mystical power over people. They arouse hope, passion and confusion. They promise 'unlimited' income, an almost divine power," Fitzpatrick said in a presentation made when he visited Sri Lanka for a regional central bankers conference against pyramiding.

"Promoters can take on god-like authority and power, since they hold the reigns to this mystical power."

Classic Model

Goldquest's main website now goes as Qatana.com. The firm claims to sell 'numismatics' but its main products are medals.

"Gold Quest claims to be an ordinary multilevel marketing program of the types that are operating openly in the USA and other countries," Fitzpatrick has said earlier on a notice posted at www.falseprofits.com.

"Its business model is a classic MLM program in which each new investor recruits others in an 'endless chain.'

"Little actual retail selling occurs. Each 'distributor' is also the 'customer'," he adds.

News reports from Indonesia said the firm had misused the image of former President Abdurrahman Wahid to recruit his followers into Goldquest schemes.

Previously images of religious leaders, the Pope, Mother Theresa as well as Benigno Aquino had been used to make medallions, which were then sold as 'coins'.

Goldquests activities have been banned in several countries, including, Bhutan, Nepal, and and its officials arrested.

Arrest Quest

Last week, the public face of the organization, Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam, director Joseph Luis Tomacruz Bismark, and two other senior executives, Donna Marie Glen Imson and Tagumpay Pablo Perez Kintanar were arrested in Indonesia.

The Goldquest kingpins were believed to have been arrested following an MLM upliners' promotional conference called V-Jakarta. The scheme's top promoters are labelled the V-Team.

In 2003 Imson had been arrested in Nepal after conducting a promotional conference together with an Indian national, Tanbir Nijam, according to Nepalese media reports.

Chennai police have also previously arrested Goldquest officials.

The Indonesian arrests stemmed from an Interpol request on a warrant related to a fraud in the Philippines.

"One of the complainants lost $625,000 to the suspects," ABS-CBN News of the Philippines said.

"The suspects went into hiding after a manhunt was launched against them. Interpol also placed them in its wanted list."

International Web

ABS-CBN News quoted Ric Diaz, regional director for criminal intelligence at the National Bureau of Investigation as saying that GoldQuest International, were able to victimize people across Asia adding that the suspects had offices in the region's financial districts.

Interpol also lists Georg Kurt Rocco Rinck as a wanted man, who activists say is the brains behind Goldquest's binary compensation plans.

However in the past Goldquest operatives had somehow managed to get loose whenever they were arrested.

Though Sri Lanka brought an anti-pyramid law to combat Goldquest and even arrested 7 of its upliners, the unit that investigated Goldquest was later disbanded amidst much controversy.

Fitzpatrick says MLM scams "corrupt local officials by offering them a position 'at the top' to gain entry into a chain."

But this week Sri Lanka's Sunday Times said the central bank has resumed investigations into Goldquest, though no mention was made of the progress of the case against operatives caught earlier.

Goldquest has also been channelling money in to Sri Lanka's equity markets without any official action against them so far, though investee firms, especially banks like NDB, have waged a lone battle with whatever means at their disposal to block Quest International (QI group) related purchases.

Sri Lanka now has anti-money laundering legislation in place.

Meanwhile reports said a team of ten police officials were due to fly to Indonesia to bring back the arrested Goldquest leaders, but the company's lawyers were fighting extradition.

Finance company sealed, bank accounts frozen

By K. Manikandan

CHENNAI AUG. 21. With the arrest of Goldquest officials in Chennai, where the company's India headquarters is located, police claimed to have exposed yet another alleged money circulation racket. Over 50 members have filed complaints stating that the company owed around Rs 12 lakhs to them.

The arrested persons include Pushpam, a Malaysian citizen of Indian origin and company managing director, Joseph Augustine, accounts executive, and Pushpendra Kumar Shukla, public relations officer.

They were produced before Arul Raj, additional chief metropolitan magistrate at Egmore, who remanded them to judicial custody till August 27, according to an Inspector of the Central Crime Branch investigating the case.

The company office, located on the ninth floor of the Rain Tree complex on McNichols Road in Chetpet was `sealed' and its bank accounts frozen.

The CCB sources said cases were registered in April this year and investigations began following a complaint from an advocate, Chandrasekhar. He said he paid Rs 16,800 for purchasing a gold coin described as a collector's item by the company. According to him, he was informed that the coin would be handed over to him only if he introduced 10 more people to the company. As he was unable to bring 10 people into the network, the coin was not handed over nor was the cash returned to him.

The Inspector said though they received complaints from more than 50 people, they acted on the one lodged by Chandrashekar and added that complaints from the rest would also be amalgamated.

The complainants alleged that they paid sums ranging between Rs 16,800 and Rs 43,000, but neither did they receive the gold coin nor the cash return to them. The CCB personnel claimed that the arrests exposed a scam to the tune of around Rs 12 lakhs. They said a search was on for Vijay Eswaran and Jeevan Muktanandam who were reported to be in Malaysia.

According to S.S. Krishnamurthy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, CCB, cases had been registered against the company officials under provisions of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Scheme (Banning) Act and section 420 of the IPC.

Though no spokesperson of the company was available for comment, some members, like K.Viswambharan of Natural Health Foundation who gathered near the CCB office, said the company did not insist on any one to be part of the network. "The customers can either make a part payment for the coin and pay the balance while collecting it, or participate in the network. This is the practice the world over, not in India alone", he pointed out.

The coins are minted at the Myers Mint in Germany and imported by the State Trading Corporation, he said and added there was no question of any financial irregularity at any level.

 

Ponzi scheme victimizes thousands in Turkey

Friday, May 28, 2010

ISTANBUL - Daily News with wires

The Turkey branch of an international Ponzi scheme that collected millions of dollars from thousands of people has collapsed after police raids against the company.

Quest.net, which defines itself as an “international direct selling brand that utilizes network marketing combined with e-commerce,” victimized nearly 20,000 people in Turkey, according to government officials. The company, which is headquartered in Hong Kong, has been banned in many countries.

The scheme operates like an investment chain. People begin to invest an amount of money to be a part of the chain and then find new people to invest. The invested money is distributed between members while a big chunk of it flows up to the top of the pyramid.

The Quest.net system, which recruits members with the promise of becoming rich, has been banned in many countries including the United States, Iran, Albania, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Afghanistan.

The Turkish Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched an extensive study on the issue, and nearly 60 members of the system have been taken into custody.

No official representation

The company does not have an office in Turkey. Nevertheless, it recruits members in home offices located in Istanbul districts, such as Bahçelievler, Kadıköy, Esenler, Zeytinburnu and Güngören.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has filed a criminal complaint, alleging aggravated fraud, against Quest.net executives. The company has victimized nearly 20,000 people, taking millions of liras from them, said Minister Nihat Ergün, speaking to Anatolia news agency on Thursday. “The company has collected a great amount of money, varying between $570 and $2,500 from those people. Nearly more than 20 million liras have been raised,” Ergün said.

Turkey met with the Ponzi scheme in September 1997 with the “Titan” company. Hakan Kenan Şeranoğlu, who was previously a hairdresser in Germany, and his friend Vahit Gülal had established the scheme in Turkey’s western city of İzmir, collecting a total of 8.6 million liras from nearly 30,000 people. The founders and top executives of the system faced lengthy prison terms in 1998.

________________________

 
Negara-negara di mana ada laporan jenayah perniagaan (skim piramid dan penipuan) telah berlaku yang melibatkan QuestNet/QNet/Goldquest sejak 1998: 

Filipina, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Turki, Kenya, Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Emiriyyah Arab Bersatu, Syria, Indonesia, Canada, Amerika Syarikat, Azerbaijan, Iran, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Mesir, dll.

Yang lain-lain aku dah lupa, banyak bebenor yeop. Scammers kepundekan mangkok-hayon punya manusia neh... always aiming for the poor and the uneducated. Sekarang meleis Malaya punya giliran eh?

בתחבולות תעשה לך מלחמה

For by wise guidance you can wage your war

P/S: Ada satu negara kelibat QuestNet/QNet/GoldQuest tak nampak batang idung - ISRAEL. Why? Tak berani scammers QNet daripada Hong Kong masuk Israel... Vijay Eswaran sure tak nak agen MOSSAD naik flight ke Hong Kong, ketuk pintu mahligai dia... kasi cabut kuku mamat tu satu persatu, kasi sula bontotnya dengan batang penyapu yang tumpul, kasi siat kulit daripada perut boncitnya, ketuk kepala hotaknya dengan hammer, cungkil bijik matanya dengan pensil, sebelum assassin MOSSAD tu gantung si debab tu kat penis/testis dengan tali rapia, ke siling...  and then finally blow his head off with a fucking Uzi. CEO QNet memang smart maaa! Parasite... but very smart. You all know that by now... dontcha?

  

Sementara itu, di Malaysia?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

TV1 pun nak contribute kasi gah ini scam. 

RTM must be sooooo proud huh?

Aiyooyooo thambi dey!

 Gorilla meleis kat stesen minyak

Meleis... Meleis... kejadahnya wei?

Tertinggal bas dah jauh bebenor ni yeop...

Mayer? Yahudi tu beb... bloody shit! You know what? Seeloknya setiap sekor penganut QNet meleis hindu tu semua patut disula bontot masing-masing dengan batang kayu besar tiang letrik... you know, macam agen MOSSAD gitu. Pastu pamerkan barua tu semua kat tepi highway PLUS. Kasi pueh hati sket erk?

Oh ya, btw...

Korang ingat lagik gorilla Cadbury kat atas tadi? Gorilla tu borak punya... tapi kalau gorilla ori kat dalam hutan, aku pasti gorilla punya IQ dan maruah diri lagi tinggi daripada Ustaz Asshole sekor neh... dan fakta tu merangkumi jugak ustaz-ustaz palepundek yang lain-lain yang buat scam QNet neh... species meleis scammers yang sama waktu dengannya. Fucking dumbasses A-hole penganut agama wang-ringgit! Hopeless punya mala'un meleis satu sen tarak guna. Meleis hindu generasi di Malaya masa kini... Yabedabedoo! Calon terjun gaung sekor-sekor. Duit punya pasal... agama flush kat jamban tanpa segan-silu. Fuck man! Scammers pengelentong mangkok-hayon al-munafiqun... apa nak dikenang beb?

  

One of the best drummer there was... he's retired now.