QuestNet - Dah Cukup Bukti Ke Blom?

   

 

 

New Straits Times - May 8, 2007

Gus Dur lodges report against Vijayeswaran

by Amy Chew

INDONESIA'S former president Abdurrahman Wahid yesterday officially lodged a police report against Malaysian businessman Datuk Vijayeswaran S. Vijayaratnam for fraud and embezzlement.

Abdurrahman, affectionately known as Gus Dur, lodged the report through his lawyer, Ikhsan Abdullah.

"Gus Dur has instructed me to lodge a report with the police against Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam and his colleagues," Ikhsan Abdullah told the New Straits Times in a telephone interview.

The report was lodged yesterday against Vijayeswaran and others for fraud and embezzlement. He added that this was a crime under article 370 and 372 of the Criminal Code.

Vijayeswaran and his colleagues had tried to cheat Gus Dur during his term in office from 1999-2001, offering to print gold coins bearing his picture and that of his grandfather, Hasyim Asyari.

But Gus Dur never gave them permission to use either his own picture or that of his grandfather, a highly-revered ulama who founded the country's largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which claims 40 million followers.

Vijayeswaran and his partners allegedly used his multi-level marketing network to solicit funds from NU followers by offering to sell them gold coins bearing Gus Dur and Hasyim Asyari's pictures.

Some of the NU followers paid deposits to Vijayeswaran's network while some had paid the full price. The coin could cost anything from five million rupiah (RM1,900) to 100 million rupiah, said Ikhsan.

Vijayeswaran company's continued to solicit funds from the public even after Gus Dur stepped down as president, he added.

According to Ikhsan, many of the NU followers did not receive any gold coins after paying up.

And those who did receive their gold coins found that its gold content was far below the value which they paid for.

Vijayeswaran is being held at the Jakarta Metropolitan police detention house as the police investigate whether he has committed any crimes in the country.

"We arrested him because of a red notice from Interpol in the Philippines," said Ketut Untung Yoga, a spokesman for the Jakarta Metropolitan police.

"We do not know when he will be extradited. We are co-ordinating with the Filipino authorities," Ketut added.

Vijayeswaran was arrested last week after Gus Dur tipped off the police about the businessman's whereabouts.


New Straits Times / May 9, 2007

Vijayeswaran confident innocence will be proven

by Fay Angela D'Cruz

KUALA LUMPUR: "This is the most challenging time of my life."

Embattled Malaysian businessman Datuk Vijayeswaran S. Vijayaratnam, who is now being held in a Jakarta lock-up, told the New Straits Times in an exclusive interview that "I have embraced this challenge."

Replying to questions channelled through QI Limited group director of finance Richard E. Zinkiewicz, Vijayeswaran said he was sure he would be found innocent.

"My wife and I are confident we will come through because the truth will always shine."

He thanked the many supporters who have offered prayers for his speedy release.

"I believe God tests hardest the ones he loves the most.

"All over the world, my friends have been sending me messages of support through my people here."

Vijayeswaran said he was being treated well by his Indonesian jailors.

The 46-year-old group managing director of QI Limited is, however, not only depending on divine intervention to get him out of the pickle he is in.

His lawyers said they had lodged a police report against a consultant, a woman, who they accuse of manipulating a contract between Vijayeswaran and Gus Dur.

The woman was a former director of PT GoldQuest Indonesia, a subsidiary of QI Limited.

The lawyers said the woman was hired as the consultant in the deal to mint coins with the picture of Gus Dur and his grandfather, Hasyim Asyari, the founder of the country's largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

It is learnt that Vijayeswaran's lawyers have copies of the contract which was signed by the Malaysian businessman and Gus Dur on May 2, 2003.

Vijayeswaran is being investigated for fraud and embezzlement by the Indonesian authorities.

An official from Indonesia's Interpol said Vijayeswaran would not be extradited to Quezon City until the case against him in Indonesia is settled, one way or the other.

"This means, the Malaysian businessman is going to be held longer than initially thought," he said.

It was reported that Gus Dur had lodged a report on Monday against Vijayeswaran for defrauding and embezzling millions of rupiah from members of NU.

"We are currently investigating Gus Dur's report. If we have evidence, we will charge him," the official said. "Vijayeswaran's extradition would then be delayed."

To date, the Philippine authorities have not given a date to extradite Vijayeswaran and his colleagues, according to the Interpol official.

Vijayeswaran's associates claim the charges in the Philippines arose because of a falling with his business partners there.

The group managing director of QI Limited was nabbed, along with three of his Filipino partners, in Jakarta last Thursday.


New Straits Times - Aug 8, 2007

Datuk V works on getting name out of Interpol's list

by Fay Angela D'cruz

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Vijayeswaran S. Vijayaratnam is back home.

After spending three weeks in a lock-up and another two months under house arrest in an apartment, he was cleared by the district court of south Jakarta.

The 46-year-old group managing director of QI Limited found his name and photograph in Interpol's Red Notice following police reports lodged by two of his Filipino partners.

He was arrested in Jakarta on May 3 this year.

He was brought to the district court for an extradition hearing to move him to the Philippines to face charges in connection with a US$50 million (about RM170 million) alleged fraud case dating back nine years.

"I was optimistic that justice will prevail as I am innocent. Although it took three months to clear my name, I was willing to wait for the law to take its course," he said.

He was released on July 31 after the court rejected an extradition order on the grounds that the matter was a civil case involving a financial agreement.

Vijayeswaran said, initially, the police were harsh and rude.

"They treated me like a criminal even though they had little idea of what the case was all about. My arrest was based on information from the Interpol and had nothing to do with my business activities in Indonesia."

He added that when the authorities received more information from the Philippines, including the fact that the fraud case was 10 years old, the authorities were kinder and allowed him to move into an apartment within the police complex.

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry says 10 major members of a company called Viprol, which was involved in pyramid schemes, have been arrested.

Intelligence agents arrested the suspects in Tehran, Kerman, Bushehr, and some other provinces after several plaintiffs filed complaints against the company, an Intelligence Ministry official in charge of combating pyramid scam companies announced on Saturday, the Tehran Times reported. 

The company had been active in cyberspace under the guise of e-trade and investment in international stock markets, oil and gold markets, advanced industries, and arms sales. 

“They robbed people and then closed down their website. As a result of follow-ups by the ministry's agents, the main members of the network were identified and arrested,” the official added. 

The official also said some companies, which claim they have obtained official certification permits to run marketing activities via the Internet, have not been granted permits. 

In January, the Intelligence Ministry announced that 15 companies involved in pyramid schemes had been identified and forced to discontinue operations in Iran. 

Palinure, Inviting, Golden Village, FSG, Griffin and Gold Quest were some of the companies that were shut down in Iran. 

The source recalled that after the closure of over 410 offices of the pyramid company Gold Quest in Tehran, a large number of the leaders of the company said they were ready to halt their activities and somehow satisfy the people who had lost their money by investing in the fake company. 

Gold Quest is a global network marketing company that claims to be engaged in selling coins and watches that are said to have numismatic value. 

Network marketing companies work on the principle of the pyramid scheme, a non-sustainable business model that involves the exchange of money primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme. 

Network marketing differs from pyramid selling (pyramid schemes) in that the latter is a financial fraud and those who deal in this kind of business can be prosecuted based on a relevant law ratified in 2006, which imposes a ban on the activities of pyramid selling companies in Iran. 

According to the law, everyone who cooperates with these companies is disrupting the economic system of Iran and is legally responsible. 

Gold Quest, believed to be involved in one of the largest economic corruption cases in Iran's history, was banned in by Iran in 2005. Prosecutors found the pyramid company's activities have led to the exit of half a billion dollars from Iran. 

Pyramid schemes have been banned in many other countries, including the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, Malaysia, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 

AS/HGL 

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.

  

Canada regulators say Gold-Quest a Ponzi scheme

CALGARY, Alberta | Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:03pm EST


(Reuters) - Securities regulators in the Canadian province of Alberta said on Thursday that Gold-Quest International Inc was a classic Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of $29 million with the promise of sky-high returns from foreign currency trading.

A panel convened by the Alberta Securities Commission said Gold-Quest, operated from Las Vegas but registered in Panama, promised investors an 87.5 percent return on money invested in the company for one year, as well as payments for convincing others to invest in the scheme.

The commission also said Gold-Quest illegally distributed securities in the province and made untrue statements about the safety of the investments and anticipated returns."Gold-Quest International Corp. raised approximately US$29 million from approximately 2,940 investors ... through a sham investment scheme that was both a classic Ponzi scheme and a classic pyramid scheme," the commission said.

The firm operated from June 2006 to May 2008, when it was shut down by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of such schemes, which use cash from new investors to pay returns to earlier participants, have been uncovered in North America since an estimated $65 billion swindle by financier Bernard Madoff was revealed in December 2008.

In its decision, the commission said Gold-Quest investors were told the firm had developed proprietary strategies for trading currencies, which generated high returns. However most of the money raised was paid out as commissions and the firm did no currency trading.

No officials from Gold-Quest could be immediately located for comment. The panel will meet again in March to decide on penalties.

(Reporting by Scott Haggett; editing by Rob Wilson)

Gold-Quest owners face fines, jail time if assets not surrendered

BY JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Posted: May 15, 2008 | 10:00 p.m.

A federal judge on Wednesday told representatives of an alleged Indian enterprise called Gold-Quest International that he would fine individuals up to $1,000 a day and order them jailed if they continued to violate his order to turn over assets to a receiver.

The Securities and Exchange Commission accused Gold-Quest, which operated out of 11086 Crystal Crest Court in Las Vegas, of cheating 2,100 U.S. and Canadian citizens out of a total of $27.9 million.

Investors were told Gold-Quest could make large profits trading foreign currencies, but the SEC alleges that Gold-Quest was operating a Ponzi scheme. In a Ponzi scheme, the first investors are paid by money from later investors.

U.S. District Judge Lloyd George on May 6 froze the assets of Gold-Quest and appointed Cook Receiver Services of Lenexa, Kan., to serve as receiver.

The receiver has located $148,000, or less than 1 percent of the money entrusted to Gold-Quest.

SEC officials say Gold-Quest defendants are defying the judge's order.

At the hearing Wednesday, the judge said he was sending deputy U.S. marshals to accompany the SEC in recovering records and assets from Gold-Quest.

"You better cooperate," George told John Jenkins, one of three individuals named as a defendant. "I entered the order, and I expect it to be complied with in every respect," the judge said.

George scheduled a hearing for May 23 so that Jenkins may show cause as to why he should not be fined $1,000 a day and jailed for violating the court order.

The judge questioned why Jenkins and Michael Howard Reed, who claims to be attorney general of the sovereign Little Shell Nation, were 45 minutes late for the hearing. Reed and Jenkins blamed their tardiness on traffic.

George also seemed annoyed that Jenkins left to feed a parking meter and was absent when the delayed hearing started.

Reed acknowledged that he had no law degree except from the Little Shell Nation, a tribe of 3,800 Indians living on a reservation that spans North Dakota, Montana and Canada.

The SEC says that neither the United States nor Canada recognize the tribe, but Reed told a reporter that President Lincoln recognized the tribe. All three individuals charged in the case -- Jenkins, Michael McGee and a man called Lord David Greene -- are members of the tribe, Reed said.

The other defendants didn't attend the hearing.

Reed said that Greene was out of the country. Michael McGee answered the phone at Gold-Quest shortly before the hearing. McGee said the lawsuit identified him as an owner of Gold-Quest but he said he was only an employee.

McGee said Gold-Quest was engaged in foreign exchange trading and wasn't operating a Ponzi scheme.

"There are a lot of things being printed that aren't true," McGee said.

"The SEC thinks a whole lot of things," he said. "I don't know that I want to continue this conversation."

Reed told the judge that the company was properly known as Little Shell Gold-Quest International.

"We're a sovereign nation, and we're immune from civil suit," Reed explained following the hearing.

Contact reporter John G. Edwards at jedwards@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0420.

__________________________________

Oi! Scammers QNet meleis haramjadah:

What is fucking wrong with you people?

P/S: Nah, aku kasi korang semua senang nak rujuk.

Pegi kat sini: http://questnetscam.blogspot.com/

More infos coming... Let QNetters shit blood.

QuestNet - Rwanda/Afrika Lagi Maju Dari Malaya? Menakjubkan!

Pernah dengar tentang benua Afrika dik? Masa sekolah dulu ada belajar geografi kan? Mamat dan Minahnya semua hitam-legam, rambut kerinting dan kurus-kering... kecuali part Afrika yang Arab kat Utara, dan yang omputeh pendatang yang merempit kat Selatan. Pernah pulak dengar negara Rwanda? You know, 15 tahun lepas kecoh pasal dia orang berbunuhan sampaikan lebih 20% rakyat Rwanda mati tergolek-dog. Sesaje rakyatnya takde keje, sedara-mara bunuh membunuh. Ini bukan kes macam Melayu-Cina berbunuhan kat Malaysia bang - ini kes sebagai contoh... orang Kelantan dan orang Kedah bergaduh sampai berlambak-lambak kaum-kerabat masing-masing kojol... sebab dendam kesumat antara dua puak (yang sama aje DNA nya)... gilos der!

Mende ni dipanggil "Rwandan Genocide" - berlaku selama lebih-kurang 100 hari (April ke Julai) dalam tahun 1994. Baru jek lagi tu. Dianggarkan 800,000 hingga 1,000,000 mati bergelimpangan di merata ceruk negara Rwanda. Asal kesahnya - ada dua pihak (dua-dua hitam, dua-dua rupa sama... what the hell?) - Hutu dan Tutsi. Kaum Tutsi adalah minoriti tapi telah memerintah Rwanda sejak berkurun dulu, tapi kaum Hutu dalam tahun 60-an telah berjaya merampas kuasa... dan sampai tahun-tahun 80-an, masih berdendam dengan geng Tutsi.

Pada 1990, kaum Tutsi yang telah lama menjadi pelarian di Uganda (Rwandan Patriotic Front - RPF), masuk semula menyerang utara Rwanda untuk cuba mengalahkan kaum Hutu, dan bermulalah perang saudara di antara kaum Hutu (yang disokong oleh banyak negara Afrika dan Perancis) dan kaum Tutsi (yang disokong oleh Uganda). Kaum Hutu mewar-warkan ideologi bahawa kaum Tutsi ingin menjadikan Hutu sebagai hamba-sahaya mereka forever - maka pembunuhan sket-sket berlaku selama 2-3 tahun, sehinggalah berlaku assasinasi Juvénal Habyarimana (Presiden Rwanda) and Cyprien Ntaryamira (Presiden Burundi - tak pasal-pasal mamat ni kena) pada tahun 1994, bila mana kapal-terbang yang mereka naiki ditembak jatuh semasa nak mendarat di Kigali, Rwanda. Then, all hell broke lose....

Pembunuhan beramai-ramai kaum Tutsi dan kaum Hutu (yang menyokong Tutsi) bermula dengan rancak, di mana senjata/bom/kenderaan yang digunakan oleh militia Hutu dibekalkan sendiri oleh kerajaan Rwanda pada masa itu - dan ianya disokong terang-terangkan oleh pihak kerajaan dan media massa kerajaan - TV dan radio siap mengapi-apikan rakyat untuk membelasah/membunuh kaum Tutsi tanpa belas-kasihan. It was a state-sponsored genocide - it was crazy! How stupid and cruel and deluded can human beings get to be, when things go haywire... and they stop thinking like a sane human being.

OK, OK... long story - Hollywood even made a movie out of it, remember HOTEL RWANDA (with Don Cheadle as the hotelier who tried to save thousands of Rwandan by sheltering them)? I do not care to recall much of it anymore, although I followed the news closely then... more than 15 years ago. I shed some tears then, even though these atrocities did not concern me or my country. I was a human being after all, in case you didn't notice. It hurt the soul to see humans killing each other for no good reason... ok, don't wanna elaborate... just leave it at that. Well, 15 years had passed and gone - Rwanda now is recovering and has stabilised... and hopefully things will get much better as time goes by.

Ekonomi Rwanda sekarang dah improved, dengan populasi rakyat yang kebanyakannya di kalangan golongan muda (20% dead can do that to your country). Teh dan kopi merupakan ekspot utama Rwanda sebagai sumber wang daripada sektor pertanian, dan sektor pelancungan kini telah menjadi punca utama kemasukan wang asing ke negara mereka (boleh tengok ribu-ribu tengkorak tersusun cantik erk?), di mana aktiviti pelancungan yang paling digemari adalah "gorilla-tracking" kat dalam hutan. Kalau dah sejuta orang mati sia-sia begitu sahaja, sanak-sedara sahabat-handai berlambak-lambak yang mati... aku rasa rakyat negara mana pun akan jadi insaf dan tak nak buat lagik kejadah yang sama. My point is... Rwanda ni negara yang tengah recover, rakyat ramai yang masih lagik miskin, ramai yang tak berpelajaran tinggi, dan banyak jugak rakyat yang bertungkus lumus kais-pagi-makan-pagi setiap hari untuk kasi anak-bini makan... masih merempat merangkak brader. RWANDA IS ONE OF THE POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TODAY.

MAKA DATANGLAH PARASITE QUESTNET.

SCAMMER TERSOHOR DI DUNIA NI ADA KESAH?

RWANDA POOR? THE FUCK DO THEY CARE MAN! 

LET'S SCAM THE RWANDAN TO KINGDOM COME.

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! GREEDY FUCKERS...

About France 24 - The Observers

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.

Though easy to understand, the pyramid scheme is still a sophisticated way of making money. Early this week, the Government of Rwanda banned the operations of questnet, one company which conducted its operations in Rwanda through independent representatives.

As a marketing company, questnet had a boast in its operations to have managed to cut across geographical boarders, race, tribes and religion as it created a global family of successful entrepreneurs.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Finance, questnet had failed to meet the required tax procedures expected from a registered company. The statement read that, “It shall be compulsory to register a company in the Registrar’s General Office.”

It further indicated that, “Any person who sets up a business or other activities that may be taxable is obliged to register with the tax administration within a period of seven days, from the beginning of operating the business, or activity, or the establishment of the company.”

Despite, the business operation measures set in place, the statement also stated that there were illegal transactions by questnet like, using the pyramid scheme or chain referral scheme to acquire more customers from the public.

Eventually, the collected revenue from the sold products is transferred in and out of the country in an uncontrolled and unsupervised manner by the Central Bank.For this reason, the National Bank of Rwanda sanctioned its closure. However, by this time many Rwandan’s had already been connived and trapped into questnet’s pyramid scheme. 

Lambert Ingabire, was a former member of questnet. He expressed his disappointment to ‘The New Times’ as he came to terms with counting his losses.

He wondered whether there was a way of getting a refund but he had already started doubting the whole questnet movement.

“I don’t know who the leader of the movement is; I just know the people who made me join,” Ingabire said. 

He said that the group entices someone into buying their wellness and lifestyle products, jewellery, and one famous Bio Disc that charges the body with the right frequencies and prevents diseases.

According to amezcua.com, after many years of research of Bio energy and water, Dr. Ian Lyon came up with an amazing discovery of a Scalar-energy producing product known as the Bio Disc. A Bio Disc is a circular glass disc of approximately 9centimetres in diameter which is made through Heat Fusion and Nano technology.

The disc is believed to eliminate and nullify the effects of man-made frequencies within the human body. It is also believed to increase the energy level of every single body cell to an ideal level.

“With all the hype about the Bio Disc, it was hard to resist joining questnet. They even said that it could protect your DNA from damage,” Ingabire added.

“One needed to part with USD 630 to buy a Bio-Disc or even more depending on the product you wanted in order to join,” Ingabire added.

With this sort of a mouth to mouth marketing based business, he added that “you had to get people buy products and be put on a commission based payment.

The whole idea of the disc improving one’s immune system, cleansing of blood and also acting as an anti-depressant was the catch.”

“I also can’t tell how many members we were because it had really been long since I went to any of their meetings.

I had sort of quit because some people were negative about it when they kept on saying that it may be satanic,” said Ingabire.

Many Christians had doubted this company with the excuse that people could no longer preach Christ’s gospel but rather the questnet Gospel.

Through the Pyramid scheme, people were required to try and convince more people to join in order to make more profits and in return, members spent a lot of their time and energy ensuring that everyone around them knows about questnet.

Rose Kitakufe, a Ugandan questnet representative during a phone interview with ‘The New Times’said that she already makes good money through the business.She was even selected as one of the representatives to go to Kenya some time back to lure more people into the business.

Kitakufe assured that questnet is not a pyramid scheme as long as there are products sold to maintain the smooth running of the company.

“A pyramid scheme only fails at some point because of lack of trade in te movement and the lack of ways of generating more money,” she assured.

She further added that questnet is not bound to fail since their products are medically proven and have proved the test of time. For this reason Kitakufe said that QusetNet was genuine and hence many people are purchasing the products.

Despite all the various reasons given for questnet’s dealings, the Ministry of Finance’s statement confirmed that the chain referral earns commissions that are not declared in accordance with tax laws of the Republic of Rwanda.

karuthum@gmail.com

The recent blacklisting of questnet as a pyramid scheme was a wake up call; like our mothers told us “if something looks too good to be true, then don’t fall for it.” Some of us didn’t heed that advice and bought into this; some Rwandans have a “get rich quick” mentality that is too easy to exploit.

We are a booming nation where some are getting rich off hard work but others want a short cut; and the pyramid scheme is geared to that. The pyramid scheme has existed in various guises and is always being perfected to appeal to new customers.

Pyramid schemes take the form of various scams; such as “gifting circles” a hybrid of the scheme aimed at women – they can have good causes such as “helping women” with a portion of the scam money supposedly going to charity.

These gifting circles are nothing more than the classic pyramid where more people are brought in to pay the dividends for older clients. Sometimes cheap products like Aloe Vera are sold at extortionate prices with an elaborate sales pitch and marketing; so products worth $10 can be sold for $100 and customers are encouraged to sell on the products to other customers and the pyramid continues.

We have a number of legal measures to block such schemes but nothing can replace pure common sense; there is no such thing as something for nothing.

Even in America the disgraced Bernie Maddof redefined the Ponzi scheme for the 21st century with an elaborate pyramid that tricked even educated people.

Among his numerous victims was a professor of economics who should have known better; but even he was blinded by the lights and forgot his senses.

We have all received that email from the Nigerian Prince, whose father was a chief but recently died and left him $5,000,000 but due to a technicality the money is held up and all they need is the inheritance tax of 1% or $5,000 and you’ll get $20,000 as a personal thank you.

This sounds ridiculous but millions fall for this trick every year and the 401 is supposedly Nigeria’s second forex earner after oil, grossing over $1 billion.

It all comes down to common sense, patience, hard work – that is how you succeed because easy money goes as quickly as you earned it. The misery that pyramid schemes cause is terrible, they destroy families – Nairobi and Kampala in the early 90’s saw a rash of pyramid schemes that bankrupted a section of the middle-class.

Even after people had supposedly learned their lesson, the pyramid scheme evolved into something new and scammed again.

The pyramid scheme is successful because it mixes the two things that people crave; power and money. The man at the top of the pyramid has tremendous power and will benefit the most while lower minions will pay the price; it feeds on a need to suddenly change ones circumstances by getting rich all the time.

We have to understand that money is not the solution to our problems; our problems go deeper than that, they are in our character and habits we keep and not the money we have.

You would be better off to invest in a cooperative; bank or generally something producing tangible profits and not unsustainable pyramids.

The police and government will do their best but it falls on our shoulders to be alert; just remember what your mother said “if it looks too good to be true…

ramaisibo@hotmail.com

Tuesday August 4, 2009
Questnet Banned

By: John Gahamanyi

 

James Musoni

NYARUGENGE - The government has banned the operations of a controversial company Questnet, in Rwanda. According to a ministry of Finance and Economic Planning statement released last evening, the business practices of Questnet contravene the companies and tax laws.

The directive follows a National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) declaration that the company was operating under a shadowy pyramid scheme. The company describes itself as a direct marketing entity that uses network marketing but BNR last week revealed that questnet could also be involved in money laundering.

Citing article 4 of the Companies Act, the statement goes on to reveal that it is compulsory to register a company in the Registrar General’s office. The company says it conducts its business operations in Rwanda through Independent Representatives (IRs) and its eCommerce based business model that does not need a physical office.

“Any person who sets up a business or other activities that may be taxable is obliged to register with the tax administration within a period of seven (7) days from the beginning of the business or activity or establishment of the company,.” reads the statement citing article 10 of the law on taxation.

According to the statement, pursuant to article 9 of the law on direct tax on income a resident tax payer is liable to income tax per the tax period from all domestic sources and foreign sources.

“Basing on the provision of the laws cited above and in order to protect and safeguard interests of the public, the Government of the Republic of Rwanda hereby instruct questnet and its representatives to stop immediately all its activities in the Republic of Rwanda,” read the statement signed by James Musoni, the Minister of Finance. 

He added that questnet was using illegal commercial transactions through its representatives in the country which consists of enticing the public to buy their products, including skin and body care products, telecommunication solutions, watches and jewelry, and using the pyramid or chain referral scheme in acquiring more customers from the public.

The closure comes at a time the Hong Kong-based company had told The New Times that it was planning to open shop in Rwanda.

However, the ministry said that it has realized that the marketing and advertising techniques used by questnet lead to individuals contributing their meager resources expecting to earn more profits and in the end lose what they have contributed, thereby destabilizing their families economic status and welfare.

Government says that the collected money from the sold products is transferred out of the country in uncontrolled and unsupervised manner.

Komentar Aidid Mu'addib: 

Tahu apa keje "Africa Center For Apologetics Research"? Itu badan agama kristian seluruh Afrika yang berusaha untuk mengawal dan mengelak ajaran sesat kristian - itu badan dakwah kristian tu beb. Korang ingat geng tabligh aje yang sebok berdakwah? Orang kristian pun sama jek. Just in case ada yang merangkak baca omputeh, sinopsis cerita kat atas tu mengatakan bahawa ada syarikat kepundekan daripada Hong Kong tengah bertungkus-lumus mengencing rakyat negara-negara di Afrika - jual produk kejadah satu sen tarak guna dengan kaedah perniagaan skim piramid, dan setakat berita-berita di atas tu keluar, dah berpuluh atau mungkin ratusan ribu rakyat Rwanda dan lain-lain negara Afrika dah kerugian berjuta-juta dollar/pound/franc/hengget... masuk akaun kepalapundek scammer Vijay Eswaran, CEO QuestNet.

Itu badan agama kristian tu bang - aku ulangi sekali lagik - KRISTIAN. Cerita kat atas tu bukan cerita pasal QuestNote atau QuestShit atau QNak atau FuckNet... tapi QUESTNET. QuestNet yang sama, yang di kala ini tengah berkeliaran di kalangan rakyat meleis, mengelentong rakyat marhaen kiri-kanan-atas-bawah. Sama aje plan pemasarannya, sama aje produk Bio-Disc dan Chi Pendant (asas sainsnya yang sentiasa kasi aku ketawa gilabab... lucu seh!). Modus operandinya kat Afrika sama aje dengan modus operandinya kat Malaya - QuestNet sentiasa menujukan scam ni pada YANG MISKIN DAN YANG DUNGUPIANG di mana-mana negara dia orang masuk - sebab si miskin akan leleh dengan janji kekayaan skim piramid, dan yang dungupiaaaang tidak akan perasan yang dia dah kena kencing buta-buta dengan produk berdasarkan sains yang tak pernah wujud dalam sejarah manusia. You understand or no understand boy?

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE, HA MELEIS BARUA? AKU TUJUKAN KHAS SOALAN NI PADA SCAMMERS QUESTNET DIKALANGAN ORANG ISLAM DI MALAYA? SEBOK MASING-MASING KORANG PERASAN YANG AGAMA ISLAM ITU AGAMA MULIA DAN AGAMA UNGGUL... MULIA DAN UNGGUL KEJADAHNYA DOL? KORANG TU DAH JAUH YA AMAT TERTINGGAL BAS DENGAN GENG DAKWAH KRISTIAN DI AFRIKA WEI! DIA ORANG DAH ANALISA DAN FAHAM SCAM QUESTNET 2-3 TAHUN LEPAS LAGIK DAH... DI MALAYA NI PULAK, GENG-GENG USTAZ PULAK PUNYA RAMAI BUAT KERJA LAKNAT SCAM QUESTNET. FUCKING DIPSHIT MAN! TAK MALU KA WEI? AKU PULAK RASA MALU WOI... WALAUPUN AKU SENDIRI TAK BUAT SKIM PIRAMID QUESTNET NEH... BLOODY SHIT!

AND WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYA? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH KPDNKK? ATEEER YEOP... KALAU DAH BERIBU UMAT MELAYU KERUGIAN, DAN DUIT DAH BERJUTA-JUTA SELAMAT TERSIMPAN KAT BANK OFFSHORE DI BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS... ATAS NAMA DATO' VIJAY "I'M A FUCKING HEAD SCAMMER" ESWARAN... BARU NAK MENGENSOT AMBIK TINDAKAN KA BANG? BARU NAK PERGI SERBU IBUPEJABAT QUESTNET KAT PJ? BARU NAK UMUMKAN SCAM NI KAT TV DAN AKHBAR? WHAT THE FUCK?

RWANDA LAGIK MAJU DARIPADA MALAYSIA? 

AIYOYOO DEY!