In June 2020, a friend called me and was mad that he had been unable to reach me. You see, I had been off WhatsApp, the most popular chat messaging platform in Africa (for personal reasons), and he claimed that he had been unable to reach me. Every moment in Africa, a new pyramid scheme is born, targeting the same people scammed by the last one. Every day, there are new believers.

My good friend told me that he had found the one platform that would make us rich. As an African kid, every opportunity should always be considered. Most of us come from poor backgrounds and we are always looking for that one moment that would change our fortunes. And he had found it. ‘John’ claimed that there was this one company that he found and was making people rich, and he didn’t want me to be left out. In my mind, another online scam was in the picture. “Tell me about this company,” I inquired. “It’s called Crowd1, and it’s the next big thing. You should join and let’s make money,” he said. Crowd1, well, I had heard it before. I am always wary of online scams after getting involved with Bitconnect some years back when I was naive and greedy. So I listened to his ignorance and wished him the best. I knew what he was into, he didn’t.

The information on online scams is everywhere online, just a simple search on Google about Crowd1, will give you a glimpse of how ignorance coupled with greed is eating into the African society. There’s so much information online but so many people in Africa will be lured by foreign get-rich quick schemes. For instance

• In February 2020, Namibia banned the Crowd1 get-rich-quick scheme terming it a pyramid scheme. South Africa had become its biggest market.
• In May 2020, The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) directed CROWD1 Asia Pacific Inc. to immediately stop its “fraudulent” investing-taking activities under a scheme disguised as a digital marketing business.

Crowd1 is an online MLM opportunity that offers shares that you can purchase and earn from building a network of investing members shares as well. The program offers what I can see as educational training guides on various topics from real estate to cryptocurrency trading.

Crowd1 presents an open-ended investment MLM opportunity (no formal ROI structure), with pyramid recruitment to drive new investment. Crowd1 pays residual commissions via a binary compensation structure. A binary compensation structure places an affiliate at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):

The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions). Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level. Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of affiliates. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow. Residual commissions are paid based on investment volume generated on both sides of the binary team.

Crowd1 runs the same model as every suspect mlm model running a pyramid scheme. Crowd1 tracks and pays out returns through “owner rights” shares.

• White – invest €99 EUR and receive €100 EUR worth of owner rights shares Black – invest €299 EUR and receive €300 EUR worth of owner rights shares
  
• Gold – invest €799 EUR and receive €1000 EUR worth of owner rights shares
• Titanium – invest €2499 EUR and receive €3500 EUR worth of owner rights shares

After most of these bans, Crowd1 became a closed membership club by invitation only - very clever. The membership is free and as a free Associate allows ‘investors’ to upgrade with different Education Packages, that includes several internal and external features, that Crowd1 from time to time offer their Associates to join and potentially earn money from.

In the new internet world order, many companies have perfected the art of rewriting the ponzi model, especially to unsuspecting ignorant investors, aka people willing to become instant millionaires. Opinion YES, Crowd1 is a scam. People have gone to prison for being involved! How far will your greed take you?