SUCCESS STORY: Cons and Deceit

Since some people on this forum believe ripping people off, cons, and other forms of deceit is a great business model, I thought we should post one of the best "success stories" of that game.
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For those of us with a shred of integrity, we can see that informercial marketing is a powerful Fastlane -- not just for products, but for books!

I have met a couple of conmen over the years. I used to think their ability to scam people was a form of intelligence--but it really isn't. It's a form of laziness. If they were so smart they'd be able to play within the rules, perhaps even pushing the rules, and make a fortune.

I feel sorry for some of the customers who fall for it. It is amazing what people will buy into....

Funny how he circumvented the FCC ruling prohibiting him from selling products or services ... Ill just sell books! Brilliant ... and looks to be, his most profitable venture yet. Too bad the product is debatable.

There are two types of people I hate on this earth : Liars and Cheaters.

When starting up any business you should ask yourself these questions-

1. Is it morally right?

2. If I asked my mother to use my service/product would she become embarrassed or ashamed?

3. Would you use your own service/product?

If you plan to set-up a scheme that steals, deceives, or hurts people would you like your family to be one of the victims? What have you noticed with all scam artists and cheaters? They all get caught. They are then put on the media spotlight and forever walk in shame. I have never heard of a successful doctor/entrepreneur/lawyer/any person who followed the rules, did not harm people physically and mentally being called a fraud or scammer. Why? They help people with their problems in a right manner. They do what is right and reap the rewards without having to look behind their back to see if the Fed or big shot lawyers are after them.

All in All : Liars and Cheats may go to the top fast but their downfall is quicker, rougher and uglier.

Well I will disagree with you there. Most of them can careless and feel no shame. If they had any shred of conscious, they wouldn't be scamming in the first place.

Its really nothing short of a mental disease.

"Getting caught" is just apart of the business as they move on to the next scam, preying on a new group of oblivious consumers.

This guy is pretty smart though, after what FCC did to him, he still manages to do it another way lol.

Very persistent too.

I think the moral of the story is not to condemn him, but learn from his resourcefulness and persistent attitude and focus those energy into doing something good

Jeez. I didn't think of that. So all they care about is themselves and the money. I dislike them even more. LoL

I am always shocked by the audacity of con artists. And disappointed and upset when they seemingly get away with it enough to continue their scams. There are unlimited ways to make obscene amounts of money legitimately, I don't understand why some insist on screwing people for money. Kevin Trudeau's Natural Cures is irresponsible and dangerous. I wonder when Karma's gonna catch up with him...

I agree with all those who critisise him for his lack of integrity (Yves, Lamboman, LagunaLauren), and I agree with Sidney Wolfe's argument that many drugs are of questionable benefit but its completely irresponsible to encourage people to stop taking lifesaving drugs... this guy is a predator.

Still he's a shrewd businessman, after agreeing to stop selling products on TV not many would be smart enough to realise the constitution allows them to stay on TV and sell books.

Also shows the power of infomercials, I thought nobody watched those shows on TV, if he spent $22m or 2000 hours of commercials ($11000/hour) he must be selling a hell of a lot of books.


MJ when you are ready to launch your book if it is able to prove its own worth and sell a large number through the normal publishing methods you should partner with a infomercial company and make some big $$$

A recent friend of mine told me of a con-man who dupped him and many others including an attorney and a bank! He told me all about the effort this guy went to in order to scam these people.. the deal he was trying to work took months and months… it collapsed because people did their due diligence.

When I hear stories like this I think about how much wasted effort occurred and if they actually applied it to good then they would be rich!

He was just smart enough to have smarter people surrounding him.

Yes perhaps you're right, that's a practice to follow.

The guy could make just as much selling a number of other products and publications in infomercials so I really don't know why he sells dangerous advice, I guess thats another lesson for consumers that you ought to do due diligence on a product before buying.

I'm sure most fastlaners would know this though, a search of the guys name returns RipoffReport entries and many similar posts on the first page so you'd think people would stay clear of his book.

It is amazing! It's like that book that teaches you how to win the lottery.


I agree it's mental illness, no conscience like a sociopath . I remember seeing that 20/20 episode. Prison is like a school for scumbags to graduate from one scam to the other.

It is upsetting to me too, yeah karma will catch up to him.

The insatiable greed that some people have is incomprehensible to me. My best friend is so generous with his whole family. He bought his mother luxury cars, really expensive jewelry, exotic luxury vacations, a six-figure "income" and an $11 Million home. He recently found out she embezzled over $1 Million from him over 3 years in addition to all he did for her. I can't even imagine what she would have done with that money. He gave her everything she could possibly want. Unbelievable...Can't imagine the kind of hurt caused by a family member's betrayal.

It does take work and intelligence on part of these major con artist. Think if the folks at Enron or Madoff would have used those massive efforts to build a legit businesses. Maybe the fundraising efforts wouldn’t have been as easy with legitimate returns, but still would have been large enough to build great companies without the side effect of well earned jail time or death.

Startup Help

interesting enough, i can actually say this book had a HUGE affect on my life. i'm a firm believer about natural remedies and what he mentions about drug companies. i think it is mostly common sense as well. all these drugs on the market don't address the root of the problem, but rather mask the issue.

it's like driving down the road and your oil light comes on. instead of putting oil in the car, you just take out the light bulb.

my personal experience from natural remedies has been a positve one and haven't taken over the counter drugs in years. to each their own, but i'm extremely glad i read this book. it's allowed me to live a healthier lifestyle (eating organic foods) and using natural remedies. i'm in the best shape of my life and i don't get sick nearly as much as i used to (if at all).

if he is indeed a con man, that's a shame because it has change my life for the better.

I agree about some natural remedies and use good nutrition, vitamins, supplements and exercise to stay healthy. I prefer natural remedies (green tea, acai berry juice, herbal, homeopathic, etc) when possible and try not to take over the counter medicine or prescription drugs unless absolutely necessary. (I haven't gotten sick nearly as much as I used to either). I totally agree that so many drugs mask the problem rather than solving it. Great analogy about the oil light!

Also, it irritates me to see pharmaceutical companies marketing drugs directly to the consumer through tv commercials. Doctors should be prescribing specific medicine based on perceived need. Seems irresponsible to be trying to convince individuals that they should take a certain type of drug and that they should go to their doctor and ask for it and get free samples. (It does crack me up, though, when at the end of the commercials, they rattle off all the horrible side effects of the drug.."For itchy, watery eyes, try XXX drug...may cause anal leakage, temporary blindness, stroke, heart attack, etc. Consult your doctor or your attorney if you end up dying from this pill...")

Wow this guy is at it again?

The unstoppable Kevin Trudeau: Infamous infomercial king is at it again

Trudeau is currently saturating the infomercial airwaves with 30-minute segments about his latest book: "Free Money 'They' Don't Want You to Know About."

I first learned of this guy not too long ago when I saw a few minutes of some info-mercial about how to get free money. I looked him up and found out he had been convicted in the past. How he keeps getting away with all he does, still blows my mind.

Aside from the alleged nefarious activities, its a great example of adapting to your circumstances, the FTC prohibited him from selling products on TV and the loophole was "books" ... so he adapted to the hand he was given and made it work.