If you have been involved in the online marketing industry for a couple of years or more then you likely have heard about a company called MOBE.
On Monday, June 11th the FTC shut down their official website Mobe.com and this is yet another one of the powerful and long standing high ticket recruiting schemes that is set up as a Ponzi scheme to bite the dust in the past 5 months.
They have also filed a temporary restraining order which has over 4,500 pages of evidence to back up all the charges that Matt Lloyd and his crew is up against.
It’s also estimated that MOBE and their many massive funnels have stolen as much as $125 million from its customers deeming this one of the largest illegal Ponzi schemes in a long. long time.
Here is more detailed information that I was able to find about why the FTC shut down Matt Lloyds ponzi scheme along with a June 26th hearing that you can read more about at the link below.
http://www.bernet-receiver.com/appointments/mobe/
Take a look at the official screenshot that I’ve captured for you guys below!!
I actually can’t say that I’m a bit surprised as I have been waiting for this to happen for a couple years now.
All I have to say is that it’s about damn time!!
If you have been involved with MOBE and invested several thousand or more with them then my heart goes out to you and I really do feel for you right now.
How do you move on from here?
What are some of your options going forward?
How do you know if an online business opportunity is legit or not?
What are some of the warning signs to be on the outlook for before joining?
These are just a few questions off the top of my head that I’ll be covering in this post along with many more so I invite you to continue reading as I’ll be going over all of this in detail.
Also, if you were thinking about joining MOBE but you didn’t then Kudos to you for being able to tell the difference between a Ponzi Scheme and a legitimate business opportunity.
If you have come to this website and you don’t know what MOBE is then I’ll also be covering this as well and showing you a much better alternative to MOBE where you can get started for free.
Are You Guys Ready?
Tired Of Throwing Your Money Away On Recruiting Schemes Like MOBE? Click Here To See The Program I Recommend!!
What Was MOBE About Anyway?
As many of you know MOBE which had several meanings and had gone through many name changes over the years, here are just a few of them.
- My Online Business Empire
- My Own Business Education
- My Online Business Education
- MTTB(My Top Tier Business)
When Matt Lloyd originally launched this company back in 2011, he grew it to be one of the most successful and longest standing Ponzi schemes of all time.
This system was primarily based on recruiting other people into the opportunity and selling high ticket membership packages that range anywhere from $2,000 each up to $30,000.
Yes, you read that right!! 30 thousand dollars!!
Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you even though I wish they were in this particular case, but unfortunately, they’re not.
Here’s how Matt Lloyd baited you into his scheme and enticed his way into your wallet and devised a plan to separate you from your hard earned money.
You would need to pay $50 to qualify which gave you access to the first 6 steps out of 21.
In order to complete this training, you would need to pay an additional $1,997 to move on to the next step.
As if that wasn’t bad enough there were also 5 or 6 other high ticket packages where you could earn 100% commission from these products.
Here’s the catch tho, you would need to purchase these high ticket packages to gain the so called resell rights to promote this scheme to the next person.
Pretty crazy, right?
Why They Got Shut Down?
Here lately the FTC has really been cracking down on companies that are recruiting based and involve any type of high ticket investment.
According to Wikipedia, a Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment that promises a huge return using the funds from new members who have just joined.
Ponzi schemes that are set up in the way MOBE was is actually illegal in all 50 states and if you happen to be pretty involved when this company goes down, guess what?
The FTC could go after you as well and there is a good chance you could also be sued!!
In order for you to stay in the clear and seem to be legit, you need to have some type of tangible product/ service that people get when they join.
Well, guess what?
MOBE Didn’t have any of this unless you want to count the resort packages and live seminars which you paid dearly for and I believe this is one of the many reasons why they were shut down.
Back in February the FTC shut down a similar company called Digital Altitude which was almost a carbon copy of MOBE.
You can read my official blog post on the shutdown of Digital Altitude here!!
How Was Matt Lloyd Able To Fly Under The Radar For So Long?
As many of you might know Matt Lloyd has multiple offices around the world but his main headquarters has been in Malaysia.
As you saw in the screenshot above, has offices in Austrailia, Asia, Canada, but not in the United States, except for his Orlando Florida residence.
The main reason why this company was able to operate for so long is cause they were mostly based outside the US which is out of the FTC’s jurisdictions.
Also, there are probably close to hundreds of other funnels out there that served as a front for MOBE and I have reviewed dozens of MOBE funnels over the past 6 months to a year right here on this very website.
Here are just a few off the top of my head below.
- Internet Funnel System
- Freedom Cash System
- Online Profits Breakthrough
- Wifi Millionaire
- Home Online Profits
- Automated Income Daily
This is only a handful of the hundreds of Mobe funnels out there that would bait you in with a low start-up cost and once you make your way to the member’s area they tell you how much money you’re losing out on without MOBE.
This isn’t the first time that MOBE has shown up on the FTC’s radar as they have had several brush-ins with them in the past.
Recruiting & HighTicket Is A Bad Combination
Like I said earlier on in this post, back in February we witnessed the shutdown of a similar company called DA (Digital Altitude)
This was another hight ticket recruiting scheme where you would need to invest up to $30k or more to rise to the top of the pyramid and convince other people to do the same thing.
5 short months later we finally experience the takedown of one of the most powerful and longest standing company MOBE.
Also, another company that I’m sure you guys are all familiar with is yet another one of the most powerful Ponzi schemes of all time, Empower Network.
Back in August of 2017 EN was shut down as well!!
Can you guys guess what these 3 companies have in common with each other?
If you said recruiting and hight ticket you would be correct.
Awesome job, by the way, lol!!
Anytime you need to pay to promote a system that is mostly based on recruiting with no tangible products, this should automatically throw up a red flag and have you second-guessing their legitimacy.
What To Do If You Were A Member Of MOBE
If you’re wondering if you’ll get your money back since the company has been shut down then I wish I had a better answer for you than I do at this current time.
Unfortunately, the chances of Matt Lloyd paying back the millions upon millions of people who fell victim to his vicious scheme is not very likely.
However, once he stands in front of a judge he might be ordered to pay everyone back, but I guess that is left to be seen and there is no official court date set that I know of at this time.
Furthermore, I will keep this page updated on whats going on in this case as I receive them myself.
I guess you could try and contact their support staff but I’m not sure if that would do you much good since they probably wouldn’t answer you anyway lol.
Other than that I don’t really know what else to tell you but to be patient and wait things out.
What Alternatives Do You Have?
At this point, you may feel like it’s the end of the world and you have no idea where to go or what to do.
Am I right?
Don’t feel bad, I know exactly how you must feel as I have felt this way several times myself when systems I invested in bit the dust.
You might feel like all is lost but I’m here to tell you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
If you’re sick of losing thousands of dollars to the company that you just invested your entire life savings into only to watch it crash and burn then you might want to look into affiliate marketing instead.
With affiliate marketing, you’ll learn how to create websites around your hobbies and interests and learn how to monetize them by recommending your favorite products that are relevant to the topic of your website.
The place I would recommend for the most hands-on experience that walks you through this step by step would be Wealthy Affiliate.
It’s actually free to get started and you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars to qualify to earn money or any other nonsense thats associated with these other systems.
This is the place that I eventually moved on to after I was scammed multiple times by these types of companies.
A Few Warning Signals To Be Aware Of
In order for you to avoid falling for these types of schemes in the future, here are a few warning signs you need to be aware of before joining any type of potential make money opportunity.
- You should never have to pay to become an affiliate
- Be on the lookout for fancy words like licensing fee and resell rights
- Avoid any high ticket systems where recruiting is the only way to earn money
- You should never have to pay thousands to learn how to make money online
Also, another thing you should keep in mind is companies that promise you $500 for watching a video and telling you more lies in the first 30 seconds then you have heard in your whole life.
My Closing Thoughts
It was only a matter of time before it happened and I’m actually quite glad that the FTC finally shut Matt Lloyd and his infamous Ponzi scheme down.
If you have lost money to this scheme and you’re wondering how to move on from here and pick up the pieces then I’m here to tell you that you have many options that are available to you.
My overall recommendation would be Wealthy Affiliate!!
They have remained my #1 recommendation for over 5 years now and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is interested in learning the proper way to build a business online that doesn’t require you to recruit your aunt Mary or Uncle James.
It also doesn’t require you to drain your life savings as you can get started for free and upgrade your account when you’re ready to take things to the next level.
Other than that, I’ll keep you guys updated on how things pan out for MOBE and whats next for Mr. Matt Lloyd.
Will he face jail time or not? Have you invested a great deal of your money into MOBE or were you a current member when they got shut down?
I would love to hear all about it and I’m sure other people would as well.
Leave all of this for me in the comments below.
Until next time, stay same and try to avoid getting scammed!!
~Scott~
Well, it was not a PONZI Scheme but it was an illegal pyramid.
The U.S. versus Amway (Federal Court) decision in 1977 was clear. Most of the income needs to come from consumers, not from people who are enroleld in “the plan”. If “the last person who got involved could make a living merely by recruiting” then it is most likely NOT an illegal pyramid.
For clarification, a Ponzi Scheme, named after Loius Ponzi, pays out interest monthly on “investments”. In a Ponzi there is no business or product, just 10% per m onth paid back. Bernard Madoff ran the largest Ponzi Scheme in history (though that only paid out 10% annually). These thing srarely fly but illegal pyramids, known to many as “money games”, are common.
Hi Steven and thank you so much for chiming in on this topic of conversation.
There isn’t much of a difference between a PONZI scheme and an illegal pyramid as they are both pretty much set up in the same way.
If a program doesn’t have any tangible products and the majority of the companies revenue comes from bringing in new members then it’s an illegal Ponzi scheme.
I have actually written a pretty detailed post about this topic and you can check it out here.
Thanks again for chiming in on this topic of conversation Steven and sharing these facts with everyone here today.
It’s much appreciated!!
~Scott~
Are the insurance policies that were purchased through MOBE still legal?
Hi Jerry,
I wasn’t aware that MOBE had any type of insurance policies available for purchase but I would assume that anything purchased through MOBE is illegal.
The FTC has seized all of their assets and has frozen the funds in Matt Lloyds bank account just a couple of weeks ago.
There was also a court hearing yesterday morning (June 26th) where he was supposed to stand in from of a judge and so far I haven’t heard how that turned out just yet.
For the latest updates check in at http://www.bernet-receiver.com/appointments/mobe/
Thanks so much for stopping by Jerry!!
Cheers
~Scott~
Hey thanks for the article.
I’m not surprised honestly…
I was a MOBE affiliate, just joined them hesitantly 3 months ago.
I suspected they were a pyramid scheme before I even put the money down, but I thought I might put the minimum down to test it out, see if it is really legit or not, then invest more if it worked. I guess we all know the answer to that now lol.
I got their $2,997USD + A few hundred dollars more in their membership fee. I also tried promoting their products and spent another $1200USD on advertising costs.
After that did not work, I gave it a break, took a step back and tried a different approach to my affiliate marketing business.
Just a few weeks before they got shut down, I decided to start my own personal brand unrelated to MOBE to better diversify in case MOBE goes to shit. My YouTube channel that is.
I personally know people that lost their life savings.
I’m talking $29,997 and a couple people had $49,997USD invested.
Have you been to their live events?
The first was a free event called ‘IM Freedom Workshop’ Didn’t learn anything actionable, they only regurgitated generic things related to business you already know if you’ve watched youtube videos/read books etc. At that event they sold us this $497 ticket to their ‘Home Business Summit’. I thought, alright, I’m not expecting a free education/course, so I will get it.
At their Home Business Summit, a local 3 day in a row, 8 hours per day live event, they mostly focused on up selling us their high ticket products for 80% of the event.
The worst part? A lot of the attendees that went there were having it tough in their lives and wanted to make a change for the better. So they took the risk of a large “investment” to better their future with huge optimism.
And now?..They are broke, or worse…one lady I know invested all her money, and had even more than that from a bank loan she took out (we were told to find ‘investors’ by MOBE if we don’t have the money).
She said shes crying. I really feel sorry for those people. Instead of changing their lives for their better, their lives are even more devastated than before.
Not to mention how demotivating it is, especially for those new to business and investing. They probably will end up quitting any future business pursuits before they even start due to lack of trust or fear of getting scammed again.
They also had these people at the Home Business Summit called ‘success coaches’. I could tell they were sales people in disguise. Heck, when it was time for payment, we sat down with them and they said “Let’s be completely honest with each other here”.
At that point, I KNEW they were going to get me to tell them how much money I have.
And they fucking did, and so I lied and told them a much lower number.
If a sales person knows how much money you have, they will NOT hesitate to take it from you.
Fucking disgraceful that.
Anyways, lessons to be learned, and red flags:
1. They push you to get new members to sign up for commissions instead of how to sell the actual product/service
2. To become affiliated with them, you have to also purchase the product/service yourself first.
3. Their product is overpriced, meaning most of the costs you pay for their product, is really so that the affiliate above you in the pyramid scheme can get a commission.
I guess this is an important lesson to be learned for us all.
Anyways, I doubt I will get my $3500USD back, I’m just moving on and learning from my failures and keep pushing forwards. I won’t let this demotivate me. Setbacks are just part of the journey to entrepreneurship.
I’m documenting this on my Youtube Channel to warn others.
-Clark
Hey there Clark and thank you so much for stopping by and sharing the experience that you’ve had with MOBE with everyone here today.
Trust me, man, I know how you must be feeling about now cause I have been down the same path as you when I first started out in this industry with similar programs like MOBE.
I didn’t invest nearly as much as you did but I did at one time pay over $1,000 to join some pyramid ponzi scheme back in 2010-2011 and it really crushed me financially and emotionally as well.
I’m so sorry to hear that you invested and lost over $4,000 with this company and my heart goes out to you.
I’m glad that you were thinking ahead though and started up your own YouTube channel to diversify your income and have a backup in case MOBE bites the big one like they did.
Ever since Digital Altitude got shut down back in Feb I knew that MOBE would probably be next.
It’s sad to think about this but why would anyone invest their entire life savings on this MOBE garbage when you can learn how to build a real legit business for less than a dollar a day with other legit programs out there.
Thats crazy man and I’m sorry that your friends lost as much as $50,000 to Matt Lloyds scheme.
No I haven’t been to their live events but I heard that they’re pretty expensive to attend.
It truly makes me sick that companies like MOBE prey on people who are serious about making money online and take advantage of them by making them pay upwards of $50,000 just to learn how to make money online.
Matt Lloyd sure knows how to change lives but it’s definitely not for the better. It’s systems like this that I warn people about every day and this is one of the many reasons why people think that everything is a scam and to be honest, I can’t really blame them.
MOBE, Digital Altitude, Empower, Network and any other system thats based on recruiting is what gives the internet marketing industry a bad name and if it wasn’t for these scams people would be more forthcoming and serious about building a business online.
It sounds like they put you guys through the ringer and tried to squeeze as much money out of you as they possibly could.
This is really disheartening to hear that you had to go through all of this but at least you learned from it and now you can start over building out your own brand and focus on you.
Hopefully once Matt Lloyd stands in front of a judge you’ll get some type of reimbursement but it’s hard to tell.
I really want to thank you for stopping by and sharing this with all my readers today. I can only hope that they read this and this serves as a warning for them not to get involved with any program out there that involves recruiting and high ticket.
Cheers
~Scott~
Hey thanks Scott,
I will also be keeping up to date with others I know who are trying to get their (or at least some) money back through their banks, the FTC and AAAC etc. The process will take many months at least before getting a definitive answer.
I will be following your blog here.
You are most welcome Clark!!
Definitely keep in touch with the others and keep me updated on whether they’re able to get their money back as well as whether you’re able to recover the money you lost with MOBE.
I’m sure it will take several months and I hope everything works out for you man.
Thanks for following me as well, I really appreciate it.
~Scott~