MLM scams in Goa Cyril P D'Souza, Calangute Sandeep Heble's letter regarding MLM (Herald, 8 May) refers to 'Salient Online'. I wish to tell Goan readers that we are not vigilant enough and very gullible. A few years back, there was a big scam perpetrated on Goans by one Vasant Pandit from Mumbai, called 'Japan Life'.
Poor unsuspecting people even took loans to buy the so-called 'Health Mattresses', and ended up losing everything; even their friends. The irony of the 'health mattress' is that today nobody sleeps on it as it reminds them of the bad investment they were conned into making. Many locals even gave up their jobs to join this company. I know of two friends who left five-star jobs of over 15 years because of this company, only to end up with nothing; they didn't even get VRS. A few ended up as alcoholics, and one committed suicide in Vasco. One banker who had put in his savings into the company ironically died of a heart attack on the health mattress. None of the Goans who were affected and left in the lurch by Vasant Pandit had the courage to take to the streets, as they were ashamed of themselves and their 'downlines'; they had been fooled by an international conman and used in this vicious network of multi-level marketing. Only a handful of Goans who were at the top of the pyramid managed to make money, and escaped. One is securely back on the ship where he had worked before he joined Japan Life, while the other is successfully selling upholstery on the road to Calangute. One person is back to his old job as TV anchor in the Gulf. I would request all readers to be more vigilant the next time about MLM schemes, pygmy depositors and the like, who all need to be brought to book. Link: http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=3898&cid=13
