In a recently viral TikTok, user @internetaunty shared her own encounter with an MLM (Multi-level marketing) recruiter at a Starbucks. In the video, she revealed the consequences of going along with their enticing propositions.
The video, which has racked up over 550,000 views since it was posted on Feb. 22, begins with @internetaunty referencing the recent TikTok trend of users sharing their experiences of being approached by MLM recruiters in Target stores. However, she quickly makes it clear that this issue isn’t confined to Target. “It’s not just happening in Target if it happened to me in 2018 at a Starbucks,” she says.
According to @internetaunty, she was a regular at Starbucks, often using her breaks to work on her blog. One day, a woman who she had noticed there frequently struck up a conversation with her, showering her with compliments.
“So one day she seen me interacting with the barista and she like, Ay, what do you do for a living, because you have like star power personality. You’re making people laugh, I see you got a nice smile, this and that. Blah, blah. She lifted me up for real. She fed into a ego. But luckily, I don’t have low self esteem to care,” the TikToker recounted in the video.
@internetaunty the target scam isnt just happening in target people are banking on desperation these days and dont let them over talk you or force a conversation
♬ original sound – PROBLEM CHILD
However, the recruiter eventually steered the conversation in a different direction and started about ‘passive income’ and ‘financial freedom’.
The TikToker claims she was given a book to read as an assignment and eventually got invited to a meeting with other ‘successful’ individuals. It was only when she attended the meeting that she realized what was happening.
“It’s a whole seminar, they teaching you about how it’s a pyramid scheme,” she said. “Basically, you buy an e-commerce website. And then for every recruit you do, they have to like signup through your website. So you can get money for the fact that you recruited somebody, but you also have to buy their stuff.”
She continued, “So you’ll have like a back stock order of toaster ovens, or maybe Costco discount cards that you need to get, you need to get them off to get your money back.”
@internetaunty alleges that people reacted negatively when she decided to leave seminar. “I’m arguing with strangers… in somebody else apartment and it’s all because I didn’t want to get scammed into giving my credit card information,” she remarked.
Her advice to others? “Once people start talking about financial freedom in your face, in the middle of like spending money and just minding your business, cut it, cut it, cut it.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @internetaunty via TikTok comment.