FHTM (Fortune High Tech Marketing)

[ScottOU]

I had a friend of mine invite my wife and I to his house for a get-together in the evening a few weeks ago. It was nice of him to invite us since it has been a while when we last got together. Little did we know, that we were not the only ones being invited, so we begun to feel mislead and out of place with people we didn’t know. We went along with it and enjoyed ourselves with an entertaining evening of food and meeting new people. Something strange happened after two hours of socializing; my friend called all of us into his living room and began to tell us the main purpose of his invite to all of us, was to share a new business venture he is involved with. We began to laugh and think, Ok, go on and lets here what you have to say. He showed us a DVD presentation of a MLM business. After it was over with, I thought to myself, not another one of those deals, since we was mislead on our invite. No one questioned it or became involved, as the DVD would suggest. My friend that did the invite, was the only one involved with this Fortune business except for his sponsor. In fact, everyone there was saying to be careful with that deal and let us know how it works out. The next day I did my research on the internet to see what I could find out about this company, just in case my friend was involved with a scam. From what I have read I don’t see any good that can come from this business and that a lot of unfortunate mishaps are represented from peoples experience. It’s just like one of those deals. It boils down to getting your family and close friends involved, just to make money off of them and signing them up on expensive services and products they would never need or use. Most people don’t feel comfortable about making money off their family and friends. The ones currently involved in FHTM do, and they defend it with an unusual mindset that would make someone question their business ethics and public relations in operating a business. Bluntly put, SCAMLESS!!! The other thing that caught my guard when surfing the internet, was the BBB report on FHTM. Sure any major corporate business can have complaints, but what about a MLM privately held business? It’s enough that it’s a scamless business, but the complaints are high for a MLM privately held business. Corporate businesses do not have a section in their report that talks about pyramid scheme like the BBB report has on Fortune, very ironic to say the least. This is just my experience with Fortune and it will be the last. I’m a business owner myself and very successful at it, but a MLM business like Fortune is just another one of those deals that people get wrapped up in to, just make money by recruiting others to join. With the amount of complaints on the internet, if people went to the BBB website to file a complaint, this company would be shut down, wouldn't you think? Has anyone had this experience or something like it? It just seems these reps are so misleading and the business is a pyramid scheme.

[Demosthenes]

Kentucky Corporate Filing

Corporate Filing
Business Information
Filing Number: 0500780
Name: FORTUNE HI-TECH MARKETING, INC.
Name Type: LEGAL
business address: 880 CORPORATE DR STE 300
LEXINGTON, KY 40503-5400
Business Type: KENTUCKY CORPORATION
Filing Date: 09/11/2000
Status: ACTIVE
Standing: 1
Place Incorporated: Kentucky
Date Incorporated: 09/11/2000
Terms:
For Profit: Yes
Registered Agent
Name: MILLS, THOMAS A
registered office address: 880 CORPORATE DR STE 300
LEXINGTON, KY 40503-5400
Stock Information
Stock
Authorized Shares: 20000
Officers - As Of - 09/11/2000
Name Contact Type Date(s) Address Address Type
MILLS, TOM
VICE PRESIDENT OFFICER
ORBERSON, PAUL C
DIRECTOR

[Judge Roy Bean]

Like most MLM's, it takes someone who is willing to ruthlessly recruit without regard to what people will think of them.

[pns]

Two friends of mine have come two me within the last two weeks. This people don't know each other. They both have joined Fortune High Tech Marketing and I trust both of them.

I am going to seriously look at adding this company to my stable of successful Network Marketing companies.


---------------------------

As always, let me know how I can refer you business in the future.

Mike G.

[Nikki]

Moderator:

Spam spill Clean-up, please.

[Brandybuck]

There should be an MLM that sells spelling and grammar courses.

[wserra]

Two friends of mine have come two me within the last two weeks. This people don't know each other. They both have joined Fortune High Tech Marketing and I trust both of them.

Do you trust both of this people not two mislead me?

I am going to seriously look at adding this company to my stable of successful Network Marketing companies.

That would make one.

As always, let me know how I can refer you business in the future.

There's always a need for English as a second language among the MLM spammers.

[bmielke]

Two friends of mine have come two me within the last two weeks. This people don't know each other. They both have joined Fortune High Tech Marketing and I trust both of them.

Do you trust both of this people not two mislead me?

I am going to seriously look at adding this company to my stable of successful Network Marketing companies.

That would make one.

As always, let me know how I can refer you business in the future.

There's always a need for English as a second language among the MLM spammers.

amen. Thanks for watching out for Quatloos.

[Elmware]

I have a friend who is into these stupid MLMs. She used to be in Skynary or SkyBiz or whatever you call it but then it went under. Now she's trying to convince me to join this FHTM thing and I keep telling her that I want nothing to do with it. She even had me go to one of their online presentation thing at http://www.fht.com.

The whole thing reiks of pyramids!

[Elmware]

Did they try to lure any of you with the free Lexus lease?

[The Bird]

This company was order a Cease & Desist by North Dakota Attorney General for violating the transient merchant, consumer fraud, and home solicitation sales laws. Consumer Protection Division is also stepping in to see if the company violated N.D. pyramid law.

http://www.ag.state.nd.us/documents/For ... Desist.pdf

[The Bird]

Montana State Auditor orders a cease and desist against Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing for allegedly operating an illegal pyramid scheme.

First North Dakota now Montana!

"After many phone calls and complaints over the last few months, Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica Lindeen announced that her office has ordered Kentucky-based Fortune Hi Tech Marketing to stop operating in our state. For more information or to make a complaint, she encourages you to call 1-800-332-6148. "


KFBB news in Montana
http://www.kfbb.com/news/local/87709867 ... eo=YHI&t=a

Cease & Desist order
http://www.sao.mt.gov/legal/securities/ ... Desist.pdf

[Dotel]

Better Business Bureau on FHTM. The rating with BBB is now an F.

Government Actions

On March 16, 2010 the Montana State Auditor's Office filed a Temporary Cease and Desist Order and a Opportunity for Hearing against Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc., Paul C. Orberson, (President of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc.), Thomas A. Mills, (Vice President and CEO of Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc.) Dianne Graber, and John and Jane Does 1-2500.

According to the Montana State Auditor's Office, they alleged that Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing has engaged in acts or practices constituting violations of the Securities Act of Montana, Montana Code ANN.30-10-101 et seq.

On April 22, 2010, Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM) agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle the allegation by Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Monica Lindeen that the company was operating a pyramid promotional scheme in Montana.

Details of the Consent Agreement and Order with Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM):

-FHTM agrees to refund up to $840,000 to more than 3,400 Montana participants.

- FHTM and the company's founders, Thomas Mills and Paul Orberson, will pay a fine of $100,000 to the Montana's general fund. Dianne Graber, a Montana FHTM representative, will pay a $5,000 fine to the general fund.

- FHTM will contribute $50,000 to the Investor Protection Trust, a non-profit organization that provides investor education in Montana.

- In addition, FHTM will be required to change its business practices in Montana:

- New participants in FHTM will only be required to pay $75.00 to become a representative,

- FHTM will conduct training seminars along with representatives of the Commissioner's Office in several cities, and will conduct web-based training that is mandatory for all current or prospective representatives,

- FHTM will provide a disclosure brochure to each current and prospective representative outlining FHTM's program, including the average amount of income achieved and the average amount of time in the program required to reach each level,

- FHTM will reinforce with representatives that product sales are not primarily for self-consumption but for sale to non-participants, and

- FHTM will require its representatives to maintain records of non-participant customers and submit those records on a monthly basis.

The settlement agreement can be found at http://www.csi.mt.gov.

[wserra]

Indicating the haphazard nature of consumer protection enforcement. A favorite refrain of MLMers everywhere is, "Well, if we're a pyramid, why haven't we been shut down?" A question for them: if FHTM is a pyramid in Montana - to which, legalities aside, they agreed to the tune of $1M - why isn't it a pyramid elsewhere? Answer: because it's not a big enough blip on the radar screen elsewhere. Yet.

Welcome to Quatloos, Dotel.

[FHTM]

We are seeking anyone who has been scammed by FHTM and wants justice. Many state Attorney General's offices are investigating this Pyramid Scam and they need your help. If you have any information worth sharing - please email it to scam@fortunesocial.com and we will reply with the tools so you can help yourself out of this bind. Thanks in advance.

[wserra]

No, don't do that.

If FHTM has scammed anyone reading this, by all means report it to law enforcement. The consumer protection bureau of a state AG's office is a good place to start. But don't report it to "fortunesocial.com" so that they can "reply with the tools". They'll reply, all right, but with stuff designed to separate you from even more of your money.

Take a look at this. Three months ago, these same guys (that's "fortunesocial.com", Google) went trolling for FHTM participants:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 01, 2010 – Tampa, Florida (Feb 1, 2010) – Just two months after launching the first private social network (http://www.fortunesocial.com), designed specifically for a network marketing company, Fortune Social goes live with its web meeting module. FHTM Webconnect® is dedicated to helping FHTM representatives build successful teams globally. FHTM Webconnect continues to define the category of Web-based collaboration (http://www.fhtmwebconnect.com) by adding a suite of interactive services to its meeting and training site. The company today announced the immediate availability of Webconnect personalized offices that Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing representatives can use for private multi-user meetings with up to 500 attendees simultaneously.

So just three months ago, fortunesocial wanted FHTM participants to pay them to help build the pyramid.

It's classic scammer behavior: if the original scam fails, try to set yourself up to scam victims of the original scam. If I have some time this weekend, I think "Fortune Social" bears some more scrutiny.

[wserra]

Not surprisingly, there is indeed more to it. FHTM has sued Fortune Social (FS) and Joseph Isaacs, one of its founders, in the Eastern District of Kentucky, docket 5:10-cv-00123-KSF. What I write below comes from documents in that suit, specifically FHTM's motion for a preliminary injunction. FS has not yet responded to the motion. The suit seeks damages and injunctive relief for alleged trademark infringement and product disparagement.

Until a few months ago, Isaacs was a FHTM distributor. He then started FS, which (as I posted above) sought to recruit from FHTM's distributors, using FHTM's trademarks. FHTM claims that it told him to stop, terminated him when he wouldn't, and then sued when he started bad-mouthing them and continued infringing. Among other nefarious deeds, FHTM claims that Isaacs and FS distributed a fake California AG complaint purporting to seek injunctive and monetary relief against FHTM for running a pyramid scheme. FWIW in my opinion that complaint looks real, but it was apparently never filed.

I have no idea whether FHTM's claims are valid. Personally, I just hope scammer A and scammer B knock each other out. Still, it's interesting that the poster here uses the login "FHTM" to disparage, well, FHTM.

Is that you, Joe?

[wserra]

Fortune Social and Isaacs have basically given up, as it appears they saw the handwriting on the wall. As the Court was about to decide FHTM's motion for a preliminary injunction, Isaacs agreed to take down his sites and stop infringing. The order is here. Gee, Joe, couldn't you have fought a little longer?

I don't think we'll see "FHTM" posting here any more, at least under that login.

[FHTM]

This week some of the ABC affiliates around the US ran investigative reports on Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing (FHTM) and what they discovered is shocking. It collaborates what I have been saying for months. FHTM is an endless recruiting promotional pyramid scheme with no direct relationships with any companies they claim to partner with. Here are the links to the story and video from Kentucky (FHTM home state). It also ran in different markets in Texas and is being prepped in NC, FL and others. Next stop 60 Minutes or ABC Nightly news or CNN

http://www.whas11.com/on-tv/I-Team-Iniv ... 66814.html

http://www.whas11.com/community/I-Team- ... 73719.html

[FHTM]

You should get your facts straight before posting them online. FHTM just had the case against Fortune Social and Isaacs removed from Federal Court. Fortune was not able to get an injunction regarding their bogus claims against Isaacs. Why are you bashing the guy who seeks to tell everyone the real truth.

No, don't do that.

If FHTM has scammed anyone reading this, by all means report it to law enforcement. The consumer protection bureau of a state AG's office is a good place to start. But don't report it to "fortunesocial.com" so that they can "reply with the tools". They'll reply, all right, but with stuff designed to separate you from even more of your money.

Take a look at this. Three months ago, these same guys (that's "fortunesocial.com", Google) went trolling for FHTM participants:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 01, 2010 – Tampa, Florida (Feb 1, 2010) – Just two months after launching the first private social network (http://www.fortunesocial.com), designed specifically for a network marketing company, Fortune Social goes live with its web meeting module. FHTM Webconnect® is dedicated to helping FHTM representatives build successful teams globally. FHTM Webconnect continues to define the category of Web-based collaboration (http://www.fhtmwebconnect.com) by adding a suite of interactive services to its meeting and training site. The company today announced the immediate availability of Webconnect personalized offices that Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing representatives can use for private multi-user meetings with up to 500 attendees simultaneously.

So just three months ago, fortunesocial wanted FHTM participants to pay them to help build the pyramid.

It's classic scammer behavior: if the original scam fails, try to set yourself up to scam victims of the original scam. If I have some time this weekend, I think "Fortune Social" bears some more scrutiny.