Flanked by a Ferrari, a Maserati, a Bentley, a Rolls-Royce and a Lamborghini, Dallin Larsen paced the stage, swigging deeply from a bottle in his hand. "I'll tell you what," said the tanned 49-year-old, opening his arms to the 4,000-person crowd, people are "looking for something they can count on, they can depend on, that's constant." The stirring scene would not be out of place at a megachurch revival—except Larsen's event, organized this June in Orlando, Fla., was bent on earning sales rather than salvation. The object of hope was not God but a dark purple fruit juice called MonaVie. The rich syrupy blend of Brazilian açai (pronounced "ah-sigh-ee") berries and 18 other fruits has gained a cult following among those who say it can kill pain, disease and malnutrition. Packaged in wine bottles like the one Larsen gripped onstage, MonaVie retails for around $40 a pop and isn't available in stores. Instead, the Utah-based company tore a pag...
Eliza Briscoe was told that all she had to do was put up $500 and bring in two additional people who would each contribute the same amount of money. In a little more than four weeks, she would get $4,000 in return. Like so many others being recruited for a "sou-sou," Briscoe was nearly duped into a pyramid scheme. It's hard not to be sold on the altruistic and cultural backstory of the sou-sou, also known as "Susu," "blessing loom" or "gifting circle." Promoters pitch the sou-sou as a common practice among Caribbean and African immigrants as a way to help their businesses grow. Briscoe was told she would be helping other Black folks, some of whom may have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus. "It seemed like it was legal," said the Maryland resident, who reached out to me as part of her due diligence research. "I didn't want to bring anybody in unless I knew for sure, because I didn't want anybody to lose their mo...
GETTY GETTY KATE MASTERS The Virginia Mercury RICHMOND — Virginia's medical professionals are among the most recent targets for scammers, according to the state's Department of Health Professions. In a news release Thursday, DHP warned that scammers have been contacting providers using spoofed telephone numbers and emails that appear to come from the department. The communications frequently demand payment to avoid license suspension or other legal actions. "Their illicit demands have often been made using a telephone number that appears to be from DHP, or a fax or email on official looking letterhead or email address, and are accompanied by threats of arrest or suspension of a practitioner's license unless fees are paid," DHP Director David Brown said in a statement. Other scammers have posed as agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration or other health regulatory boards, according to the release. The depar...
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