- YouTuber Sandeep Maheshwari exposed a well-known influencer for selling expensive and deceptive courses.
- They mostly prey on high school graduates or young college-goers with limited education.
- This issue extends beyond India, with ‘Gurus’ exploiting their young audiences for profit.
Sandeep Maheshwari exposes “Big Scam”
In 2023, India experienced a notable increase in the prevalence of multi-level marketing (MLM) pyramid schemes, witnessing the emergence of more than 400 new schemes.
This marks the highest number in the past five years, according to Strategy India, a policy, compliance, and direct-selling consultancy associated with the Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA).
A pyramid scheme is a business model that recruits members by promising payments or services for enrolling others into the scheme, rather than through investments or the sale of products.
Why are we talking about pyramid schemes all of a sudden?
Recently, Sandeep Maheshwari shared a video titled “Big SCAM Exposed” on his YouTube account.
In the video, followers of Sandeep Maheshwari disclosed how a well-known motivational influencer deceived them by selling extremely expensive courses, purportedly aimed at enhancing their business skills.
Background of the victims
Two individuals stepped forward to share their horrible experiences with these courses.
1st speaker: He was always interested in entrepreneurship. Regrettably, 5 months ago he came across an Indian YouTuber selling a course that would help him learn everything he needed to create a business.
3 months into the course he realized that it was all a hoax, and he had learned nothing useful. Instead, they asked him to sell the course to other unsuspecting people, in exchange for a commission.
Apparently, he had spent INR 50,000 on the course, which is a significant amount for middle-class Indian families.
2nd speaker: The other speaker spent INR 35,000 on the course. His relative, who had fallen victim to the same pyramid scheme convinced the speaker’s parents to make him join one of those business-related workshops.
“You can learn more useful topics about business on YouTube, for free.” said the second speaker.
These courses range from several thousand to even INR 10 lakhs.
When Sandeep asked those victims why no action had been taken despite people being deceived, they replied that many participants have limited education and exposure, making them too hesitant to even request a refund.
Sandeep is receiving threat calls…
Although those victims or Sandeep didn’t explicitly mention the name of the fraud Youtuber, later it was revealed that it was Dr Vivek Bindra, who is the CEO and founder of Bada Business Pvt. Ltd.
Sandeep Maheshwari addressed the situation on YouTube, acknowledging that his team faced significant pressure to remove the video.
Vivek also threatened to take legal action against Sandeep and has allegedly sent his employees to the latter’s house.
Nevertheless, Sandeep stands his ground and ensures that under no circumstances would the video be deleted.
Closing
You know what the scary fact is? This issue is not just confined to India; it’s prevalent across the world.
Numerous well-known foreign YouTubers, often referred to as “Finance Gurus,” unscrupulously target their young and unsuspecting audiences to make a quick buck.
To all the young individuals out there, be vigilant and avoid falling victim to these scams. And, now you’re familiar with their tactics.
Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize that the Internet and YouTube offer numerous valuable and legitimate courses that you can access for free.
Even if you consider a paid course, make sure to check the reviews and thoroughly examine the course modules before signing up.
