SFCVIBE Rating in Riccarton, Christchurch, is under investigation for running a suspected pyramid scheme. Photo / NZME
A current member of an online platform under investigation over claims it’s a pyramid scheme promising quick wealth says they believe it is functioning like a scam.
SFCVIBE Rating, which has offices in Riccarton and Manukau, presents itself as an internet advertising service.
However, the Commerce Commission has opened an inquiry into what it believes may be a pyramid-style operation.
Now, one person who said they joined the platform after purchasing a package that promised three daily tasks where users rate videos and earn $15 a day, with $5 paid for each task completed, has spoken out.
They said every member who joins is placed under one or more managers whose role is to “guide and help members use the platform”.
However, they said the focus quickly shifted away from simply rating videos, with managers instead pressuring members to recruit others into SFCVIBE Rating.
“There has been a huge focus on recruiting more people rather than simply completing tasks,” said the person who wished to remain anonymous.
“Managers constantly pressure members to recruit others into the platform.”
They said they had explained multiple times that they had invited people, but those invited declined because they did not have enough money to join.
While they respected the decision of those they had invited, they said managers told them they were “not putting in enough effort” and that there were “no excuses”.
They later discovered their account had been reduced from three daily tasks to only one task, despite paying for the package that included three.
“We found this extremely suspicious because the real issue seems to be that we were not successfully recruiting enough people into the platform,” they said.
“It feels like members are punished when they are not bringing in new people.
“This made me seriously question why there is so much pressure to recruit.
“Why does the company constantly need more people joining? In my opinion, it is because the system relies on new people bringing in money.”
They said there was also a nationwide SFCVIBE group chat where many members had openly complained about being pressured by managers.
“When concerns are raised, the head department usually responds by saying members simply need to ‘communicate better’ with managers and that it is all a misunderstanding,” they said.
“Another thing I noticed is that many people have recently been removed from the group chats by admins.
“Some members questioned why people were disappearing, and admins responded that those removed were ‘spreading rumours’ that the platform is a scam.”
They said admins had posted “strict warning messages”, telling members not to spread rumours, avoid discussing unrelated topics, and warning against suspicious behaviour.
“To me, it feels like they are trying to control what people say inside the groups,” they said.
SFCVIBE Rating has been approached for comment.
Last month, the company said it would still go ahead with two recruiting events in Auckland and Christchurch for paid members and their families.
Ronald Vaz, director of SFCVIBE Rating Riccarton, told the Herald at the time the events are a “thank you” from the company, with raffle tickets and prize money to be given away.
Vaz also said that a select few people using the service had created fraudulent accounts, which had flagged the firm as an alleged scam and sparked the Commerce Commission inquiry.
“It’s not somebody from outside the system who’s saying that this is a scam,” he said.
“[They] were creating fraudulent accounts and were making problems for the company.”
He said 1400 people are making money on the platform, but 150 people working under a certain supervisor went “rogue”, attempting to siphon money out by using different usernames on the platform.
“His full team was put under investigation. That is the whole reason this whole thing has come to light,” Vaz said.
“Otherwise, since September, everybody’s been working, and everybody’s been making money and just having a peaceful time.”
Commerce Commission head of fair trading and product safety investigations Simon Pope said the company appeared to be operating in multiple countries, including New Zealand, where it has several offices.
“The scheme attracts users by offering high payouts for completing basic digital tasks, such as rating and reviewing movies,” he said.
“The scheme involves the recruitment of others. It requires new participants to join via a referral link and to pay a subscription or deposit before starting work.
“We strongly advise anyone who comes across SFCVIBE Rating to exercise caution; if what the scheme offers seems too good to be true, it probably is.”