Financial syphilis: “Give me your old, your gullible, your desperate” – Short of saying ‘this is all a pack of lies’ what could beat this?

If you’re a connoisseur of the great rip-off, “The League of Power” is always good for a laugh. I’ve been following their stuff since they first started promising me freedom by the weekend.

Today they say “Life could be very different if you only believe and act now” – then off we go into the wonders of sponsored dreamland.

A certain “Ken Kingstone” – who he? – typical spammer name – promises cascades of mouthwatering checks. Page after page of great rip off copy aimed at worried people who want to retire – leading to the lines before the Guarantee of No-Cost Inspection and No-Strings Free Gift “I know you feel fear too. What I say is to take that fear and harness its power. Trust your gut and go with it!”

This is like the old catholic doctrine of invincible ignorance. Only a Sunday morning TV preacher like Benny Hinn could do better. I wonder how many read what “Ken” has to say at the end just to escape jail I guess. Very few, I’m sure:

*INCOME CLAIM WARNING: Results depicted are not typical of most results. These income examples are unique and represent unique experiences of the writer. Some individuals purchasing the program may make little or NO MONEY AT ALL. These claims are not a guarantee of your income, nor are they typical of average participants. Individual results will vary greatly depending upon your input, determination, hard work, and ability to follow directions. No person or company can guarantee profits or freedom from loss. Any and all use of this website certifies you are agreeing to our Earnings and Income Disclaimer”

I love the “some individuals” and “hard work” following paragraph after paragraph suggesting you need do nothing but collect checks. For example, “A lifetime royalty stream from other peoples’ genius from your armchair with a few phone calls…”

This stuff reminds me of what I was taught about testimonials when I first started learning how to write real selling copy 40-odd years ago. A picture above a testimonial works even if the caption says “posed by professional model”. I think the irrepressible Monroe Kane told me that.

What a a wonderful world we live in! I haven’t got time here to go into the smooth operator whose video made in what looks remarkably like a hotel room reveals how he took in $46,791.35 in 31 days. What a clever chap.

Seriously, though, just as they have warnings that smoking kills, they should have something a little stronger about this stuff. But then again I see a lot of stuff on TV about beauty products – “younger-looking skin” is a favourite – that you’d never get away with selling investments or insurance.